Do you think she has finally lost it or is this a ploy to create more employment???

[Freckle]

I mean can you just see factories being created to produce tiny little milking machines for rats, cats and dogs???

And what do you suppose she proposes is done with all the little baby rats, cats and dogs which will need to be bred so that their mothers can produce milk for human consumption? Doesn't sound particularly ecologically sound to me.

I like her so there...well like may be too strong a word but I feel sorry for her as she is always being misquoted. As for her weirdy vegan ways I am probably the most lethargic eco disater area going so it wont win my vote.

Misquoted - like err "she never heard of The Beatles"?

I watched the interview with incredulity.

Msquoted like comparing heself to the McCanns

Is that really true about rhino's milk, MB?

[Wilbur gets ready to add it to her growing pile of useless yet treasured facts]

So I was told in my Biochemistry lecture in 1984 as part of my Biochem degree! We did the biochemistry of lactation. the only bit that I still remember was the bit about the rhino!

Mind you, that was back in the mists of time, so there could be a newer 'closest' milk now!

Martian, i did biochemistry at uni too, although i did mine in '94 as a "mature student" fortunately we didnt cover the lactation of anything

Freckle, i guess all the baby animals could be used in research so actually would be quite ecologically and cost effective, however i guess that was not was she was hoping for!!!

I'm off to milk a cat. I'm sure it will let me.

Mucka says so.

totally agree with nqc. mills is advocating the forced milk production of rodents.

Shall I get the Savlon and plasters ready to treat your scraches?

I've been thinking about this species divide.

We don't eat many carnivorous animals, do we? Other than fish?

Pigs are omnivores. Cows and sheep (if left to their devices) are herbivores. chickens are omnivores.

Its one of those food chain things.

We tend not to eat carnivores, so I'd be amazed if there were any societies who have ever milked them.

we tend not to eat carnivore yes but other cultures do.

Yeah - i guess milking a carnivore is a bad idea cos they tend to have things such as claws and teeth.

Good point.

And legs.

And a brain.

Unlike a certain person.............

(i had to add that last post just in case you didn't get it)

Funny aren't i?

Oh - all right - i'm off to milk a tiger.

But surely the reason we mainly eat herbivores is because they are easier to farm, if you had a feild of big cats of some description you would also have to breed or buy thier prey so what would be the point?

tends to be more of an ad hock basis though doesn't it?

Or do people actually farm dogs in the far east? (serious question)

I know someone who had to milk mice for his PhD

More energy to be passed up the food chain as well. Everey lay that you go up a food chain, more and more of the enegy contained within the animals at that level gets 'used'

This is why you tend not to get food chains longer than 4 levels on land, and 5 levels in water based ecosystems (in water they use less energy as they don't maintain teir own body tempteratute)

the most enegy efficient diet is Vegitartian (and I'm an omnivore myself)

I knew someone who used to do cervical smears of epileptic rats.......The hours used to just fly by!

She clearly means "why don't we drink rats' milk? Erm, because it would be weird and pointless when there are loads of other things we can eat and drink. The same goes for cows' milk."

You might think she is wrong about cows' milk but it's obvious what she means here, and it isn't that she wants us to start drinking other animals' milk.

I'm not sure why I'm entering into this discussion to be honest, I have no interest in Ms Mills either way and don't have anywhere near the knowledge to discuss energy efficiency!

mb, we should introduce them, it would be quite a double act

I agree f&z

I'm not totaly convinced by her green credentials if it is true that she drove round to Speakers Corner in her 4 by 4 and left the engine running for most of the afternoon.

Or her honesty if she really said that she had never heard of the Beatles!

The press hate her. Everyone hates her. I am not quite sure why.