Welcome to the World of Zoos, DU! Guess who's coming

[JanMichael]

for dinner?

The smiling children

giggled as they patted the young

goat on its head and tickled it

behind the ears.....

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-506153/Animals-torn-pieces-lions-baying-crowds-spectator-sport-China-DOESNT-want-see.html

Now, I am waiting for "The Daily Mail" is a fake rag!" "This is not the same!" "You condone animal cruelty!" posts- I know they are coming.

Wake up folks. Animals are abused all over the world. Whether the dead parts are in your freezer (ummmm tasty bacon!), on your plate at the restaurant (Chicken breast is healthy!), on your feet (Nike!), or being shot at a zoo in Denmark, this is reality. I know most folks here despise PETA- the videos are propaganda! And yet- one tall, spotted, vegan, adorable critter shot (and think of the children! Here kids, have a Happy Meal!)...and a couple of large cats put down humanely...and suddenly.... Well- you can look at the threads yourself.

[JanMichael]

1. And you should

see the darling, live, terrified bunnies that large snakes get to eat in the US zoos. In fact, you can watch that on youtube video.

[Skinner]

2. Don't snakes get to eat terrified bunnies out in the wild?

Not sure why snakes should be denied the opportunity to kill and eat their dinner if that's what a snake eats out in the wild.

(Not condoning the bizarre situation with the lions in China. Just curious what your point is with the snakes in zoos.)

[JanMichael]

3. They do. And lions

eat giraffes, and cubs are killed in the wild. My point is that Americans are too upset with the zoo in Denmark simply because it's "current news." I am pointing out that the hype over the killing of the two older lions, their two cubs, and one giraffe is just hype.

I am a vegetarian, so I find the threads on the zoo bizarre- how can someone eat a cheeseburger and read about a giraffe that was killed humanely "offensive? "

I can understand that the feeding of the lions in China looks "bizarre" to Americans- but, is it any less bizarre to toss live bunnies into a snakes den just because it's "after hours?" The only difference is that in the US, we "protect" our children from seeing this.

Life in the US has become so sanitized that we are "outraged" when other cultures act differently.

[Skinner]

4. To be clear, my beef with the lions in china...

...is the fact that visitors are given the opportunity to taunt lions with a live chicken on a bamboo stick. I don't think there is anything inherently wrong with feeding lion a goat (alive or freshly killed), any more than feeding snakes live prey. Again, in the wild Lions kill and eat antelopes all the time. After all, they're lions.

Now obviously, no zoo in the US is going to feed their lions live antelopes or goats -- for one thing it's not practical, and as you point out people would freak out. But I'm not sure there is anything inherently wrong with feeding live prey to a wild animal in captivity.

[joeybee12]

5. Essentially, this is a call-out by the OP about the threads about the Copenhagen zoo...

I think it should be locked...this poster seems to know more about the situation there than anyone else here.

[Skinner]

6. I wasn't aware of any backstory of this thread.

I just thought it was a thread about zoos.

[joeybee12]

8. The Copenhagen Zoo threads were yesterday...the poster disagreed

with pretty much everyone...this is not about zoos in general, IMHO

[JanMichael]

9. There are several threads about the zoo in Denmark

this is a response to those threads, NOT calling out any particular DUer. I am only pointing out that killing at zoos is normal, in the US and abroad.

[JanMichael]

7. No, I don't agree with

taunting the lions either- nor do I agree with feeding snakes during opening hours in the US; clearly it would upset visitors.

[Skinner]

10. It would upset some visitors. Others might find it fascinating.

I take my children to the national zoo here in DC quite often (it's free). I remember one time in the reptile house a snake was shedding its skin. The whole process probably took 35 minutes in very slow motion. While all the other visitors took a short peek and then walked away, my oldest son stood there for the full 35 minutes to see the entire process. He was probably only 5 years old at the time. I think he might be fascinated to see a snake eat a rabbit (while also feeling sad for the rabbit).

[JanMichael]

11. Some might-

However, I think most (if not all) zoos and aquariums keep "feeding time" after hours- there was a case recently (in the past several years) where a biology HS teacher fed the "school snake" a live rabbit- after regular classroom hours. The video was on youtube- and some of the parents were very upset.

That said, I fail to understand why so many see the zoo in Copenhagen as "inhumane." One poster (on a news site, not DU) compared the zoo to "Auschwitz." I think that's ridiculous.

[frylock]

12. i went to the zoo last easter and watched a leopard eat a rabbit