Post by Wood~Ant on Feb 8, 2010 9:47:48 GMT
Most of us keep either dogs or cats as pets. Some like to keep more exotic pets such as marine fish in tanks, tropical birds in cages, snakes, rabbits etc; and dare I mention it here, even ants are kept as pets.
Some animals like Lions, Tigers, Rhinos or Elephants are kept in zoos; and although they are given large paddocks to roam about in, they are still being held captive. Our local zoo (Marwell Zoo) only keeps animals which are endangered in the wild. To stop species becoming extinct, the zoo has a very successful breeding programme which is saving rare animals; but even the zoo keeps a thriving colony of Atta ants and other insects.
I hate seeing animals of any kind kept in cages or placed in homes where they have no space. Some of the people we see on the TV show The Dog Whisperer don't exercise their dogs enough; and one guy who live near Jen and I never takes his 2 dogs out for a walk, mostly keeping them indoors or in his shed. I would love Cesar Milan to pay this guy a visit, or the animal welfare people (Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals).
I must be perfectly honest here and say I prefer to study ants, or any animal for that matter, in the wild in their natural surroundings; but as you all know, it is not always possible to observe ant behaviour in a nest which can be many feet (metres) deep under the ground, or where you often get hundreds of biting, stinging worker ants attacking you if you stay around their nest too long.
This is why we keep ants in our homes, or birds in aviaries, or fish in tanks. Simply because we love to watch animal behaviour, or have a friend in our dog or cat, as it relieves stress to stroke the fur of an animal; and let's face it, they become part of our family ;D
So what are your thoughts on keeping animals as pets, or in a zoo? We all know why we have pets, or why we love to keep ants; but is it right or wrong to take any animal (wild or domesticated) and put it in a home which restricts its range, or inhibits what it might do in natural surroundings?
Here's your chance to debate this issue - you decide
Some animals like Lions, Tigers, Rhinos or Elephants are kept in zoos; and although they are given large paddocks to roam about in, they are still being held captive. Our local zoo (Marwell Zoo) only keeps animals which are endangered in the wild. To stop species becoming extinct, the zoo has a very successful breeding programme which is saving rare animals; but even the zoo keeps a thriving colony of Atta ants and other insects.
I hate seeing animals of any kind kept in cages or placed in homes where they have no space. Some of the people we see on the TV show The Dog Whisperer don't exercise their dogs enough; and one guy who live near Jen and I never takes his 2 dogs out for a walk, mostly keeping them indoors or in his shed. I would love Cesar Milan to pay this guy a visit, or the animal welfare people (Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals).
I must be perfectly honest here and say I prefer to study ants, or any animal for that matter, in the wild in their natural surroundings; but as you all know, it is not always possible to observe ant behaviour in a nest which can be many feet (metres) deep under the ground, or where you often get hundreds of biting, stinging worker ants attacking you if you stay around their nest too long.
This is why we keep ants in our homes, or birds in aviaries, or fish in tanks. Simply because we love to watch animal behaviour, or have a friend in our dog or cat, as it relieves stress to stroke the fur of an animal; and let's face it, they become part of our family ;D
So what are your thoughts on keeping animals as pets, or in a zoo? We all know why we have pets, or why we love to keep ants; but is it right or wrong to take any animal (wild or domesticated) and put it in a home which restricts its range, or inhibits what it might do in natural surroundings?
Here's your chance to debate this issue - you decide