No one said that, which is why I used the word “implication.”
I felt like I was clearly responding to the substance of the content here rather than engaging in the pattern of discrimination you point out, and I acknowledge that it exists.
No one even implied it.
Good for you. Nice of you to acknowledge reality. People here see this pattern over and over and over again, so we tend to get a bit miffed when people show up and seem to be engaging in that behavior. It’s an attack on this community that we really don’t need.
There is certainly a conversation to be had on the kinds of posts the authors make here. But it’s not particular helpful to swoop in and pretend some sort of higher moral ground that doesn’t take the often complicated discussions we have here.
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isnt this whole discussion here and right now under this post about exotic pets completly offtopic? just sayin.
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Well, maybe “dead to the world,” while it has a cozy postmeal nap?
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Wild animals that get accustomed to getting food from humans all too often end up being killed for hanging around human spaces looking for food.
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It’s a pretty common refrain amongst reputable rescue and rehab organizations. Animals that have become accustomed to human interaction are unlikely to be successfully released in the wild.
In my area it’s illegal for animal control to relocate nuisance animals. It’s illegal for citizens to trap and relocate them. It is however legal to kill nuisance animals at any time or season. It’s legal to hire a licensed trapper/ pest control specialist, in which case the animal will most likely be “destroyed”. If rabies is a concern, the only way to test an animal for sure involves an autopsy.
Nuisance is poorly defined but can include property damage or threats to humans, pets, or livestock.
Aside from that, feeding wild animals, or allowing them to feed alongside pets disrupts their natural hunting and foraging instincts leaving them ill equipped for survival if the the food is removed or if relocated. Relocation also runs the risk of putting them in competition with established populations.
I’ve seen rehab/rescuers use puppets to feed young animals in an effort to avoid them associating humans with food.
The more people who unwisely feed animals, the more pressure is put on rehab and rescue organizations with limited resources.
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Thank you again for your response and engaging with me in good faith.
I share your mixed feelings regarding zoos.And as a quote in your piece notes, videos can inspire us to care about animals, but also lead to people wanting them as pets.
May I encourage you to only share videos from reputable rescue orgs with appropriate context and refrain from sharing those from people who keep them as pets or who model irresponsible behavior? (Raccoon drive thru, raccoon saloon, raccoon whisperer, that possum lady)
I think it’s worth noting that what might be considered “exotic” can be dependent on geography. For instance, raccoons are not native to Japan, but thanks to a children’s cartoon, keeping them as pets became popular until they grew up and weren’t cute anymore. The cartoon itself modeled releasing them into the wild, where, as crafty and adaptable as they are they have become an invasive species. Some in this thread have tried to make a distinction between animals that are relatively successful alongside humans and ones that may be threatened at the population, but I want to make clear that overpopulation and invasiveness of an adaptable species can threaten native niches.
Thank you again for your time and attention to my concerns.
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You decided to jump into a blog with more than twenty years of online history and a forum that is just about to reach a decade of online history (in this form!), and, without doing research, admitting you weren’t really following very closely, make sure to “go after” the Authors for what you, a casual viewer with no skin in the game, felt was appropriate.
I’m not sure what’s worse, the causal disregard for the community and the history of this site (and the reality that the Authors very rarely agree on anything, and it’s that multitude of voices that makes this place great), or the fact that you appear to have been so privilege-blind that you didn’t care one whit how this community that you have decided to join casually would respond to your criticisms in the first place.
I’d recommend a good, long look in the mirror before posting here again.
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You are appreciated and I freakin love the free ice cream.
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I will definitely try my best–thanks again for engaging with me! And thanks for the Raccoon Nation clip, I’ll go watch the show!
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I’ve enjoyed BB for a long time, though I don’t post comments very often.
In my experience I find that most of the time the discourse here is of a high standard and I’d like it stay that way. If you think my choice to address a blind spot I perceive is an example of being “privilege blind” or “casual disregard for the community” I don’t know what to tell you. Are you sure this “you’re not one of us” attitude is beneficial for your multitude of voices? How often do I have to comment to have skin in the game?
I find it ironic that the author I directly addressed has engaged with me and expressed that my criticisms are valid, while others have piled on with unfounded accusations that fail to address the substance of my arguments.
There’s been an awful lot of assumptions and tone-policing from my perspective.
As for the mirror? Eh, I could use a haircut.
I think this is an extremely self-serving overstatement of what I perceived in that conversation above.
You were asked politely by veronica to be considerate of the authors here.
Mindy added that this is important because some of them, like the author of the original post, have received targeted harassment as women.
And then you took that very very personally… but is it really so damned unfair to ask some one coming in hot and angry to stop and be considerate of some of that? Like is it? How is that unfair? How is that wrong?
The way I see it, you have decided that makes you a victim and that’s your opinion but I don’t share it personally.
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… and animals that expect humans to feed them can get aggressive when they’re hangry and their expectations aren’t met.
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Regardless of the topic, you seem highly discontent; like you’re actively looking for a target upon which to take out your negative energy.
How unfortunate.
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So very generous of you to let me know what I have decided about myself, but the only victims I’m concerned with here are the animals.
Again you seem disinterested in actually engaging the community here.
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Cool. Glad you can admit you were wrong. I don’t feed animals. I barely feed people. So I guess we can never speak again now. Your work here is done great job!
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