This squirrel is the cutest thing on two wheels

[kiki]

Humans have certainly kept a lot of species that aren’t domesticated. Apparently for example pet foxes are a thing, although a fox isn’t domesticated. Not saying that is a good idea, though.

[MJones524]

[Kii]

@bobtato

but I do wonder if this is the best kind of prosthesis, given that travelling along level ground is not squirrels’ main activity.

I’m not entirely sure the little guy needs a prosthesis. He seemed pretty mobile in the very fist part of the video. And more comfortable. The wheels seemed to be freaking him out. Caster-type wheels may have been better, so he can move more than just straight ahead. Or a harness with just pegs with grips.

@GulliverFoyle

It seems to me the question is whether the quality of life is so low that it would be better off not being alive. While I tend to come down on your side of the argument, I don’t think it’s black and white. The biggest problem is that all I or anyone else can do is try to understand the animal’s situation through empathy, but that’s significantly limited by my ability to understand what it’s like to be a squirrel.

When I see some of these fix-wild-animal-with-prosthesis videos it makes me wonder, was it really done for the animal or for the people involved?

[tachin1]

@KatjaKat

Freedom to express (most) normal behaviour by providing sufficient space, proper facilities and company of the animal’s own kind
Freedom from fear and distress by ensuring conditions and treatment which avoid mental suffering

It’s an interesting question, if humans did not intervene, would the squirrels situation be improved or not?
I’ll accept that these freedoms make sense when humans are involved, a sort of prime directive to guide us in dealing with other creatures as we do what we do best.

@KatjaKat

This squirrel will in no way be provided with 4 and 5.

Agreed, but… has the squirrel been deprived of it? Certainly as consequence of the trap, but I don’t think I can say that the specific people who did this or any future caregivers are depriving this squirrel of 4 as they strive to provide 1, 2 and 3.
5 Is tricky, it is entirely possible that the squirrel’s new environment will cause mental suffering we don’t know, in a sense, even (especially?) with our best intentions, the squirrel is caught between our own human impulse to alleviate suffering, our social understanding of what suffering means and our un-tuned ability to empathize with the suffering of non-humans.