Morality of trade in animals

June 15

What miserable day it turned out to be yesterday after such a nice start; and we got caught out in it. The plan was to visit Woodlands Garden Centre and then call in to Morrisons in Hinckley before having a Big Mac for the first time in some months. We got to Woodlands just as it started raining really hard. All the Disabled driver parking spaces were taken and we sat and waited for 15 minutes to get one. Even then we waited some more before we were able to get out and go inside.

It wasn’t total washout though. We did have a slice of lemon meringue for the first time in ages, and I was pleased to see a branch of The Works bookshop. From there I bought the set of three The Hunger Games for £5 and Jan got a perch for Maxi’s cage. Even so, we didn’t get as much done as we would have liked. Today it’s still raining and we are due to going out today too, doing what was planned for yesterday, but swapping Morrisons Hinckley for Tesco Bed’th, simply because Tesco in entirely under cover.

Human greed continues to show itself yet again. Crimewatch Roadshow has shown it happening in various places and with various incidents. A couple are assaulted in their own home by two Eastern European men, for no reason that anyone can see; another woman is assaulted on her way home and robbed of her money and valuables by another two men. Each case is serious enough of course but the ones that that angered me the most was the animal abuse ones.

Five ten-year-old tortoises, five animals on the endangered list and raised from when they came out of their eggs by their owner, were stolen in a break-in. A lot of the UK pet trade gets slating because of the way it sells so many exotics to people who just don’t know how to look after them. Telly shows get a mention too because of such shows like the one about meerkats, cute, little, cuddly-looking animals that need specialist care. Kiddie power kicks in and mum and dad won’t say ‘No’ but go off a buy one. The greed there is the selling of such animals. And that doesn’t include the sale of snakes and other reptiles

Then comes the poaching of larger animals for the Far Eastern medicine trade is not just limited to Africa. There’s a 24hour watch kept on Chester Zoo’s black rhinos, fearing they might be killed for their horns. There was a display of other goods taken from tourists as they return home, again all illegal goods. I do not believe that these people are unaware they are buying illegal items, or where and how they got to the point of sale. It’s because of they are willing to buy that there is a market in the first place, and greedy men are will to do whatever is needed to raise money.

This does show up the vast difference in the living standards around the world. We Western people folks live far more comfortable lives. Can we really blame them for doing what they are doing when a rich Western wafts bundles of cash under there noes for exotics animals and goods? This is a vexing question really; how can these people who live in poverty by our standards be helped without tipping that countries whole economic structure into chaos. Is it moral to try to help? Is it moral not to do so? When it comes to the animal trade in exotics, for me that is immoral.

And no matter what we do to help the poverty-stricken, there will always be someone there who is greedy enough to take advantage of the help given. That does not help those who it was aimed at original population. So what should we do about it. Up to a point it really is down to each of us to make the decision, but ultimately, it should be down to us to use our own common sense about these things. If it doesn’t look or sound right, then don’t pay out for it.

Today’s photo …

This shot shows some of the results of the illegal animal poaching. I got this one at the last Bird Fair at Rutland a few years ago. London zoo has something similar of a tiger skin, taken in similar circumstances. How can anyone seeing this could not take action over it.

Today’s funny …

Why did the pear go out with the apple?
Because he couldn't find a date.