Who decides what's "species-appropriate" for animals?

It didn't come as news to me that animal rights activists have a penchant for killing animals that don't fit within the scheme of their theories of power. But this story involving demands that a zoo in Germany kill an abandoned polar bear cub is especially irritating:

Tiny, fluffy and adorable, Knut the baby polar bear became an animal superstar after he was abandoned by his mother.

He rapidly became the symbol of Berlin Zoo, whose staff bottle-fed him and handed out cuddles in between

At three months old, however, the playful 19lb bundle of fur is at the centre of an impassioned debate over whether he should live or die.

Animal rights activists argue that he should be given a lethal injection rather than brought up suffering the humiliation of being treated as a domestic pet.

"The zoo must kill the bear," said spokesman Frank Albrecht. "Feeding by hand is not species-appropriate but a gross violation of animal protection laws."

(Emphasis added.)

So says Frank Albrecht. And so say a lot of these crackpots. What I can't decide is which is worse: their ideas, or the fact that people who ought to know better listen to them.

Much as I worry that applying logic to the views of someone like Herr Albrecht is an exercise in futility, let me try. What gives him the right to determine what is and is not "species-appropriate"? Did the polar bear identitarian club vote to put him in charge of determining what's appropriate for their species? Or is he just a self appointed spokesman for all species? Hell, I suspect that I belong to the same species as Albrecht, but does that give him the right to decide what's "species-appropriate" for me too? I'm not sure I like that -- any more than I like certain activists deciding what is and is not "natural."

Try as I might, I just can't get over the supreme irony and supreme arrogance of the idea that animal rights activists (who are human beings) should decide what is and what is not "species-appropriate" for animals. I mean, aren't they supposed to be against man having dominion over animals?

Fortunately, the zoo officials don't agree with Albrecht, and they have refused to kill the bear cub. Maybe they should post an armed guard, though, for Knut might need protection against the "species-appropriate" activists....

There's a YouTube video of cute litte Knut engaging in all sorts of "species-inappropriate" acts.

And if you really want to see something "species-inappropriate," check out this video of an abandoned lion which was adopted and raised by a mother dog.


I'm assuming that the animal rights activists would demand the death penalty for both of them -- for their unnatural, species-inappropriate, deviant activities.

Sheesh.

Next thing you know, the animal rights activists will decide that some species are more appropriate than other species -- and that some might be not merely "species-inappropriate," but might be an inappropriate species.

At the rate things are going, pretty soon the only species-appropriate thing for humans to do will be to leave the planet.

posted by Eric on 03.20.07 at 01:42 PM





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Comments

If it is "species inappropriate" for an animal not to be abandoned to certain death in the wild (i.e., for Darwinism to run its course), why is it inappropriate for humans to dominate nature and kill inferior animals, as these activists presumably believe?

S Wisnieski   ·  March 20, 2007 02:35 PM

It is alleged, plausibly, that the activist in question was misquoted by one of the German papers, and was actually arguing, not that the animal should be killed, but comparing the animal to another case of one that was not cute, where the animal was killed.

In other words, he was complaining that cute animals get to live and ugly ones get killed, by zoos that at least pretend to not care about "cute", but conservation.

(On the other hand, this resonates and doesn't strike people as being obvious bull because there are "animal rights activists" such as PETA who really do prefer animals die than be tainted by human interference.)

Sigivald   ·  March 20, 2007 03:51 PM

No, remember, if we leave the planet, we'll just screw up the pristine ecologies of the Moon, the asteroid belt, and all the other natural planets.

(On some level, I still can't believe that people actually have little enough comprehension of the reasons for their beliefs that they put that forward...)

Jeremy Bowers   ·  March 20, 2007 03:57 PM
It's a hoax   ·  March 21, 2007 03:41 PM

Is it a hoax? All I saw at that last link was a link to a German article, plus some anonymous opinions.

The story is confirmed at der Spiegel:

http://www.spiegel.de/international/0,1518,472480,00.html

And the Guardian:

http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/news/archives/2007/03/20/please_look_after_this_bear.html

And CNN:

http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/europe/03/19/polar.bear.ap/index.html?eref=rss_topstories

And here:

http://www.mlive.com/newsflash/international/index.ssf?/base/international-2/1174445650175670.xml&storylist=international

What is the argument here? That a livejournal commenter is right, and all other sources are wrong?

Eric Scheie   ·  March 21, 2007 06:07 PM

"Pet"?! The Berkeley City Council passed a law banning the use of the word "pet." A dog (or Canine-American) is now an "animal companion" in Berkeley - not a "pet." You also cannot be a dog's "owner" in Berkeley. You are an "animal guardian." The Berkeley Council says that the word "pet" implies that a "human animal guardian" has rights that are superior to his dog, and that is politically incorrect "speciesm." - Writing from Berkeley, California.

Chocolatier   ·  March 21, 2007 09:45 PM

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gjsw hbfuakvse   ·  April 15, 2007 02:51 AM

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