All right, I'll just go and release my cat into the wild. Aaaand she's back.

by Anonymous 7 hours ago

You conflating zoo animals and pets is absurd. Sure there are going to be cases where pet owners are less attentive to their pets needs, but the overwhelming majority will treat their pets, that mind you were domesticated for the purpose of companionship, much better than the experience had by zoo animals. The only argument really that there is against having pets is the industry that it creates with respect to unethical breeding practices. or ppl having undomesticated/exotic animals as pets.

by Binscelia 6 hours ago

I don't know about that. I mean percentage wise it could be true, but you also have to take into account that there are thousands more pets than zoo animals. So in absolute numbers, I'm pretty confident that more animals suffer as a pet / in a shelter, than in a zoo

by Rashadkilback 6 hours ago

Cats are perfectly fine living indoors. In fact they live better lives indoors not getting run over or getting into scraps with other cats. At the very least use a leash or a cat run outdoors.

by SlowPut2157 6 hours ago

Cats have better lives being people's house decorations than being actual cats, sure.

by Salt-Material 5 hours ago

outdoor cats have a life span of 5 years on average and i don't say this lightly your outdoor cat is more likely to be killed by a car or a bored deranged person than to get hurt fighting other cats or animals in the streets.

by loyaljacobs 5 hours ago

I stay on a farm, my cat (9) is more likely to lose a fight to a badger or rat than get hit by a car and if he did only live 5 years that was a better 5 years than the 20 year old house cat was ever going to have.

by Salt-Material 5 hours ago

depends on your situation i'd rather not let my big city cat loose i don't trust my surroundings wouldn't have this problem with a farm cat he can leave and enter as he pleases.

by loyaljacobs 5 hours ago

I have pets, but my pets are rescued dogs, so I shoul let them die on the street or chained forever in a backyard? Grow up silly boy

by Wisokymolly 5 hours ago

Yes

by Anonymous 4 hours ago

Lol "hippocrites" about the zoo where there are indded hippos. I see what you did there. Unless you were referring to that lesser known pre-Socratic Greek philosopher...

by Anonymous 4 hours ago

I guess the difference here would be domestication. Obviously not all domesticated animals are treated humanely, but the question here is whether or not some domesticated animals live better lives as pets than as wild animals. Again, this is not to argue that there aren't pets that are mistreated, or that there are aspects of the pet industry which are deeply immoral; but I don't find it hard to imagine that - for example, a dog with deeply caring and loving owners, leads a better life than one without.

by Milan41 4 hours ago

i mean the 2 most common animals people own are cats and dogs which have gone through thousands of years of evolution to domesticate themselves if you want me to release my cat into the wild i can tell ya right now he's gonna murder every single bird and mouse in a 3 miles radius, cats are a invasive species and dogs aren't much better but i do understand your point as well i don't like seeing a orca in a small ass cage

by Expensive-Pitch 4 hours ago

I'm sure my three-legged one-eyed cat could survive outdoors. There is a very big difference between domestic and wild animals.

by AccomplishedOrder 3 hours ago

Many animals that we keep as pets now were once working animals and they served a mutually beneficial relationship with us. Just using cats as an easy example, they helped keep pests away that could spread disease, like rats, and those that did get close were often killed. They were our very primitive form of exterminators. In exchange, cats were given a reliable source of food that they could have access to. Now that we have enough knowledge and ability to keep our pests away, cats have lost most of their job that they did for humans, but they still hold a special relationship to humans because many people of the past could have potentially suffered without cats being part of human lives. At this point it is almost cruel to release the animals that have become domesticated that were at one point working animals.

by bashirianmozell 3 hours ago

Okay... my first question is how old are you? Zoos take wild animals out of their natural habitats and place them in small enclosures for humans to view them, for profit. On the other hand common household pets such as cats and dogs have literally been bred for thousands of years to cohabitate with humans. They are far better off with human companionship, provided the humans are not sickos... but then there are human children who share that unfortunate experience. We cannot say that humans as a whole should not care for pets or children because a minority of humans only do so to satisfy their perverse nature. Case in point. I recently heard a kitten crying outside my home. Over days I befriended it. It came into my house. It has not attempted to leave. It is very loving towards me. Counterpoint. At the same time a neighbor reported another kitten near their home, likely from the same litter. They opted not to attempt to bring that kitten in, the kitten cannot be found and likely became prey to another animal. Animals who are pets are not, at all, the same as zoo animals.

by Apart_Text2468 2 hours ago

Well, I agree with that and I apologize for assuming this was rage bait. I would very much like for humans to take a more "Steve Irwin" approach than a "Barnem and Bailey" and would love to see inbreeding cease for our furry friends that have been curated to share their lives with us and which bring so much joy to our lives.

by Apart_Text2468 2 hours ago

There are decent "zoos" in the world. However there are plentiful "tourist attractions" world wide that ammount to wild animals in small enclosures or even worse, areas where endangered animals such as elephants are chained and made to work for decades. How old are you? Disrespectful.

by Apart_Text2468 2 hours ago

Animals belong in slaughter houses not zoos and homes

by Anonymous 2 hours ago