Animal activists are bizarrely demanding the death of a baby polar bear because his mother abandoned him. They're outraged that the Berlin Zoo is keeping the baby alive by non-"species-appropriate" means.
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."
When Knut was born in December, his mother ignored him and his brother, who died. Zoo officials intervened, choosing to raise the cub themselves.
But Albrecht and other activists fret that it is inappropriate for a predator, known for its fierceness and ability to fend for itself in the wild, to be snuggled, bottle-fed and made into a commodity by zookeepers.
So I imagine that Albrecht would also object to all the endangered species lists we use to protect animals in the wild? Anyway, the whole thing is patently absurd and begs the question: if Knut is killed, can I make his fur into a hat without incurring PETA's wrath?
(HT: JB.)
Leave a comment