Sea Kittens

[msg]

You would think that the PETA folks would realize that if hunters and fishers didn't harvest the animals, there would be an over population of them. Then the cute fuzzy little critters would have the opportunity to die of starvation and not having room enough in the forest to live. More deer to be hit by your cars, etc.

I hunt and fish. We eat what we harvest. My children have been apart of the prep and packaging of the meat. They understand that it isn't just for food, but learning about the environment and how to protect it. We care about the environment and take care of what we have been blessed with.

We don't force our views on others, yet some believe that we should just throw away our heritage. Perhaps they don't understand the purpose of animals on this planet. They should do a little reading and see that humans were given domain over the birds of the air and the beast of the fields. We are to take care of we have been given. We need to be respectful of the environment and that includes harvesting some of the animals, the fruits of the trees, and the vegies in the ground.

Well, that is enough preaching. The PETA folks are just a bunch of

 

[ONESPEED]

You would think that the PETA folks would realize that if hunters and fishers didn't harvest the animals, there would be an over population of them. Then the cute fuzzy little critters would have the opportunity to die of starvation and not having room enough in the forest to live. More deer to be hit by your cars, etc.

I hunt and fish. We eat what we harvest. My children have been apart of the prep and packaging of the meat. They understand that it isn't just for food, but learning about the environment and how to protect it. We care about the environment and take care of what we have been blessed with.

We don't force our views on others, yet some believe that we should just throw away our heritage. Perhaps they don't understand the purpose of animals on this planet. They should do a little reading and see that humans were given domain over the birds of the air and the beast of the fields. We are to take care of we have been given. We need to be respectful of the environment and that includes harvesting some of the animals, the fruits of the trees, and the vegies in the ground.

Well, that is enough preaching. The PETA folks are just a bunch of

I agree with everything that you are saying and leave you with this thought, have you ever seen a healthy looking vegan? I rest my case.

 

[NudeDiver]

How can one not like creatures like this though, I will never understand

I'm not going to try to convince you

 

[drbill]

Although I have been in the past, I am not currently a hunter... but might resume if the cost of groceries rises much higher. As a biologist, I see nothing that suggests the ethical high ground for PETA, vegetarianism or vegan habits. Human history suggests our ancestors have had a mixed diet of fruits, nuts, fish, fowl and "meat." If anything I see PETA, vegetarianism and vegan lifestyles as running counter to our dietary history.

I have been vegetarian in the past and did so for health and ecological reasons. I saw no health benefits (quite the contrary), although much of that can be attributed to my poor cooking. Ecologically, I do see eating lower on the food chain to be a good idea in terms of environmental carrying capacity.

I do have a problem with "sport" hunters... those who kill for the thrill rather than for food. If you kill it, consume it. If you kill it, do so as humanely as possible. Show respect for other life forms... or my friends from the planet Xanadu will be sure to harvest you when they arrive! Believe me, they are watching.

Although I'd agree with some of the philosophies expressed by PETA on certain issues, I draw the line at what I consider nonsense like this. People who chose to live the lifestyles mentioned above are fine with me... as long as they don't push them on others with a sense of ethical superiority. Sorry, it just isn't there. Just to clarify, based on the few posts of yours that I've read, Troy32, this is not specifically directed at you.

I have seen a number of hypocritical PETA members... many of whom really have little or no understanding of true ecological systems. I think they should get out of their urban high rises and see what nature is all about... watch kelp bass slaughter a school of jack mackerel, watch a giant sea bass vacuum up a fish (er, sea kitten) or two, observe the predators on the plains of the Serengetti.

Besides, there are societies that think kittens are quite tasty! Spoken tongue in cheek.

 

[Coelacanth]

You would think that the PETA folks would realize that if hunters and fishers didn't harvest the animals, there would be an over population of them. Then the cute fuzzy little critters would have the opportunity to die of starvation and not having room enough in the forest to live.

In a properly functioning ecosystem (by this I mean no invasive species strong enough to severely mess things up) that is absolutely not true. It is not the "responsibility" of humans to look after these ecosystems by "thinning out" select populations of tasty creatures.

In fact since a hunter will go for a healthy and probably more vivacious animal, this allows the weaker and sicker a better chance of reproducing, and in future generations selects for a generally weaker population. I am not sure if this has the same effect in fish, because they grow throughout their lives, but for example, selecting deer with larger antlers will eventually lead to a population with smaller average size of antlers.

Personally I do not hunt but eat meat, and I do not really have a problem with hunting FOR FOOD, but hunting, unless it is an invasive species, or is completely random in selecting the target, does not help the population or ecosystem.

 

[NudeDiver]

Besides, there are societies that think kittens are quite tasty!

It's true. How is eating a cat fundamentally different from eating a cow?

On that note...I present you with Cat Braisé.

• 1 cat cut in serving-sized pieces dusted in flour with salt and pepper
• 1/4 c. extra virgin olive oil
• 6 artichokes
• 2 1/4" thick slices of slab bacon, diced
• 1 small sweet onion, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 carrot, diced
• 1 lemon
• 3 small tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and diced
• 1/2 c. dry white wine
• 2-4 c. homemade chicken broth (or make your own cat broth - even better)
• garni of 4 flat parsley stems, 6 leafy thyme branches, 1 bay leaf tied up with kitchen twine Salt and pepper
• 1/4 c chopped flat-leaf parsley (optional)

1. Snap the leaves off the artichokes until only the tender inner leaves remain. Snap off the stem. Trim the remaining green bits from the bottom of the artichoke, and cut off the inner leaves in a bunch at the point where they are very tender. Pare the tough green outer layer off the remaining stem, pairing the stem into a point. Now cut the artichoke bottom into quarters and remove the choke with a sharp knife from each quarter. Rinse to remove any traces of foin ("hay") and drop them into a bowl of water acidulated with the juice of half a lemon.

2. Heat 2 T olive oil in a large heavy casserole or Dutch oven. Dredge the cat pieces in seasoned flour, shaking off excess. Brown over medium heat, turning regularly, until golden on all sides. Remove cat pieces to a plate and dump any oil remaining in the pan. Add 1 T of the remaining oil and the bacon dice. (Omit bacon if you only have access to the thin-sliced vacuum packed supermarket variety.) Sauté until cooked but not "crisp". Add the remaining T of oil and the onion and carrot. Saute for 5 minutes, then add the artichoke quarters and the garlic, stir one minute, and add the tomatoes and the white wine. Turn up the heat and reduce until syrupy, stirring constantly, for about 5 minutes. Lay the bouquet garni on top of the vegetables. Arrange the cat pieces on top, together with any juice accumulated in the plate.

3. Pour in enough broth to come halfway up the sides of the cat pieces. Cover and bring to a simmer. Continue to simmer over very low heat about 1 hour or cook in the oven at 350 degrees for the same amount of time. The cat should be just tender and part readily from the bone. Don't overcook or it will become dry. Check the liquid level frequently and add more broth if necessary. Turn the cat pieces once.

4. When done, remove the cat pieces to a warm platter and arrange the vegetables, removed with a slotted spoon, around them. Cover and keep warm. Strain the remaining pan juices into a smaller saucepan and reduce over high heat, skimming frequently, until reduced by 1/3. Pour over the platter and serve immediately. Sprinkle with finely chopped flat-leaf parsley if you like.

And if you can't buy pre-ready cat meat - remember - there is more than one way to skin a cat!!! Do your research.

 

[Sas]

I'm not going to try to convince you

I know. But finding a cute lolcat was a fun diversion at work.

 

[J.R.]

The PETA folks are just a bunch of

HEY... wait a minute... yer' givin' us DORK's a bad name...

 

[J.R.]

In a properly functioning ecosystem (by this I mean no invasive species strong enough to severely mess things up) that is absolutely not true. It is not the "responsibility" of humans to look after these ecosystems by "thinning out" select populations of tasty creatures.

Well... we ARE the apex preditor.. and the purpose of the apex preditor is to predate... granted some preditors go after the weak and sick... but not necessarily... the higher order preditors go after the healthy and the available. So... from a broad general sense... it *IS* the responsibility of humans to do the 'thinning out'... same as wolves... Inherently... we're doing what nature endowed us with the tools to do...

Nature swings like a pendium... and even in healthy herds there arises disease, famine, etc... animals don't follow family planning... and there's a REASON deer routinely birth two each season... keeps the grocery store stocked...

(I'd note that, in nature... the species that generally birth single and have the longest gestation periods are those that suffer the LEAST predation... elephants, whales... the lower on the food chain... the higher the birth rate... )

Personally I do not hunt but eat meat, and I do not really have a problem with hunting FOR FOOD, but hunting, unless it is an invasive species, or is completely random in selecting the target, does not help the population or ecosystem.

... again... define "invasive species"... Lionfish??? Man??? Yea... they're probably 'invasive'... but they could also be the fore-guard of an evolving ecco-system. The "flaw" (for lack of a better word) in your perspective (at least, in my opinion) seems to lay in the assumption that 'what is... is what should be... now and in the future'... if fails to accomodate the transformation of eccosystems.... of course, some of these mutations aren't necessairly 'pro-homosapien'... but hey, that's the price you pay for being a species in the ecco-system game in the first place...

Mother Nature has never shown any proclivity toward embracing the 'status quo'... she changes things... eliminates some species... brings in new predators... finds a way to wipe out those predators... Great game if you're Ma' Nature... not so hot if you're one of those species she decides is boring an needs to go... What seems to elude most people is that we are just another speices Ma' Nature is playing with... the current apex predator. The world went on before we arrived... it goes on while we're here... it will go on after we become extinct... either by our own natural process... or with a little help from Ma'... It' may not be pretty... but it will be 'natural'...

... sorry for getting serious... I'll go back to 'sea kitten' jokes tomorrow...

 

[Coelacanth]

JR, you are very right in pointing out Man as an invasive species, as well as lionfish. And of course I agree that ecosystems change, change it was keeps them healthy. By invasive I mean that the species has gotten there by artificial means, such as the lionfish which got from Asia to the Caribbean via the pet trade, as it could never had made the journey by itself.

Man's arrival is not "artificial," but can be considered incredibly unique in that we are the only fully terrestrial species (so far) able to develop a way to cross major oceans in significant numbers.

As for changing ecosystems, they were already changing before we came along, discovered which species had the most delicious legs, and started killing them. Back to the deer example, since the ladies prefer larger antlers on a male, larger antlers most likely signify genes that will produce offspring better suited to their current situation. When these prime males are removed from their population, and males with smaller antlers and therefore probably weaker genes take their place, whatever path the gene pool was moving along is warped.

Yes, we are the apex predator thanks to our technology, but when we start populating other ecosystems that did not evolve along with us, that does not grant us the right to kill everything we can, since the species have almost no defense against bullets. We can only hope another predator evolves to "thin" us out, perhaps sharks with laser beams attached to their heads.