Sea Kittens

[SkipperJohn]

PETA.. People Eating Tasty Animals

& yes, IMO they are all just a little off center (especially the nut I dated a few years back).

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.

We are so far beyond a properly functioning ecosystem. All the wolves in NY have been killed and the land paved over. Deer populations are at an all-time high.
I recall reading 10 or 20 years ago that a county had suspended giving antlerless deer permits as they gave in to pressure form the activists. That year almost twice the number of deer died off due to starvation and disease.
When I hunted (traded in my gun for a fishing rod many years ago) I never tried to single out the most healthy animal. Just the ones that were dumb enough to come to me and not hear my teeth rattling)

 

[drbill]

I forgot to mention this in my earlier posts (maybe someone else has... I'm not reading everything written here):

PETA would do well to show some consistency. If they are truly worried about the fish in our lakes and oceans, they should advocate doing away with pets such as kittens. Much as I like cats (and dogs), keeping pets largely for human needs leads to serious impacts on the marine environment due to the harvest of fish for cat food.

I don't remember the numbers involved in producing cat and other pet food. In some cases it may be provided from "bycatch" or parts of species caught for humans but not used in our food preparation.

So, PETA... if you are truly concerned about our fishes (not to mention the cats kept captive in urban apartments), be consistent.

 

[SteveAD]

But drbill, don't you know that the land kitties should be fed a nice healthy vegan diet too.

 

[ONESPEED]

I forgot to mention this in my earlier posts (maybe someone else has... I'm not reading everything written here):

PETA would do well to show some consistency. If they are truly worried about the fish in our lakes and oceans, they should advocate doing away with pets such as kittens. Much as I like cats (and dogs), keeping pets largely for human needs leads to serious impacts on the marine environment due to the harvest of fish for cat food.

I don't remember the numbers involved in producing cat and other pet food. In some cases it may be provided from "bycatch" or parts of species caught for humans but not used in our food preparation.

So, PETA... if you are truly concerned about our fishes (not to mention the cats kept captive in urban apartments), be consistent.

Dr. Bill, with all due respect you are asking us to reason w/ PETA using actual facts, everyone knows PETA doesn't deal in facts.

 

[SkipperJohn]

that's a great point drbill. Fish food, fertilizers (how many tomatoes they eat may have been fertilized with a fish by-product), woman's makeup components, the list goes on and on.
The worse story I ever heard about PETA was when they attempted to stop a kid who, through the make-a-wish foundation, asked to go on a bear hunt. The kid was terminal with a little more than a few months to live. They tried to stop this. Predictably & thankfully, it backfired on them.
Not to mention their chant. That's it's ok for many people to die if it means saving one animal.
I know a few surf fishermen who have been attacked by PETA nut jobs on the beach while fishing here in NY.

 

[Coelacanth]

...we don't outrun lions because we don't have to... and, as D_B pointed out... tools are everywhere... and we are NOT alone in using them.

We are not alone, but we are very few. Humans, chimps, crows, and precious few others have the ability to use tools.

Actually... no... working in herds where they run together and scatter to confuse lions is their defense... speed and stamina are usually overcome by the hunting tactics of the lions. Lions use stealth and don't rely on speed... because that isn't *their* strong point... their 'grey matter' has adapted them to develop tactics... and tactics will beat pure physical strength and speed every time.

Since 90% of lion hunts fail, I'd say the speed and stamina of a gazelle prove to be pretty effective against the clever but still fragile hunting tactics of the lions.

*Scale*... it's simply a matter of scale. The human and the heron are exactly the same... both are transport mechanisms that perform their task without any real comprehension of the consequences (actually unknown until they manifest themselves)... of their actions. ... and Ma' Nature is peeling another grape...

They are still not the same, as the heron can fly over distances as a result of millions of years of evolution, and humans have only built ships capable of crossing oceans (nonstop) less than 1000 years ago. Homo sapiens existed for millions of years before any sort of boats, villages, or even a type of home. Our exponentially developing technological abilities are all incredibly recent, and therefore are not a result of evolution. Yes, obviously our brains have been capable of such tecnology for some time, but the resources and collaborative forces were not.

 

[dumpsterDiver]

..... Homo sapiens existed for millions of years before any sort of boats, villages, or even a type of home. ....

sorry we are a much younger species than that.

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2005-02/uou-toh021105.php

 

[Brandon]

If we're not supposed to eat animals, why are they made out of meat?

-B

 

[J.R.]

They are still not the same, as the heron can fly over distances as a result of millions of years of evolution, and humans have only built ships capable of crossing oceans (nonstop) less than 1000 years ago.

Herons evolved wings... Humans evolved tools... advantage human. Are we to deny what millions of years of evolution have lead us to? The brain is the evolutionary path... the fact that there is a dynamic growth in our ability to apply that evolved facility has no bearing on the fact that it is still the result of evolution in a given direction based on some form of stimulus...

... and a 10% success reate is obviously sufficient... ergo, lions win. It's kinda' like the old joke about swiming to get away from sharks (ummm... shark-KITTIES) you don't have to be a fast swimmer... just faster than your buddy...

 

[D_B]

that's what I was thinking J.R.