We still have a mink problem here in Essex Pertinax, last year a whole brood of swans was lost to them in one of my gardens, and I have seen a couple of mink run over this year, I also saw a dead pole cat too this year, not sure if it was a wild one, or a polecat ferret. sadly I couldn't stop to pick up the body.
My mother and I breed cavies and even though we think they are cute and love them my mother has said on no uncertain terms that she is open to trying roast cuy at some point in the future, maybe even breeding it for human consumption if it ever becomes economically feasible. We have already had rabbit several times, I would describe it as chicken flavored with the texture of pork. They sell it in stew form as a fundraiser at ARBA shows sometimes. Eat dog and we will never speak to you again though. Ditto horse meat. Of course most of the horses in the USA have been given so many things not meant for animals meant for consumption it probably isn't safe or smart anyway.
@Batto I should have said mainland Europe, I don't know why but I never think of the islands around Europe including the Mediterranean, as being in Europe. and I have only just realised that. Mind you if you watch that daft song contest Israel is now in Europe but not Morocco which is so much closer geographically.:confused @ wensleydale I once had horse in France with out realizing it, it was very nice, The princess royal made a good point about horse meat last year, which is that if there was a use for horses other than an expensive hobby, they may be better cared for, at present here at least they just go into the pet/zoo food chain or are incinerated. And e have so many that are just dumped when the owners can't afford or want to look after them. What you think about horse and dog I feel about frogs legs, yet even Gerald Durrell often ate frogs legs I have read.
So long then! I'm a draft/draught horse owner. If it hadn't been for the horsemeat industry, most of the draft/draught horse breeds (including the one I own) would have been gone by now. Breeding them for consumption at least makes it economically plausible for farmers to keep the breeds alive (from which suitable specimens for the few remaining working purposes can be selected). The ban on horsemeat slaughterhouses in the USA resulted in driving old/sick horses across the country to Canada or Mexico; I doubt that this wasn't stressful for the horses. With more and more dogs allergic to the more commonly fed meats, and due to its high nutritional quality also for zoo carnivores, I see no sense in tabooing horse meat. As for residue due to medication: that's why you have an equine passport in which you can notify whether the animal is meant for human consumption or not.
While I respect the R.S.P.C.A. and appreciate the good work that it actually does, I agree with mitigating circumstances. A good example of this would be the old lady who takes in unwanted cats and ends up with a house full, as she gets older she becomes less able to look after them properly yet still cannot resist taking in more, it is cruelty, yes, but very much unintentional as the person concerned is well meaning. The R.S.P.C.A. turn up, confiscate all the cats and prosecute the old lady which results in a criminal record for animal cruelty, ideally the R.S.P.C.A. should perhaps be more understanding, helpful and supportive rather than just go down the legal road in such cases.
Sadly AF we are both old enough to realize the old RSPCA and what it was for, now it seams more animal rights orientated and I personally believe that the reason they do so many prosecutions of the type you have hypothesized is to put people off keeping animals full stop. And I have read that every time they have a high profile case they receive an increase in donations to the cause. of course if they loose, the Tax payer foots the bill I agree with the view that has been looked at recently - a review into how they work-, and suggests they shouldn't be able to act as judge and jury after all they are only a charity.
Post number 30 has the best reason for editing I have ever seen on ZooChat! (And I do not own a television and have never heard of the show Eden).
Thanks AD Eden is a documentary channel and was showing the AFRICA with Sir David Attenborough. In fact I'm watching it now and it's showing a programme on infestations, including kissing bugs on the march in Arizona You have been warned!!!
There's probably some good animal rights activists out there, so maybe they should only disband PETA.
As @Zooplantman already said, this would be a slippery slope. It would set a precedent for the government disbanded controversial organizations they disagree with and could cause any number to be disbanded, even organizations you or I would say are entirely innocent. PETA may be annoying and we may not agree with them, but they're not a terrorist organization or the mob. And since they haven't profited off of criminal activity the government wouldn't be able to charge then with RICO violations.
Well... I think this is a good argument and moment to abolish PETA. This is a serious crime. PETA really go too far many times and is a very untrustworthy organization, their site says enouf. So now they want to abolish pets too? I don't know what's wrong with them, but pets are bred to live with people and dogs are literally bred to live in peoples' houses. And then they keep saying they know everything about animals and zoos know nothing....
