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Plenipotentiary-at-large
Enough already
Not sure if you're being obtuse, trying to bait me or serious. I'll assume the lattermost. I think that by and large that wild creatures should be just that, more so as it pertains to intelligence or more specifically, the relative impact it has on their "being", normal behavior, imposition and disruption to what it is to be that particular animal/species. Cetaceans' home is a virtually infinite thee-dimensional expanse - not a shallow concrete pen where their sonar comes rocketing back at them from all sides - and they experience nothing remotely like the lives they live at sea among their kind. Definite non-starter. Other large brained highly-social mammals like elephants and primates similarly suffer from captivity, as do large truly feral and normally asocial predators, cats, wolves, bears, etc. Ruminants, even giraffes, seem resilient given adequate space. Rodents typically exist on the margins wherever they get away with it and don't seem to care. Domesticated animals (cats and dogs) wouldn't have it any other way - no issues there. I find captive birds to be tragic, especially caged and alone, but admit to envying and admiring falconers who release/hunt their birds most every day only to have them return when they could easily fly away forever. Fish are pretty simple-minded creatures, and provided they're well-fed and maintained, and can be spawned, obviously strike me as acceptable captives/clients. Invertebrates and microbes are generally oblivious to everything but heat, light predation and food, would like to encourage everyone to husband bugs, worms, and/or bacteria and the like.
And then there are Labs - loyal to a fault, ever ready. a bit slobbery or prone to excessive exuberance at times, and not the brightest bulbs in wolvish/canid terms but a friend is a friend is a friend for life. Long may you both run.
Is it just dolphins you dislike being housed or is it all mammals? What about monkeys and lions and tigers and bears oh my at the zoo? My choc. Lab sitting next to me on the couch as i type this?
Not sure if you're being obtuse, trying to bait me or serious. I'll assume the lattermost. I think that by and large that wild creatures should be just that, more so as it pertains to intelligence or more specifically, the relative impact it has on their "being", normal behavior, imposition and disruption to what it is to be that particular animal/species. Cetaceans' home is a virtually infinite thee-dimensional expanse - not a shallow concrete pen where their sonar comes rocketing back at them from all sides - and they experience nothing remotely like the lives they live at sea among their kind. Definite non-starter. Other large brained highly-social mammals like elephants and primates similarly suffer from captivity, as do large truly feral and normally asocial predators, cats, wolves, bears, etc. Ruminants, even giraffes, seem resilient given adequate space. Rodents typically exist on the margins wherever they get away with it and don't seem to care. Domesticated animals (cats and dogs) wouldn't have it any other way - no issues there. I find captive birds to be tragic, especially caged and alone, but admit to envying and admiring falconers who release/hunt their birds most every day only to have them return when they could easily fly away forever. Fish are pretty simple-minded creatures, and provided they're well-fed and maintained, and can be spawned, obviously strike me as acceptable captives/clients. Invertebrates and microbes are generally oblivious to everything but heat, light predation and food, would like to encourage everyone to husband bugs, worms, and/or bacteria and the like.
And then there are Labs - loyal to a fault, ever ready. a bit slobbery or prone to excessive exuberance at times, and not the brightest bulbs in wolvish/canid terms but a friend is a friend is a friend for life. Long may you both run.