Just to quick summary reply to the most recent messages:
You may consider Slimbridge to be easy targets
Absolutely not, I have worked in both conservation and science communication, and so seeing progressive change in the fields that I work in is very important to me, and ofcourse the standard is set by the biggest and most influential organisations (in the UK wwt, wt, rspb, etc).
to be stopped from escaping into the wider countryside?
I think you've got the wrong end of the stick, I'm aware why pinioning occurs. My point is that pinioning
should not occur, as it is mutilation and an obvious form of animal cruelty.
cannot be released back into the wild in the UK - so would you destroy them instead?
They can be released into their own habitats in their own natural ranges (expensive, but rectifying mistakes costs money), or they can be sterilised.
he is arming the forces of darkness by scrapping with individuals that share the same underlying values.... 😦
I knew you'd come round to the hyperbole! 😅 I do love a bit of a scrap, but good things can come of hashing it out! I think we've achieved a good thing with this thread, like you say, we're all individuals who share the same underlying values. Concerning animal rights, a majority hold one opinion, upheld by the status quo, while a minority hold a contrasting opinion. For me, campaigns for conservation and for animal rights share so much in common in terms of base values, that these campaigns must intertwine in the future to ensure their mutual success. Me bringing this up to you lot, even in my own argumentative way, has at the least put it in your heads. So don't be pessimistic Paul, even allies argue sometimes! 😉
The world is different. Everybody has different priorities.
Just curious, how far do you think i got caring about animal rights before I realised that the majority in the world couldn't give a flying ____? 😆 in case it wasn't clear, I'm very aware of the existence of other people with different opinions, how else would I have learnt to be so argumentative?😇
it is probably worth putting up with the zoo element.
Props to
@Birdister for the most sensible comment of the whole thread !!! 👏 really nice read thankyou very much for replying, just thought I'd swing back a lil with your closing line though. For you, for humans in general, it is probably worth putting up with the zoo element. But the animals don't see it that way. You can justify it any way you want, you can shut your eyes and pretend they are happy, or pretend they can't feel emotion, or whatever other brilliant ideas were floated earlier in the thread. The fact is, the animals perspective is what should matter in this situation, not humans.
And with that the trolls have arrived! Thanks for the discussion everyone, I hope it has been memorable at the least!