I have written how appalled I have been, upon observing how some Animal Rights Activists behave. That includes the boorish behaviour of ACRES and the violent acts of the Sea Shepherd. What many readers may not know is that I was born in the 60s, where contact with strays (cats and dogs), and with the “unwelcome guests” (usually snakes) during that period was inevitable.
At the same time, I had the chance to wander (usually alone) in the Nature Reserves to come up close with wild monkeys and birds. It was from here that I managed to observe, learn and appreciate the behaviour of animals, both wild and domesticated.
My Experience with Animals -
First, a clarification. I am not the typical “crazy” Animal Lover, ie I don’t go bonkers over animals and fight for their rights at the expense of humans. It is that I just appreciate them as they are. To me, I put human needs first, animals second. OK, now that’s cleared, let’s continue.
I have been in contact with stray cats and dogs for so long during my younger days that even till today, when a stray comes up to me, I know what that stray is thinking, just like I know that it knows what I am thinking. Have you noticed they (cats especially) are able to differentiate between people who love them and those who abhor them?
Notice that if you are a cat lover, the stray cat automatically comes up to you (without even you doing anything) and tries to slide its body against your leg? And if you are a cat hater, have you noticed that same stray cat will run miles away from you? That’s cat instinct.
The strongest bond between Man and Animal (it doesn’t matter if the animal is domesticated, wild, in captivity or not) is FOOD. This is something some Animal Rights groups like ACRES don’t seem to understand. The animal knows who feeds it and the more consistently you feed it, the more trust it has in you.
That said, animals are very territorial. This is true even with domesticated animals. If it senses competition, it will attack its competitor. There is a “first come first served” unwritten rule in the territorial Animal World. The only way to gain that territory from the “first owner” is through a fight – usually a bloody one. I meant that literally and not as a swear word.
Interest in Animal Welfare grows because of contact with aninals -
I find it ironical that ACRES purports to fight for Animal Rights, when they don’t even know the very basic needs of animals, or how they respond to humans. For that matter, how humans respond to animals.
The way to get people to appreciate animals is to get people (usually children because they have no baggage to carry against animals) to be in direct contact with them. It is for this reason I feel that Resort World, for all the claims ACRES makes, is making a step in the right direction.
Dolphins in RWS to play integral role in conservation awareness
SINGAPORE: The dolphins at the heart of the controversy surrounding Resorts World Sentosa’s Marine Life Park (MLP) will play an important role in educating the public on conservation, said the park’s vice-president Peter Doyle.
The MLP, which opens next year, will be home to 25 dolphins. Their captivity has been the subject of controversy in recent months.
Mr Doyle said conservation begins with education, and the dolphins are an integral part of the process.
He announced an initiative under which students in Singapore will get a hands-on experience with marine life at the MLP.
Many will take those words with a pinch of salt, knowing that RWS has vested interests. Let’s put that aside. Let’s talk about how contact with animals get people at a young age to appreciate animals.
In order to get the young (or anyone) interested in Animal Welfare, the most important thing is to get them “immersed” with “animal culture”. This means you need to understand the needs of animals and why they behave the way they behave. What better way than direct contact, like what RWS is doing?
Today, with highrise buildings, many domesticated animals are artificially trained to behave in tight, confined spaces. That to me is worse than the dolphins who are handled by trained professionals who know the needs of the dolphins. Hence, I find it ironic that ACRES is barking up the wrong tree, when they say that penning animals up is “torture”.
Food – the basic need of all living things -
No food, no life. Simple as that. That’s why food is the strongest bond between Man and Animal. You can say what you like about the dolphins being penned up. But you cannot deny that the bond established between trainer and animal via food is so strong, the animal knows who its feeder is. This is true for many animals and not just dolphins.
In the wild, Territory decides how much food you have -
Makes sense, doesn’t it? If you have a large territory, your food supply is more. It doesn’t matter if you are a herbivore or carnivore. If you have less territory, your food supply is less. Hence, the fight for territory among animals is so important, it sometimes is the factor that decides wether you (and your pack, herd, pride etc) live or not.
This territorial instinct is about universal for many animals – domesticated ones included. Hence, many ignorant pet owners are mistaken that an “older pet” being hostile to a newer pet is due to “envy”. Maybe so. But deep down inside, that behaviour is partly instinctive.
Ditching and dishing the “penning up” argument -
ACRES have got it all wrong when it uses the “penning up” of dolphins argument to have them released. Their argument is that dolphins swim for kilometres and kilometres in the wild, and hence, penning them up in water parks is “torture”.
What these uninformed animal lovers wannabe don’t understand is why wild animals need such huge space in the first place. They need it because of food. More space, more territory, more food. Simple as that. An animal that has food aplenty will hence see “space” as a “bonus”. Space wandering becomes a “leisure” rather than a need.
Looking at how territory is preserved -
To understand how animals see territory, let us look at how a pride of lions function as a unit. The title “King of the Jungle” bestowed upon the Male Lion is a misnomer for two very distinct reasons. Firstly, lions don’t live in jungles. They live in the open savanna. Secondly, the male lion doesn’t hunt. The females do. What king?
But don’t be mistaken. The male lion is not a lazy lion. It is just that its mane is so distinct, it makes hunting impossible. The prey will be able to spot a male lion a mile a away. So it is the females that hunt.
So what does the male lion do? It guards territory. Again remember, bigger territory, bigger hunting ground, more food. Smaller territory, smaller hunting ground, less food.
The male lion has not only to guard territory against other pride of lions trespassing, it also has to guard against other animals interfering with the females’ hunt. Hence, hyenas that also hunt for the same game on the same ground is seen by lions as a pest, if not a competitor. There are cases where lions have attacked and killed hyenas not for food, but for trespassing into their territory. That’s how territorial animals are.
Back to the “penning up” argument by ACRES -
It seems to me that the volunteers of ACRES are so amateurish in their arguments. All they can say is that the dolphins are suffering because of being penned up. But do they know why animals need large space in the first place?
Rather than mouthing and mimicking what other groups are saying that the dolphins are suffering, shouldn’t ACRES members take the trouble to find out what makes animals tick?
Food is the strongest bond between Man and Animal. At theme parks, food the bond, is ever present all the time. That cements the relationship between trainers and dolphins.
As for the point of “penned up”, it is all about territory. Animals see their territory threatened when they sense their food/water supply in that territory diminishes. A large water hole that is enough to quench the thirst of a herd of elephants and pride of lions at the same time will see no bloodshed. But as the waterhole dries up, so does their tolerance for each other.
This territorial instinct is so basic that sometimes, hikers who accidentally trespass on animal territory will also get attacked in the wild. Not that these animals want humans for food. We are not part of their food chain.
ACRES’ lack of understanding about space for animals certainly is baffling.
My Final Words -
It was from my direct contact with animals when I was young that made me interested in how animals behave. Long before the existence of internet, I had to depend on books, magazines and documentaries on animals on TV or cinemas. Most of what I have discovered about animals took place decades ago, hence there’s no internet links that I give you.
My final point to Animal Rights wannabe is that you should at least make an effort to have a direct contact with animals to appreciate them, learn more about them, before simply mouthing what others have been mouthing without substance.
And what better way to be in contact with such wild animals than in zoos, safaris and theme parks, the very institutions that “pen up” these animals?
