Oh, I heard this on the news. Grim. Let them eat vegan. I might have an old mop.

Like, never. Our boys liked to be with us and that's where they are.

No.

If an animal is medically euthanized, then it would be dangerous for another animal to eat it.

Nope, mine are buried in the backyard.

Not a chance. I would have to be more respectful of something I'd loved and cared for. Or even just plain cared for.

Elmer is right. We have two deer in the neighborhood who wear leather tags in an ear. They've gotten into trouble, caused by man and the game department has had to dart them to treat, rescue, then give them a reversal injection to get them alert again. I talked to one of the agents on the phone and he said any time they've medicated an animal they must tag it on the chance someone were to want to feed it to their family at some point, even months later.

We were all curious about the tag so I called and found a very nice man willing to talk. He was thrilled one of the deer was so healthy, even what you might call 'fat' that Fall as it had been in rough shape the day he'd left it - exhausted and stressed from having horns caught in a fence.

I told him it looked wonderful, that I only wished it wasn't hanging out in my garden.

Interesting because I heard this on the news this morning as well, but I swear they said that they euthanize the animals prior to feeding. That sounded strange to me anyway, but I hadn't thought about the actual drugs. Now I'm curious but really I guess it was a semi slow news day?

Maybe my pet's food, but NOT my pet as food. On second thought the lions wouldn't be interested in my little 3-lb chihuahua...or would they think of her as an appetizer?

“If an animal is medically euthanized, then it would be dangerous for another animal to eat it.”

They’re not asking for medixally euthanized pets. They do the killing, and I’d trust the zoo is smart enoug not to poison their lions.

No, I don't think I could bring myself to do that. But I might use it as a threat!

“They’re not asking for medixally euthanized pets. They do the killing, and I’d trust the zoo is smart enoug not to poison their lions.”

That’s what I understand from reading the article. They probably gas them?

“mine are buried in the backyard.”

Mine (ashes) was scattered in the backyard too.

I have one old hen (out of a deceased 6 from 8 ago years) that needs a new home, nyuk.

Absolutely not. And I think its a really bad idea for them to solicit such. Its just another way for bad people to dump animals they made the choice to acquire and then get tired of. Poor babies.

Perhaps our culture is becoming more obscene, cruel, callous, selfish, nasty that any news station other than The Distraction would carry this query.

I’m heartened to see all of you find it appalling.

The thought of donating my dogs to be eaten makes me ill. Stuff of nightmares for me.

How about a rooster? I've never had one as a pet...but...they seem like a food choice....

Lucille....could ya put some feathers on your ex?😂

“And I think it’s a really bad idea for them to solicit such. Its just another way for bad people to dump animals they made the choice to acquire and then get tired of. Poor babies.”

I agree. Here people would drop unwanted pets at a shelter with the hope they may get a second or third chance before euthanized due to overcrowding. Denmark zoo prefers a different way.

We saw the headlines. How is feeding them dead animals giving the large predators a predatory experience?? We assumed the predators would kill the pets themselves. Animal shelters came up. Seems like an inexpensive way for them to dispose of the unwanted. How about rounding up the feral cats. If they were still alive they have a fighting chance anyway. One can argue there's a place for this but its still gruesome and we can't imagine a zoo keeper who would want to participate--they love all animals one would think. No this is an idea that does not seem like a road we want to go down. Rather gruesome. The concept of killing a living thing because it's a bother is not a practice I want to believe adult humans would embrace.

I'd offer up my neighbors' incessantly barking dogs.

“How is feeding them dead animals giving the large predators a predatory experience??”

Exactly.

The zoo wants your unwanted, alive and healthy pets. Then they’ll kill them before feeding the carnivores. I get the practicality of recycling resources but pets have emotional attachments, well maybe not to people who acquired them then eventually must discard them without spending the effort to re-home the pets. Anything not pets like livestock (chickens), your exes, politicians are fair suggestions I suppose. But ultimately the idea of putting animals behind bars in zoos is the problem. They should be roaming free in their natural habitats.

Never!!! Even the thought of it makes me shudder!!!

Then they’ll kill them before feeding the carnivores.

So they say. I have problems believing the truth of a lot of what I hear these days. And of course if they want their predators to have the predator experiences, who is to say that after hours when the public is not around, little Fluffy the guinea pig won't be slipped into a predator cage as a live snack.

Id have gladly fed my son’s ferrets to anyone who wanted them, after their natural death of course.

But seriously, no, I couldnt do that.

People feed live mice to snakes. Mice have feelings too.

I am the sort of person who insists on being there when my pets have to be euthanized. I know they take comfort from my presence.

patriciae

lol Lucille!!! 😄

“who is to say that after hours when the public is not around…”

Hmm anything is possible and that would be so unfair to the little hapless Fluffy guinea pig. Some evasive large Burmese pythons from the Florida Everglades would be more enticing and can restore the imbalance in the ecosystem.

I swear I don't say what follows to make anyone feel bad and I'm not coming at this from a moral high ground stance - just stating that conversations like this are always fascinating to me. What makes animals friends vs. food? What is the difference between your pet dog, and the meat you eat? Animals are not treated well in the process of becoming food.

Also, Danish zoos seem to enjoy doing this stuff. I have no idea why. The story below stuck with me for a long time...

Danish zoo kills healthy giraffe, feeds it to lions - CBS News

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/danish-zoo-kills-healthy-giraffe-feeds-it-to-carnivores/

Ally, it keeps coming back to me the source of this troubling dilemma stems from our discriminations of everything - between us humans to the animals and to inanimate objects. From that we make justifications how things should proceed and often times end up with great suffering.

" What makes animals friends vs. food? "

Cultural practices that most accept and internalize without further thought or analysis. The list of such things is too long to mention and cover issues and topics far and wide. For most of such things, there's really nothing more to them than that and there need not be.

Some animals Western cultures consider to be pets, others consider to be food. Elsewhere, some animals considered in some places to be pets, we consider to be pests. I don't think there's any element of morality or ethical paradoxes involved, nothing more than differences in cultural values and practices.