It seems that there’s a problem with people in Alaska wanting to touch baby moose- and even wanting to keep them as pets!
According to the Associated Press, there have been a string of incidents involving people in Alaska trying to do just that. Persons in Willow had a baby moose in their back yard in a dog run with a collar around its neck. Some folks in Wasilla had a baby moose in their living room.
But it’s not just moose, is it?
In recent years there have been a rash of stories of people taking in baby deer and raising them as pets.
And look at all the other wildlife humans have tried to tame in order to keep them for their entertainment- big cats, monkeys, snakes, birds, sugar gliders.
Why do we do that?
Ask most of these owners of “exotic” pets, and they’ll tell you how cute the animal is. They wanted it. They’ll throw up that it’s not against the law and they have the RIGHT to own that animal if they want to.
Or how about those that claim they had to or the baby would have otherwise died. Then when caught by local authorities, they launch a social media campaign to encourage others to side with them so they can keep the animal in captivity.
Taking in wild animals as pets requires the animal be removed from its mother when very young in order to acclimate to humans.
Many of these “pets” die prematurely from lack of appropriate care.
But that’s not the worst part.
The worst part is the way these animals live. Oh sure, to you humans, it looks like a great gig. A nice home. Good food.
But put yourself in that animal’s place. As an infant you are removed from your mother and placed with creatures that are nothing like you, and with these creatures you will spend the rest of your life. No contact with others of your species. Confined. Your movements controlled, as is what and when you eat. And as you get older and reach puberty, you become more dangerous to the humans, and the attention you receive will most likely decrease significantly.
What a depressing existence. In my mind, that’s a fate worse than death.
I do not understand how it is that humans love to kill animals, and keep them as pets, but they don’t seem to be so keen on allowing animals to just live the way nature intended.
Dogpaddling Through Life 
Most people think that animals have no consciousness… then they think they are just another teddy bear
How incredibly sad that some humans are so self-centered they cannot even see the needs of other living things.
Yes, it’s sad…
Humans make me sad some days.
Me too.
Most animals look cute when they’re babies, but they tend to grow up and as their cuteness dwindles, so does a lot of interest and consideration for their well being. I much prefer to see an animal in its natural habitat, and remember visiting a zoo in Hampshire. We came away totally depressed and wanting to let all the animals out as their conditions were appalling. Monkey World in Dorset UK however always has the chimpanzees interests at heart, and encourage their natural habits and social behavior.
It may be incarceration with all the comforts of home, but it’s still incarceration.
Reblogged this on Ann Novek–With the Sky as the Ceiling and the Heart Outdoors.
Thanks!
People are idiots!!
They certainly do some foolish things.
Well said, and I completely agree.
And….wow! Really? A moose??? That’s crazy!
ღ husky hugz ღ frum our pack at Love is being owned by a husky!
Yes, and yet it’s all too real.
Well it doesn’t surprise me !
Humans are one stooopid rase !
That is true. They also determine the fate of every other species on the planet.
I think that’s something I will never understand. I love it to watch animals in their natural habitat and not trapped behind bars. Why humans always have to “own” all things, even those who need no “owner”…
It’s like wanting to own the biggest house in town, without considering how you’re going to pay for it or the time it’s going to take you to keep it up.
The obvious size issue does present a problem. I’ve read about a trend on the Web. “Ligers.” Apparently, some individuals are breeding hybrid cats by crossing lions and tigers. The “kittens” are adorable and can sell for as much as a thousand dollars – mostly sold online, from pictures. The problem of course, is that these animals grow to weigh about 500 lbs, and are innate predators. Your cute little “Liger” kitten will grow into something that wants to EAT you. These animals are surrendered to Animal Control as soon as they become unmanageable, and immediately destroyed.
But there’s another problem with removing animals from their natural habitat, for use as pets. I read a book about Boulder, Colorado. People there got in the habit of feeding and domesticating deer. As more and more deer became commonplace in Boulder, cats started showing up. By which, I mean Colorado Mountain Lions. The cougars came down from the mountains in pursuit of their favorite food, deer. Now the people of Boulder had a problem. Deadly cougars roaming the streets of “Yourtown, USA.”
All of a sudden, a town full of Hippie Leftists morphed into rural Texas, and everybody started packing heat. Which of course, created more problems than it solved.
No. Your best bet is to go up into the woods and enjoy nature. Leave what you see up there – up there. Come home and get back to your stockbroker’s job. And leave the animals alone.
Yes, I no longer feed wildlife, even birds. I feel that by doing so, I cause more harm than good.
It’s true. Also, by feeding wildlife you enure them to Humans. This robs them of a natural defense they’ve built up through millennia of evolution. Animals don’t trust Humans for a good reason. By feeding them, we cause them to lose that natural distrust.
And goodness knows humans are not to be trusted!
You know Rumpy sometimes I am ashamed of being a human, I am so often appalled by the way we treat other species of animals. I weep at what I see and read. I swear I do not know what makes us think we have a God given right over the earth and the plants and animals on it. I wander how we would behave if the tables were turned. So far we have made a mess of things. Xx
You may think an animal like that is cute, but it’ll be cuter when it’s free.
I agree wholeheartedly, and hope one day you will write about parrots in the same light. The more who do, the more lives will be changed. I am firmly against the breeding of pet parrots, but the existing captive ones need us – and as such, we have to give them the best lives possible through adoption and re-homing. Wild animals should always stay wild.
The ownership of such exotic animals is not allowed in Australia, permits are generally required for unusual pets such as snakes and our native parrots. It always makes me sad to see images of so-called private zoos and collections, where tigers, bears, etc are kept in small enclosures for the viewing pleasure of their owners. I would love to live in a world where wild animals could stay in their natural environment without interference but sadly we humans are encroaching further into their territory and in countries like Africa, sanctuaries for the purpose of conservation appear to be the only way that these creatures can survive.
Why humans don’t leave those wild animals alone…..they are happy enough staying in a wild…..Yes…Wildlfe should remain Wild….very true……..
Just the other day my wife remarked that a goldfinch she saw at our bird feeder was very beautiful. She said it caused her to wonder if they did well in captivity. Then it dawned on her what a foolish and selfish thing it would be to cage such a creature. Why, she wondered. Just so she could name it and claim to own it?
Really. If you already get to enjoy it outdoors, why kill its spirit inside?
When that moose grows up you have a animal the size of a truck and no where to keep the poor thing. Let them be with their mother and leave nature be the way it is. I am all for resque of hurt animals but, return them to the vild after the treatment is done.
Reblogged this on healingchoicesvet.
Thanks!
Well expressed, Rumpy, you make a good point and I’m in agreement. I remember going to zoos in my childhood and have taken my own children when they were little. Now, though, that we’re all older, my kids are 19 & 22, we’re not so keen on zoos and animals being confined. I haven’t done research, so maybe in some cases, it’s a good thing, but in the broad scheme of things, it’s very sad…just thinking of how innocent animals are treated in some real horrible circumstances also breaks my heart…
Animals are neither teddy bear nor Easter bunny. We must act against this kind of work. Saving animals is a great deed.