We all know
the PETA people are literally crazy about the critters.
Here's another great example of how they take it way beyond
common sense and have some down-right dumb ideas.
So, I'm over at hot hippie girl's apartment flipping thru her PETA
member's magazine and
I come upon the following story that is so stupid it's funny.
Philly attorney Elissa Katz is working at her desk when she hears
something:
"...it turned
out to be a small mouse stuck on a glue trap. For the next hour and a
half,
I methodically alternated between vegetable oil and warm water to free
the terrified and injured animal.
From that day on, Mouse became very bonded with me: sitting on my
shoulder,
eating from my hand, and squeaking when he wanted a treat." [scan of entire
article below]
This is such a bad idea on so many levels, I don't
know where to start.
Touching a wounded wild animal, even a tiny one, is a terrible
idea. It's not going to see you as its rescuer, it is going to bite you!
(and when it does bite you, PETA's likely position is that you
should still release it and just have the fun series of rabies shots!?)
Even if you miss the rabid bite, there's a reason wild mice are known
as vermin: they eat garbage and have fleas!
Ok, let's leave that alone and move on to the really ridiculous part of
the story: taming a wild rodent!
Even a kitten or puppy who has received no human contact will grow into
terribly mean, nervous, and unmanageable wild animal.
It definitely will NOT be indoor tame no matter how much you love it,
and that's despite being bred for
thousands of years as a domesticated animal.
Conversely, if you save a baby squirrel, racoon, or bear cub, and raise
it by hand,
it will still NEVER be a friendly and tame as domesticated pet.
Thus, OMG!, it is a total fantasy that a field mouse will be so emotionally
touched by you rescuing it that it immediately "bonds" with you!
They take this bullshit story over the credibility line with that one. I mean
scraping it off the glue and letting it go is one thing,
but leading members to believe you can let a rodent you found live in your hamster's
habitrail and make a nice pet out of it,
is just a stupidly irresponsible thing for PETA to suggest is usually possible.
Of Course, PETA doesn't write the article as a "How to" piece, but
c'mon, the praising tone of the article
is self-evident and the implication that readers should follow suit is inescapable.
Naive people (read: PETA members)
are going to read this, think it's for real,
and then try it themselves. I predict after seeing this article, some
dummy is going
to try to unstick a big New York rat and get a finger bitten off!
This is exactly the kind of thing that compromises PETA's credibility and extends its whacko reputation.
Bad, PETA, bad.
Even hot
hippie girl agrees this is PETA being silly and stupid.
I suppose a white lab mouse could make a good pet,
but touching a filthy glue trap to free a dirty rodent and
expecting Mickey Mouse is NOT recommended.
-Oogly
[Click here for more from Oogly]
Article was from this issue of the PETA member's magazine.
