| > why would animals in wild suffer more than in captivity? Not necessarily more in every case but they do suffer in many different ways. Nonhuman animals in the wild are routinely exposed to: starvation, dehydration, disease, injuries, predation, parasitism and extreme weather conditions: > The total amount of suffering per year in the natural world is beyond all decent contemplation. During the minute that it takes me to compose this sentence, thousands of animals are being eaten alive, many others are running for their lives, whimpering with fear, others are slowly being devoured from within by rasping parasites, thousands of all kinds are dying of starvation, thirst, and disease. It must be so. If there ever is a time of plenty, this very fact will automatically lead to an increase in the population until the natural state of starvation and misery is restored. – Richard Dawkins, River Out of Eden: A Darwinian View of Life > It's not about taking suffering away. Animals born in the wild live their life naturally. A "natural" life does not necessarily mean a good one. > Animals created by us in farms are raised for one thing, for human consumption. If an animal wants to run away in wild and do it's thing, it has that choice. The choice to do what? The vast majority of nonhuman animals receive no help with their suffering. There are exceptions of course like when we help by rescuing trapped animals, vaccinating and healing injured and sick animals, caring for orphaned animals etc. But the general rule is a very short life (most nonhuman animals in the wild don't live to adulthood) with far more suffering experienced than happiness. > Basically if we have slightest amount of empathy for our pets and are willing to apply that to other animals, eating meat doesn't look enticing No disagreement here, but the same empathy should be given to nonhuman animals suffering in the wild and we should help to reduce their suffering as much as practically possible. Widespread interventions aren't practical now due to a lack of knowledge and resources but our future descendants may well be in a better position to make an effective difference. Further reading: * https://foundational-research.org/the-importance-of-wild-ani... * https://www.animal-ethics.org/wild-animal-suffering-section/... * http://www.olemartinmoen.com/wp-content/uploads/TheEthicsofW... |