Many animals are intelligent
What a surprise to read a supportive letter rather than the usual antagonistic responses I receive (Mailbox, March 21).
C Seal gave examples of animal sentience and intelligence, using incidents of a heifer and some sheep. It is widely accepted that pigs are more intelligent than dogs and it has been shown that they are as intelligent as a three-year-old child. Unfortunately pigs are slaughtered a long time before they reach the age of three.
A common disparaging remark about someone is "birdbrained". A study involving chickens stated: "The extent to which animals are affected by the distress of others is of high significance to the welfare of farm and laboratory animals."
Chickens were shown to experience empathy. Think of their distress in a crowded factory farm where broken legs and corpses are commonplace.
C Seal ended by comparing the treatment of our pets to the treatment of farm animals. Imagine eating a delicious stew and being told the meat in it was Labrador or tabby!
Mrs Elizabeth Allison, Aylestone.
9 Comments
by m, le3
Tuesday, March 29 2011, 8:43AM
“"Back again, along with others. Why does this happen LM?" - I'd like to see some acknowledgement from the LM that the following three things need sorting out on their web site:
1. Comments often dont appear when they are made. This can lead to multiple posts.
2. Comments sometimes disappear and then re-appear later for no reason
3. There are no fixed usernames, so its impossible to know if a comment is by the same person
None of this is rocket science. It doesnt happen on any other web sites that I use. Web sites that allow comments have been around for over 10 years so there is NO excuse for it. Its just rubbish!!!”
by Arden, Braunstone
Tuesday, March 29 2011, 12:00AM
“Back again, along with others. Why does this happen LM?”
by Arden, Braunstone
Monday, March 28 2011, 11:09PM
“Why the removal of my post that relates diet to culture, nothing in it offensive”
by pc porky, on a protestor's head!
Monday, March 28 2011, 4:46PM
“"when I see pigs being used by the police"... that's no way to describe your local bobby my lad! now kindly hand yourself in to your local station for a damn good hiding... i mean interrogation :)”
by judith, Leicester
Monday, March 28 2011, 2:11PM
“I have been a vegetarian for over 30 years, that is my choice. I also have ex battery hens and believe me if one of them is ill the empathy is very thin on the ground. They get bullied and excluded, as for new arrivals, they have to be kept apart for a couple of weeks before being introduced very gently or there is one hell of a fight!! I genuinely have yet to see a case of empathy. That is no reason to eat them but I merely say what I observe..”
by Arden, Braunstone
Monday, March 28 2011, 1:01PM
“"C Seal ended by comparing the treatment of our pets to the treatment of farm animals. Imagine eating a delicious stew and being told the meat in it was Labrador or tabby"
Depends on your appetite and cultural background. Humans create pets out of animals. what is a pet in one culture may not be in another”
by PB, Leicester
Monday, March 28 2011, 12:53PM
“when I see pigs being used by the police, the blind and rescue organisatons I may be inclined to believe you.I can also think of a hundred things a 3 year old child can do that pigs can't. Talk for one!”
by Dazzer B, Leicester
Monday, March 28 2011, 12:13PM
“mmmmm Last time I checked, Labradors and Tabbys were not farmed for their meat in this country.....”
by m, le3
Monday, March 28 2011, 12:00PM
“"Chickens were shown to experience empathy."
:D :D
"Imagine eating a delicious stew and being told the meat in it was Labrador or tabby!" - this is a good point. Many meat eaters are very hypocritical in the respect that they would view eating horse meat or dog meat as disgusting. But they then enjoy trying to wind up veggies, with jokes about eating cows or pigs.”