Who are you to assume what an animal wants?
I am quite literally not doing that. I am saying “we don’t know so we shouldn’t imprison it for our amusement” which does not strike me as a very extreme statement.
The octopus went back to it’s tank after getting a snack. That’s at least some indication the octopus likes living there.
You are assuming the octopus prefers living out in the wild where it could be eaten alive. Who are you to assume what an animal wants?
Are you currently living in some kind rectangular structure where you have easy access to regular meals? Why are you living in this way and assuming an octopus wouldn’t also prefer this? There’s nothing preventing you from leaving the rectangular structure you’re currently living in and going out into the wilds and fending for yourself to survive. Why don’t you do the thing you’re assuming the octopus wants to do?
CileTheSane@lemmy.ca 9 hours ago
thejoker954@lemmy.world 13 hours ago
I mean the government stops you - at least in the USA. If they find you, no matter how ‘responsible’ you are being they will charge you/kick you off the land unless you “own” the land.
flambonkscious@sh.itjust.works 10 hours ago
Or it was too much of a gamble raw-dogging it in the outside.
All it did was take the ‘bait’ it was aware of and sneak back undetected. For all we know it might have been exploring, but in a hostile environment you wouldn’t venture far…
jordanlund@lemmy.world 2 minutes ago
I heard a story about an octopus escaping into a library and was found fumbling through the books.
I can only imagine if it comprehended what it was looking at… “Oh, crap, THAT’S what they use ink for!”
SpaceCowboy@lemmy.ca 9 hours ago
Yes and for all we know the octopus prefers to live in a place safe from predators, always has lots of food, and a veterinarian on call when it gets sick.
It’s strange to me that people anthropomorphize animals to make big claims about the animal wanting to live in the wild. If you release that animal into the wild it will likely be eaten or starve but everyone assumes the animal wants that based on absolutely nothing.
Why not anthropomorphize animals under the assumption they would want a life similar to what we’ve built for ourselves? Is the validity of the complete guesses about what an animal wants gain merit based on how holier than thou the people making the guesses are acting about it?
Bottom line, the octopus is safer living in an aquarium with ample food than living in an environment amongst predators where food is scarce. All animals have a strong survival instinct (they’d be extinct if they didn’t) so it’s more likely if an animal could communicate it’s preferences, it would choose the option where it’s most likely to survive for a very long time, so it would choose living in an aquarium.
If a I scream “RELEASING ANIMALS INTO THE WILD IS MURDER!!!” over and over again, does that make it a more compelling argument?
CileTheSane@lemmy.ca 4 hours ago
What I said was : they should not be kept in captivity for our amusement.
Where’s the big claim?
flambonkscious@sh.itjust.works 9 hours ago
Yes, but it’s even more simplistic (I agree with wider principle you’re using).- The octopus is going to have a much harder time finding a safe environment.
Unless it stays in the fish aquarium - I wonder why it didn’t just stay where the tasty snacks were? (Not wanting to project a humanised, moralistic perspective on its delightfully naughty behaviour…).
Maybe there was nothing good to hide under, perhaps?