Submitted 4 months ago by silence7@slrpnk.net to nyt_gift_articles@sopuli.xyz
Stop having wild exotic animals in cages in the first place. Or any animal. It’s the reason for virus mutations. It’s how we got every pandemic in history. The plague, black death, Spanish flu, pox, covid, etc, now bird flu lurking around the corner.
Plus, animal abuse.
Dude I live 10 min away from this place. Those cats have room, they arent walled in to their shoulders. Sure everything would prefer to be running free in it’s own preferential Valhalla, but I’ve never heard a whine, moan or complaint from any of them cats. And ALL of them are vocal enough to let you know EXACTLY how they feel. The domesticated cat is actually rather quiet in comparison to most of its larger cousins.
And regardless, it’s a sanctuary. Every cat there is the result of someone getting an exotic pet they couldn’t handle, so the choice becomes
Cat goes to sanctuary or cat gets put down.
I understand your animosity towards the reality of it, but place it on the people who started the shit cycle, not those trying to lessen the suck.
Your compassion for animals is awesome but your information about how and why viruses mutate and spread seems very flawed.
Yes, viruses may spread faster through animals in captivity which could lead to higher rates of virus mutations. But no, it’s not the cause of every pandemic you have ever heard about. Pinning the cause on one specific behavior is beyond false.
The black death specifically was likely transmitted to humans via fleas from rats, as an example. What’s key, is that nobody has even been able to prove that completely.
Are you aware rats and fleas are animals too? Humans and animals living close together is the reason viruses mutate. It’s why Europe had many plagues while the americas had none. As soon as Europeans landed there, we brought mayhem with all the viruses we brought with us. It’s because we domesticated animals, while in the americas they did not. We had many rats because of the poor hygiene and living so close together, with others and animals. We should make sure we distance ourselves from many different kinds of animals to reduce the chance or mutations.
Rats weren’t exactly in cages…
watson387@sopuli.xyz 4 months ago
That’s sad to hear.