The fact that the Dolfinarium is still allowed to exist puzzles me. They must have had good lobbyists to have gotten of scot-free with this new law.
this post was submitted on 17 Jul 2023
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A big issue with the dolphins is that you can't just release them. I agree that they should be phased out but dolphins can still more or less be kept happy and stimulated if done well. (still not the same as in the wild but well we also keep dogs on a leash to keep us company)
There's also an educational part about it. Because of these dolphin shows and movies with them they are perceived as cute, smart and happy so hunting them is frowned upon. If people had never seen a dolphin in real life or in a movie they would just be big fish to people and they would still be massively hunted.
What saddens me even more are the killer whales kept in captivity. There have been cases where they just killed themselves out of boredom/depression/... They also routinely hurt each other and there's not a single tank in the world that can keep them in an animal friendly way.
Dolphins, just like killer whales, can become severely depressed/neurotic in captivity. Additionally, there are rescue facilities that can take these animals in and either give them a livable rest of their lives without being set out in the wild, or can be readjusted to living in the wild. Instead of sending subsidies to these facilities and closing the Dolfinarium, it's allowed to stay open until 2037.
Instrumentalising animals for human entertainment is absolutely morally wrong. You can't use animals in a circus anymore, but the Dolfinarium is still allowed to exist. There are better ways to teach people about the intelligence of dolphins than torturing them in captivity and letting them do tricks for humans. Kids don't need to see an elephant do tricks to learn about it being very intelligent.
Stupid sexy Flanders
(But also this is probably smart)
While clear regulations are very good, I don't think banning all slaughter at home is a good thing, if no alternatives are offered to allow raising and slaughtering your own animals.
Apart from it being more economical it's also a reminder that there's literally blood involved with eating meat and that you should not waste it when you want to eat it.
The article doesn't mention how it would handle this. And don't misunderstand me, I'm totally for requiring people who want to butcher animals themselves to follow certification courses and document the proper slaughter of their livestock.
Does this also mean chicken owners can't slaughter chickens for food?
The codex only seems to mention pigs, goats and sheep so I think slaughtering your own chickens is still allowed.