Column - Done eating dead animals?

Kay P.
Eagle Bend, MN     11/29/2009 8:42 PM

bac, I have convicts... and would have hundreds if not thousands more, however, they are far enough from their wild roots to have lost their parenting skills and unless I pull the swimming fry, they will eventually chow them all down. Besides, one can only have so many Convicts before they wage war on other tank mates. Angels from reputable breeders who allow their pairs to raise the fry will also parent raise, as will discus, and many other cichlids. When breeders hurry nature to produce spawns and try to make money from their fish fall into the trap of pulling young too soon, and those young lose traits that make them otherwise very interesting fish to keep and raise. I have a community of shell dwellers and they are multi generational and family oriented, the previous spawns take care of their younger siblings. I've introduced a few people to the fun of the worlds smallest cichlids. They are so much fun to watch and I recommend to anyone who loves fish to setup a tank with sand and seashells and get a few pair. Before long, one can share them other fish keepers.

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b.a. c.
Osakis, MN     11/29/2009 7:54 AM

Enjoyed your tropical fish analogy, Kay. Convicts? I had a pair of them, then about a hundred or so. It was interesting.

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Kay P.
Eagle Bend, MN     11/29/2009 7:06 AM

I wonder how many of those surviviors suffered a level of mental damage from their situation forced cannibalism? That would definitely be a reason to have some head problems, wouldn't it? I can understand WHY it happened, though I doubt that any wished, or thought they would ever practice such an act prior to their extreme situations. I forget which tribe it is, but they "eat" their dead, and it's to honor them. Weren't the "headhunters" actually after their enemies? They didn't go "hunting" within their own tribem did they? Perhaps they had discriminating tastes, or they just couldn't imagine eating their "cousin". Cultural and religious practices vary, I guess. I know I am not interested in EVER trying it myself. EWWW! To me, it's morally wrong as humans are high on the evolutionary scale and under NORMAL circumstances, intelligent enough to find or prepare a variety of NON-HUMAN foods. Even my toddler is capable of raiding the fridge, much to my dismay. It could be considered another defining factor in which separates civilized humans from the animal kingdom by the absence of the desire to feast on our own species. Extreme situation cannibalism cannot be compared equally to practiced or ritual cannibalism. Exreme is not status quo, hence the defining label. Thinking back...I don't remember EVER having to teach or remind my young children that we do not eat other humans. Thru example, I guess, they must have learned that beef, chicken, pork, turkey and fish are fair game. If one of them did "bite" a sibling...I am pretty sure it wasn't to taste-test them either. Even if I lovingly called them a little "ham", they didn't fear that I would make them into a sandwich. Why do some animal species eat their young, while others parent raise? I've noticed that wild caught aquarium fish of certain species are excellent parents and will not eat their spawn, but when the young are removed immediately and put into grow-out tanks, that "instinct" can be bred out of the species. Any future generations are missing that "instinct". Many cichlids are excellent parents if they have been allowed to be raised within their current community. The nurture instinct taught by example from the parent fish. They will, however, eat the young of another's spawn. A few species will NOT eat any of their own species but other species are dinner, and the juveniles will grow into the role of caregivers for future spawns. The simple act of isolating the young in an non-adult environment can result in the end of a particular trait that is naturally occuring in the wild.

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steve w.
Alexandria, MN     11/26/2009 10:40 PM

I like dead cows. I love eating them, and wearing them. (Just doing my part to curb global warming.) Heck, cows even know that they themselves are tastey. Why else would they stand around all day saying, "mmmmmmmmmmm"? :)

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LL L.
Alexandria, MN     11/26/2009 9:46 AM

Many countries eat dogs, cats , guinea pigs and other animals including monkey meat. If it is right to eat the flesh of animals why do we decide that some are okay and others are taboo. Just man made rules that we would like to make God responsible for deciding. By the way, some monkey species including Chimps eat their own kind. They go hunting for them for that purpose. I don't think that I want to get involved with the thought of being a cannibal what is your opinion on that subject, Kerry? You don't claim to practice any religion so would not be bound by religious teachings so is it a moral issue or a religious issue for you?

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LL L.
Alexandria, MN     11/26/2009 9:32 AM

In answer to Kerry, why would one animal be any different than another. Meat is meat and even in the bible or other religious teachings the eating of meat from a pig was frowned upon because of disease and cows because a dead cow only provides a bit of meat and a live cow produces milk for an extended period. Just common sense that people turned into religious beliefs. If someone says not to eat spinach because it is unclean due to salmonella all of a sudden in a thousand years will it be a religious belief? :-)

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Like-minded extreme right wing lemming. I.
Bushland, TX     11/25/2009 10:55 PM

mike j. - Animals don't vote? ACORN registered Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck last year.

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Like-minded extreme right wing lemming. I.
Bushland, TX     11/25/2009 10:40 PM

and Crab Apples.

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Like-minded extreme right wing lemming. I.
Bushland, TX     11/25/2009 10:38 PM

Kerry H - That's some pretty deep stuff. Put the pipe down....you inhaled way too much!

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mike j.
Minneapolis, MN     11/25/2009 10:17 PM

I wonder if someone will be handing out ham and cheese sandwiches to some homeless vets tommorrow. It would be the Christian Patriotic thing and a possible photo op.

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