The Forum Site - Join the conversation
Forums:
Politics

Polar bear cubs at Nuremberg zoo

Reply to Topic
AuthorMessage
buffalobill90 On July 12, 2013
Powered by tea





Viaticum, United Kingdom
#1New Post! Jan 10, 2008 @ 20:19:11
After a polar bear mother at Nuremberg zoo ate one of its two young cubs, the zoo administrators said they would not intervene and allow nature to take its course should the mother be as neglectful to the remaining cub. This caused a massive public outcry in Germany, and the zoo has decided to rear the cub away from its mother as a result.

What do you make of this? Are the public merely projecting human emotions and values on an animal which undertands neither, or should the zoo have a responsibility to prevent this apparent cruelty?

I personally believe that since the polar bears are raised purely as an attraction, then the zoo can raise the cub itself if it likes. However, if humans are to consider such parental behaviour immoral, then why aren't we policing predators in the wild? Why aren't we collecting the trillions of eggs that insects and fish lay in order to ensure they are not 'neglected'?

There is a real danger in assuming that all our favourite animals have real thoughts and emotions. The danger is that we waste our attention, time and resources on mindless beasts when there are millions of humans that really are in need of help, and yet we are crying about one bear.
bloody__bug On October 28, 2011




nowwere, Canada
#2New Post! Jan 10, 2008 @ 20:21:51
Panda bears's numbers are dwindeling, percations must be taken to maintain their numbers. If the cost of that is their evolution then it must be done. Evolution is designed to strenghen animals, not help them become extinct more quickly.
treetopflyer On March 19, 2008

Deleted



Emerald City,
#3New Post! Jan 10, 2008 @ 20:23:01
Yes human emotions is a play here. in the wild the mother does this because she realize that the cub would not make it.

Some German's need to ask if such a things works in this case how come it does work when it comes to human events?
yummyher On January 19, 2009




London, United Kingdom
#4New Post! Jan 10, 2008 @ 20:23:30
@buffalobill90 Said
After a polar bear mother at Nuremberg zoo ate one of its two young cubs, the zoo administrators said they would not intervene and allow nature to take its course should the mother be as neglectful to the remaining cub. This caused a massive public outcry in Germany, and the zoo has decided to rear the cub away from its mother as a result.

What do you make of this? Are the public merely projecting human emotions and values on an animal which undertands neither, or should the zoo have a responsibility to prevent this apparent cruelty?

I personally believe that since the polar bears are raised purely as an attraction, then the zoo can raise the cub itself if it likes. However, if humans are to consider such parental behaviour immoral, then why aren't we policing predators in the wild? Why aren't we collecting the trillions of eggs that insects and fish lay in order to ensure they are not 'neglected'?

There is a real danger in assuming that all our favourite animals have real thoughts and emotions. The danger is that we waste our attention, time and resources on mindless beasts when there are millions of humans that really are in need of help, and yet we are crying about one bear.


I saw that on NewsRound
aceuvclubs On August 22, 2020
You with the face!





Seattle, Washington
#5New Post! Jan 10, 2008 @ 20:30:15
Ugh reminds me of the Chinese Pygmy hamsters i had. The two hamsters which the owner told me were males ended not being so and had babies. Two little ones were born. A short time later the mom had one more. Right after that the one that had just been born disappeared. I figured mommy dearest ate it. A short time after that, i left my apartment, the little ones fully fed with food to spare, i got back and the two babies were chowing down on the head and the body was in another corner and the daddy was cowering in the little house. Freaking returned the little bastards the very next day to the pet store. No questions asked, no money wanted back.
odie On August 04, 2008

Deleted
Banned



toronto, Canada
#6New Post! Jan 10, 2008 @ 21:31:29
Did you see the polar bear on the new carrying her cub?

She kept dropping it! Each time she let it out of her mouth, I just cringed to see this happen to the tiny tiny cub! And considering the size of the polar bear................it was a long fall, you could hear the pup crying!

She was not caring for it properly, to me, they had no choice and I am so glad they are now raising her, the polar bear may have very well eaten the cub.
jonnythan On August 02, 2014
Bringer of rad mirth


Deleted



Here and there,
#7New Post! Jan 10, 2008 @ 21:34:08
@bloody__bug Said
Panda bears's numbers are dwindeling, percations must be taken to maintain their numbers. If the cost of that is their evolution then it must be done. Evolution is designed to strenghen animals, not help them become extinct more quickly.


They weren't pandas.

In any case, I think the zoo was "right" in terms of it being the correct thing to do, but it was "incredibly wrong" from a PR perspective. They should have known that the public would not take kindly to this.
odie On August 04, 2008

Deleted
Banned



toronto, Canada
#8New Post! Jan 10, 2008 @ 21:49:52
@jonnythan Said
They weren't pandas.

In any case, I think the zoo was "right" in terms of it being the correct thing to do, but it was "incredibly wrong" from a PR perspective. They should have known that the public would not take kindly to this.


did you see it on the news?
Vizzy On February 20, 2012




, Florida
#9New Post! Jan 10, 2008 @ 21:52:38
@buffalobill90 Said

I personally believe that since the polar bears are raised purely as an attraction, then the zoo can raise the cub itself if it likes. However, if humans are to consider such parental behaviour immoral, then why aren't we policing predators in the wild? Why aren't we collecting the trillions of eggs that insects and fish lay in order to ensure they are not 'neglected'?



That's the point...these bears weren't in the wild. Humans brought them into this situation and so humans feel we should be responsible for their care/preventing unnecessary pain.
We don't intervene in the wild because it IS the wild, they are still wild animals.
rockdave On May 23, 2009




peterboring, United Kingdom
#10New Post! Jan 11, 2008 @ 00:00:19
you grabbed my attention there buffallo bill then cocked it right up at the end by talking bollocks

on subject i think what happens in the wild stays in the wild but in a public zoo the owners and workers have a genuine job to make sure the polar bear cubs are raised in to adult polar bears without being eaten or hurt
buffalobill90 On July 12, 2013
Powered by tea





Viaticum, United Kingdom
#11New Post! Jan 11, 2008 @ 09:49:21
@rockdave Said
on subject i think what happens in the wild stays in the wild but in a public zoo the owners and workers have a genuine job to make sure the polar bear cubs are raised in to adult polar bears without being eaten or hurt


@vizzy Said
We don't intervene in the wild because it IS the wild, they are still wild animals.


What I said in my original post was that the zoo should probably have seperated the cub from its mother on purely financial grounds if they wanted it to be displayed to the public and attract visitors. However, there were no ethical grounds on which to protect the cub. If there were ethical grounds, as I said, then we are bestowing animals with a high moral status which we have a responsibility to defend, regardless of whether animals are in a zoo or in 'the wild' (apparently some magical place where all the rules are different). This would be impractical, and in any case it would be wasteful since the vast majority of animals, including bears, do not merit any moral status.
treebee On April 13, 2015
Government Hooker

Moderator




London, United Kingdom
#12New Post! Jan 11, 2008 @ 10:53:22
what to do when you breed in captivity? I wouldnt want to see the bear cubs eaten by its mother particularly, but then again would it be right to intervene?

I guess in the wilderness cubs would have been eaten or abandoned.

I really dislike zoo's. I am all for rescue centres and rehabilitation centres whose sole aim is to put the creature back into the wild or to repair damage to the populus of an animal or insect that has been almost wiped out by pollutants or farming where it should naturally be.

I think it is human nature to form an affection to animals, buffalobill, i expect you are well aware of the human instinct to nurture something small with a cute face resembling that of a baby. I guess thats why people get so upset about it.
jonnythan On August 02, 2014
Bringer of rad mirth


Deleted



Here and there,
#13New Post! Jan 11, 2008 @ 14:25:06
I'm a big fan of zoos that are properly run. The average life span for most animals in a zoo is *way* more than the same animal in the wild. Many wild animals are rescued from injuries or conditions that would cause them to have very little, if any, life expectancy and go on to live long happy lives in zoos. Also, there are many animals that are highly endangered that are being raised and bred in zoos as a partial means of safeguarding and preserving the species.

Zoos do a lot of good IMO, and I've never seen an animal at a zoo that had a less natural environment or less fulfilling life than, say, a house pet.
Vizzy On February 20, 2012




, Florida
#14New Post! Jan 11, 2008 @ 15:39:43
@buffalobill90 Said
What I said in my original post was that the zoo should probably have seperated the cub from its mother on purely financial grounds if they wanted it to be displayed to the public and attract visitors. However, there were no ethical grounds on which to protect the cub. If there were ethical grounds, as I said, then we are bestowing animals with a high moral status which we have a responsibility to defend, regardless of whether animals are in a zoo or in 'the wild' (apparently some magical place where all the rules are different). This would be impractical, and in any case it would be wasteful since the vast majority of animals, including bears, do not merit any moral status.


Yes, actually we DO differentiate between animals in the wild and animals in captivity. Once we've brought them in we are responsibile..right or wrong, bestowing emotions that belong on the animals or not...it's what we do.
Reply to Topic<< Previous Topic | Next Topic >>

1 browsing (0 members - 1 guest)

Quick Reply
Politics Forum - Some Rudeness Allowed

      
Subscribe to topic prefs

Similar Topics
    Forum Topic Last Post Replies Views
New posts   Jokes & Humor
Mon Apr 25, 2011 @ 03:07
1 499
New posts   Jokes & Humor
Fri May 14, 2010 @ 00:34
4 451
New posts   Pics & Videos
Mon Sep 28, 2009 @ 19:56
4 473
New posts   Politics
Sun Oct 05, 2008 @ 03:09
17 1484
New posts   Pets & Animals
Fri Nov 07, 2008 @ 22:06
25 1283