Letter from Jenny Moxham About Petting Some Animals and Eating Others - 19 Oct 2009
To the Sydney Morning Herald Editorial page
It's a short hop from humane to hypocrisy
Paul Sheehan is correct. Where animals are concerned most humans are incredibly inconsistent and our condemnation of the Japanese for killing whales while slaughtering kangaroos is a glaring example - but so is our everyday behavior. We pamper our dogs and cats, yet happily tuck into equally loveable, intelligent and sensitive pigs and lambs. Those who have ''pet'' birds have no qualms about munching on other birds, particularly chickens. People who have ''pet'' fish happily consume other members of the fish family. On World Animal Day a local church held a blessing of pet animals followed, incredibly, by the barbecuing of ''non-pet'' animals.
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