Monday, November 17, 2008

Saving the Ants

Activists antsy at ant farm
Sunday Star Times Sunday, 16 November 2008

FORGET BATTERY hens and factory farmed pigs, animal rights activists have turned their attentions to the plight of the humble ant.

They are worried that a new space-age ant farm being marketed here as an ideal gift for children will leave its tiny inhabitants feeling blue and misunderstood.

Save Animals From Exploitation wants the ant farm sold for $36.95 at upmarket Christchurch department store Ballantynes and Nature Discoveries stores around the country withdrawn from sale.

The clear tank allows children to watch ants as they live, work and tunnel their way through a luminous blue gel, apparently based on a Nasa space shuttle experiment.

Its manufacturer claims the gel is nutritious and non-toxic for ants, but Safe is concerned the toy is "anti-educational'' and does not teach children to respect animals in their natural environment. Read More

The Humane Society of the United States Senior Scholar Michael W. Fox was once quoted as saying “The life of an ant and that of my child should be granted equal consideration.” Apparently some animal rights advocates have taken that to heart and are protesting the sale of ant farms for kids. This may be one of the most frustrating things about the whole animal rights versus agriculture fight. They are worried about the feelings of an ant and we are trying to sustain life by feeding the world, yet we look like the bad guys.

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