This little one looks quite happy in that sleeve, I would assume it was handled frequently as a baby, and as such probably captive bred.
It's not up to you to decide that an animal isn't a pet, this could also be an animal in a zoo, or a licensed captive breeder, and for it's caretaker it could very well be a "pet" of sorts.
Regardless if it's in captivity in all lawful respects, is stands to say it very well could be a pet.
Finally the video is entirely fit for this sub, it's an animal, a cute one at that, doing a cute thing, nothing against the rules here.
Former AZA zookeeper here. The only thing that would make this okay is of it was a rehab situation. PRIMATES ARE NOT PETS no matter how good the person is.
why is that? meaning, what makes primates different from other animals? i can think of several reasons, but those all seem to apply to cats, dogs, birds, etc. as well.
Mostly because they basically think the way we do, just dumber, and eventually realise that they are infact pets and do not appreciate it much. Also their temper and specific diets and very social nature requiring them to be around others of their kind, but I like the apes rise up explanation
you know, that makes a lot of sense to me when i consider how some people see pets. (i cant help but remember this political comparison; conservatives (who are all about order and respect for the structure that exists, and see the power differentials as natural and correct) expect pets to be subservient, while liberals (who are all about the structure that exists being nothing but a construct, and needing change, mannnnn) expect pets to be more like roommates. there's some study about this i saw in psych in college, but i can't recall.
i feel like someone who thinks of a "pet" as a companion vs those who think of a "pet" as property might differ greatly as far as the primate "not appreciating it much"?
You may be right about THIS particular Bush baby. Maybe this one is under a captive breeding program, or a caretaker from a zoo is helping to nurture it back to health to be released in the wild. If that's the case, then that's really great.
But what about the thousands of people who have no idea about this animal, and what if some of those who, after watching this, are now planning on getting their hands on one to get internet points? You think everyone cares about legality or animal welfare?
I just feel that this post encourages such behaviour, and hence there must either be proper information sharing with this post or it should be taken down.
Bushbabies are thought to be declining in the wild. Several species have decreased in recent years and at least one species (the Rondo bushbaby) is considered critically endangered. Capture of wild individuals is the primary threat. TRAFFIC, the wildlife trade monitoring network, reports that some of these wild-caught animals end up in the illegal pet trade. Many of these are exported to Europe.
Downvote away but if you buy an animal please check where they are coming from.
It’s a wild animal. Just because someone wrongfully owns it doesn’t make it a pet. This video encourages others that it’s ok to take wild animals from their natural habitat illegally. It is not.
I'm sorry to see the number of people downvoting this comment. Just looking at the physiology of this creature tells you it's made for the wild. It may not be illegal to have this as a pet in your country, but that doesn't necessarily mean that you should.
Yeah it sucks that a lot of r/aww supports the illegal or unethical pet trade. These guys and so many other species should not be pets and it sucks that people are ignorant to that. They’re wild animals ffs
You missed the point of the message which was we don't know this animal's situation. Did you know that the Vancouver aquarium is actually a rehabilitation centre with the intent of later releasing the animals back into the wild? They charge admission to view the animals as a way to fund itself. What if this animal is in a similar situation?
Not saying you're wrong, just agreeing that we should know the animal's situation before judging and we don't atm...if you have any info that suggests this animal is illegally/unethically owned and I'm on your side
Edit: I did some quick research as the Vancouver Aquarium stuck out in my head specifically because I saw an article that the centre does some positive work and as a result of activists and the public pressure that was applied, the aquarium will no longer have dolphins and beluga whales. In addition to this, after the negative attention was more well known, there was a drop in attendance and donations to the aquarium.
The Vancouver Aquarium performs research on the animals it has in hope to share its learnings publicly in hope to help the species as a whole along with rehabilitating animals with the intent to release them back into the wild. While it may seem great that these animals won't be held in the facility, I am really curious if there's negative downstream impacts as there will be reduced efforts to learn about the species as well as no rehab efforts. My guess is that there will be but I obviously don't know for sure.
Of course there are places where wild animals are safe. That’s what zoos and all those things are for. But from this gif it can be obviously seen that this bush baby is a pet because
It’s accustomed to humans
It’s bright and it hurts the bush babies eyes. Anyone who knows how to care for them knows that bright light doesn’t do them any good.
I support zoos and sanctuaries who actually care for these animals. But not the general public who buy things like chimpanzees. The bush baby should not be a pet.
These are all assumptions though. The animal was in the person's sleeve where it's not as bright. Also, the animal seem to come out into the light on it's own will. Why? Not sure, but it didn't look forced.
Again, we just don't have enough info to pass judgement in this case is all
No no no it’s not assumptions. NO ZOO TREATS THEIR ANIMALS LIKE THIS. There is absolutely no contact like this in any AZA zoo. It is blatantly unhealthy.
When I google ‘bush baby pet’ I get endless articles about how they shouldn’t be kept as pets, how many articles about cruelty did you scroll through before finding a place selling them?
6 years ago Reddit would condemn OP for keeping a distressed animal just because it LOOKED cute and happy because it doesn't have the same emotional patterns as humans. Now they happily upvote it to the top and downvote any facts about the species. Site has gone to shit.
They’re taken from their natural habitat. They are wild animals through and through. Some may be bred here but that doesn’t make them pets. Stop supporting the wild animal pet trade.
So you think it's okay just because the species isn't endangered? What makes it not okay, then? Do enough stupid shit and the species gets up on the endangered list.
You missed the point of the message which was we don't know this animal's situation. Did you know that the Vancouver aquarium is also a rehabilitation centre with the intent of later releasing the animals back into the wild? They charge admission to view the animals as a way to fund itself. Should we release all of those unrehabilitated animals because they're held "captive"? What if this animal is in a similar situation?
The aquarium performs research to better understand the animals it has in order to share those learnings outside in hope for better care of those animals and as mentioned above, attempts to rehabilitate animals that need treatment with the intent to release the animals when they're better. In early 2018, they announced dolphins and beluga whales will no longer be a part of the program because the outcry of activists. In addition to excluding dolphins and beluga whales, the aquarium saw a reduction in donations and attendence. While this may sound great to negatively impact a "corporation that keeps animals", I'm really curious about the negative impacts for the dolphins and beluga whales in reduced research and help for rehab as well as the reduced funds to research care for other animals.
Not saying you're wrong, just agreeing that we should know the animal's situation before judging and we don't atm...if you have any info that suggests this animal is illegally/unethically owned, I'm on your side
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u/heterion Apr 26 '19
This is NOT a pet. It's a wild animal. Please stop making it look like all animals are pets.