Comment Penguins - Mistreated? (Score 1) 294
I heard the rumor that the penguins were lethargic, unhappy, and being mistreated. So, instead of just going blithely along with rumor, I went to find out for myself.
I spent about 20 minutes talking with the lady about her little friend. Watching the animal's reactions, etc. The penguin was fine. Perhaps not as happy as she would have been, being at home with her mate, but she was alert and friendly.
She (the penguin) was born and raised in captivity. Her handler has been her only owner, and she was very affentionate with her handler, preening her while we were standing there. The penguin (I think her name was Lucy) is about 12 years old, and is one of 6 penguins that the lady takes care of. She takes the penguins to educational talks, and the like, so the animals are well used to the crowd. Lucy was quite OK with various strangers reaching out and petting her.
Now, when you think an animal is frightened or unhappy, you can look for body language that is very similar to a human's. Lucy evidenced no signs of unease. She was not shaking, cringing, crying out or poking at all the people around her. She was snuggled into her handler's arms, and preening her. Lucy's feathers were not mangy, broken, or dirty, nor were there any missing patches of feathers from the 'stress.' She was very alert, and comfortable.
Yeah, there are reasons to leave animals in the wild. However, there are also advantages to captivity. Lucy (and her pals at home) should live to be 25-30 years old. The same can't be said for her wild cousins. She has a safe, stable home. A concrete house all to herself, with a beachj and water? Who wouldn't go for that?
I appreciated the experience. From my observations, the animal was well treated and loved. I see nothing wrong here.
I spent about 20 minutes talking with the lady about her little friend. Watching the animal's reactions, etc. The penguin was fine. Perhaps not as happy as she would have been, being at home with her mate, but she was alert and friendly.
She (the penguin) was born and raised in captivity. Her handler has been her only owner, and she was very affentionate with her handler, preening her while we were standing there. The penguin (I think her name was Lucy) is about 12 years old, and is one of 6 penguins that the lady takes care of. She takes the penguins to educational talks, and the like, so the animals are well used to the crowd. Lucy was quite OK with various strangers reaching out and petting her.
Now, when you think an animal is frightened or unhappy, you can look for body language that is very similar to a human's. Lucy evidenced no signs of unease. She was not shaking, cringing, crying out or poking at all the people around her. She was snuggled into her handler's arms, and preening her. Lucy's feathers were not mangy, broken, or dirty, nor were there any missing patches of feathers from the 'stress.' She was very alert, and comfortable.
Yeah, there are reasons to leave animals in the wild. However, there are also advantages to captivity. Lucy (and her pals at home) should live to be 25-30 years old. The same can't be said for her wild cousins. She has a safe, stable home. A concrete house all to herself, with a beachj and water? Who wouldn't go for that?
I appreciated the experience. From my observations, the animal was well treated and loved. I see nothing wrong here.
