Shall we follow the Danes?

I agree, David49. There have been concerns that some of these animals may bring in diseases which are not part of the British disease landscape. There are also a lot of behavioural issues with these animals who have led a very different life before they get here.

I’m not going to comment on the way UK charities treat rescue animals Im sure they do their best.
I am going to say the import of rescue animals, dog, donkeys or whatever should be banned, we have enoug( of our own problems.

Yes, Gillycat, I volunteer for 2 dog rescue charities and have done for years. I don't doubt that there are thousands of staff and volunteers who are hard working and well meaning but the fact remains that the RSPCA have failed to rescue many animals I have known about even though they are not being cared for and would starve to death if kindly neighbours/pet lovers didn't step in. In the past, despite my record for caring for animals, suitable accommodation, fenced garden, at home most days, etc, I have applied to rescue from the RSPCA and not received any acknowledgment at all from our local centre.

I don't blame the workers, I blame the top management and policies which decide where they use their funds.

Incidentally, I don't read the Daily Mail!

It is laughable though, that idea that if people stopped eating meat there would be cows, sheep and pigs and chickens roaming the towns and cities in packs.
They are bred in the first place because people eat them,🤦‍♀️

The RSPCA only euthanise if a vet says so. Injured wildlife do not have good outcomes in captivity so they are often PTS. That happens with all reputable wildlife rescues. Don’t believe everything the Daily Mail says , nor base it on one experience. I’ve been involved in animal welfare for 36 years so I do know what I’m talking about. It’s also really disingenuous to say such awful things when thousands of RSPCA staff and volunteers work very hard for the animals. They are a charity and cannot be everywhere 24/7. Blame the abusers! Animals are bred specifically for food so we wouldn’t have thousands of farm animals needing care. They are literally bred to be slaughtered. And badly at that. Pigs suffer really badly, they’re lowered into a gas chamber. It’s a slow painful death (especially if it’s not Farm Assured). I might add that dogs are killed every day in this country because there is nowhere for them to go. 7 days in pounds and that’s it for them. I’d hope all those criticising are volunteers for rescues, eg fosterers, fundraisers etc. Not people that think that someone else should be responsible for unwanted animals and actually don’t do anything to help other than pass the problem on to others.

icanhandthemback I can second that.In our tiny cul de sac for the past week, 5 separate households have been jointly looking after a large dog after the mentally unstable owner just upped and left her with no food in the house.
They all clubbed together and bought essentials, new harness and toys.
Repeated calls to the RSPCA failed to elicit any action and all of the animal rescue centres in and around this area were full too or had only one or two spaces reserved for more dire emergencies.
Thankfully someone suitable has stepped up and she will be happy now.

Gillycats

No, the RSPCA do not euthanise animals on a regular basis at all! That’s almost as silly as the OP saying veganism is a doctrine and that we vegans don’t want animals!

Sorry Gillycats but sadly they do and the public are just unaware. The RSPCA avoid acting as often as possible in the rescuing of animals even when people ring up to say that a dog has been abandoned in a home without food and water. I see their inaction all the time and that is why I will involve myself more in smaller rescue charities. The RSPCA is no longer the "rescue" charity they used to be.
As for Vegans not wanting animals, I don't believe that but the reality is that if people stop using animals for food, nobody will keep them because they are too expensive to keep as pets.

The RSPCA is the worst animal charity for putting unwanted animals to sleep.
I once took a lovely gentle stray cat there and they said bluntly that it would likely not find a home and would be put down.
A small dog once followed DP home and was very clingy with us, we rang round all the vets and put up notices locally but nobody claimed him so after a couple of weeks asked the RSPCA if they would find him a home.They said much the same to DP about him, that if he wasn’t a puppy ( he wasn’t) because of the huge number of animals needing rehoming he would likely be PTS.
We kept him.

Gillycats

No, the RSPCA do not euthanise animals on a regular basis at all! That’s almost as silly as the OP saying veganism is a doctrine and that we vegans don’t want animals!

Yes, they do.

<https://www.rspca.org.uk/whatwedo/care/rehabilitation/euthanasia>

Gillycats

No, the RSPCA do not euthanise animals on a regular basis at all! That’s almost as silly as the OP saying veganism is a doctrine and that we vegans don’t want animals!

I was told that years ago that they do and have been suspicious of them ever since albeit having no proof either way.

Scribbles

I would like to know more about just how the donated animals will be "gently euthanised". Presumably, the zoo management will not want their carnivores eating meat that's loaded with barbiturates.

Gas, or for larger animals like horses, a captive bolt.

No, the RSPCA do not euthanise animals on a regular basis at all! That’s almost as silly as the OP saying veganism is a doctrine and that we vegans don’t want animals!

The RSPCA euthanise healthy animals on a regular basis. We effectively do the same for our meat. If you have to kill an animal, I would prefer it to be used for something useful like food than wasted. We could never rehome our cockerels so they were used for animal food. Just because cats, dogs, etc are pets, it doesn't mean they can't be useful as meat.
That said, they are not having my dog or cats. They will die of old age or ill health so wouldn't make a good meal for anyone!

SillyNanny321

Having had to part with many pets at the end of their lives & feeling the sadness that accompanies this I am disgusted by the thought of a predatory animal eating any of my pets! Yes they may need food but not like this as how many animals are taken from the streets for this purpose? Stray dogs & cats, foxes, feral cats, cats allowed out & never coming home, rats, mice & other little wild animals would be taken without anyones knowledge. Sorry people but this is sickening when I think of my little girl cat that I had to let go a while back! Thank the Gods this did not happen to her!

My dearly beloved cat died of old age many years ago and my husband buried her in a old green polyester pillowcase. 2 days later I found a hole where she had been interred and an empty green polyester pillowcase! Badgers.

butterandjam

Mollygo

Re the OP I wonder how much greater the outcry would be if this was seen as a solution to all the unwanted dogs and cats?

Try it another way; XL bullies could all be used to feed rare tigers.

Brilliant idea, include their owners too though.

Sounds like a wonderful idea. I have some peacocks for starters!!

loopyloo

Isn't the drug used to euthanize still in the body of the animal. Would that not affect the animal eating it?

I was thinking that, too. I don't see how they can euthanise the animals using drugs.

rafichagran

I am not sentimental about animals, but I would not engage in this.
It would also encourage stupid feckless people who buy animals, realise they need looking after and then go for the easy option of handing them to the zoo to be euthanized rather than looking for a good home for them.

You could well be right. The animal care centre where I help out (only in the cafe, or exercising dogs) is often overwhelmed with unprepared for gifts or dogs, “Do you know how much kennels cost when we go on holiday?”

Isn't the drug used to euthanize still in the body of the animal. Would that not affect the animal eating it?

Allira

MayBee70

Desdemona

Do away with Zoos. Anyone keen enough will go and look at animals in the wild perhaps.

Many species are becoming extinct in the wild. The breeding programmes that zoos pursue are the last hope for some of them. And in this country they no longer keep them in unsuitable enclosures.

I agree, Maybee but not all zoos do this and some of the animals at this particular zoo are not endangered, although this zoo does participate in breeding programmes for endangered species.

I can understand trying to get zoo-bred animals prepared for the wild could involve encouraging them to hunt for live prey, but pets such as dogs, cats, horses?
That would not seem to be a good idea, they need to learn to hunt for wild animals, not pets. .

The danish zoo is NOT feeding live animals to carnivores. The donated pets are humanely euthenased first. They are all pets that were going to be put down anyway.

I am not sentimental about animals, but I would not engage in this.
It would also encourage stupid feckless people who buy animals, realise they need looking after and then go for the easy option of handing them to the zoo to be euthanized rather than looking for a good home for them.

MayBee70

There was a Scandinavian Zoo a few years ago that lost a giraffe and did an autopsy of it in front of school children which was quite controversial.

We dissected a rabbit in a school biology class, nobody fainted or became distressed, in fact most were very keen to learn.
On holiday in Equador we visited a typical family home who prepared lunch for us, Guinea Pig was on the menu we all tried some (no vegans) it’s rather like rabbit.

As for sending pet cats or dogs to the zoo to feed animals I really don’t think it will catch on in the UK

Mollygrow - maybe we could send murderers, rapists & violent criminals instead :-)

Was on newsthis morning.The thought turns my stomach.. What type of person would actually do this? Beggars belief

There was a Scandinavian Zoo a few years ago that lost a giraffe and did an autopsy of it in front of school children which was quite controversial.