Animal Rights: I had no idea

[madakri]

Hello everyone, "I would like to begin by apologizing if in any way shape or form this thread offends or saddens anyone".

I live in Miami Florida, where we have many different nationalities/cultures and are actually extremely over populated.

Any where you go in Dade County you have a wide variety of businesses owned by mostly Hispanics and non native Americans.

At I first, when got my GP's and became a member of this site and was educated on the variety of vegetables I needed to feed my GP's, I was purchasing most of the veggies from this mobile produce person.
He came to my home the first time and then I would meet him down the road where he delivered produce to this Peruvian restaurant.

After buying from him the second time, he says to me, "would you let me have a pair of your GP's, I like them so much", Ofcourse my answer was no.

Picking up my third order, the restuarant cook asked me what kind of pets I had that I fed these veggies too.
After telling her they were GP's, which she had no idea what I was talking about and had to go into describing what they look like, She say's, " oh yes, in my country they're called "CUI" and these animals were a huge item in their menu and in her country".

I was in complete awe.

I never bought from this man ever again nor do I even go pass this restaurant anymore.

On another occurrence, the lady that has been doing my facials for the past 15 years, also Peruvian, tells me the same thing.

I cannot criticize people for their believes and cultures, however I did tell her that for the sake of our frienship and to keep me as client I would like her to promise me to stop eating these animals.
She sympathized with me, as she knows I'm a huge animal lover and agreed to my conditions.

I also recently found out that GP's are massed produced in a pet store in California and fed to large snakes.

Question: Isn't there a law that protects these animals and what can we do to protect them and/or somehow stop this type of animal cruelty?

Any suggestions/advice would be highly appreciated.

Thank you.

[AnimalHouse36]

I don't understand how eating CUI is any different from chowing down on a hamburger.

Or how eating dog, is any different from eating pig which are just as smart as a dog.

Killing for food is not animal cruelty. If you would like so see animal cruelty, I would suggest you go to a slaguhter house. First, you have to fight for a law for "food" before we can even begin to protect other animals that are used for food.

[Amsley246]

I sympathize with you, but I also agree with AnimalHouse. I do believe I read or watched somewhere that do in South America, Guinea Pigs are a huge farming down there just like we do with cattle. It's the norm for them I guess. My Idiotic cousin thought one day it would be funny to show me some picutres on the internet of cooked guinea pigs (right after I got my first one, Pixie). I was furious naturally, but they eat them just like...chicken? I'm not in anyway trying to make fun of that, but it's the way they are. It's their culture and way of doing things and we have ours. We're different but who's to say one or the other is wrong? It's not really fair to them that your threatening your relationship with them because of something they do cultural wise. You may also do something in your everyday life that offends them as well. I live in a very mixed culture family (having both parents and step-parents coming from all over the world). I grew up learning from them and things I or they do is normal to me.

[madakri]

Originally Posted by Amsley246

My Idiotic cousin thought one day it would be funny to show me some picutres on the internet of cooked guinea pigs (right after I got my first one, Pixie). I was furious naturally, but they eat them just like...chicken?

It's not really fair to them that your threatening your relationship with them because of something they do.

A couple of days ago my oldest son was discussing with me the many different cultures that eat GP's.
That night I had terrible nightmares that my Gp's were being eating.

Like I stated before, I do not criticize people for their cultures, but I cannot help this make ne feel very sad.

However, I "can" choose not to interact with people that have different believes than me and without any consideration at all, talk about eating GP's in front of me like I'm not there.

[Paula]

The fact that we love and cherish them as companion animals doesn't mean that people in other countries and cultures have to as well. They are a huge foodsource in South American countries, as beef and pork are here. People in some countries worship cows and find it repulsive that we eat them. Other cultures eat dog, which we find hideous. It's a difference of beliefs and cultures, that's all.

Honestly, I think it's far worse that cows and chickens and buffalo are a central food source here, in this country, when WE have so many other options as food that don't involve killing and consuming a living, sentient being. Folks in impoverished countries eating guinea pigs because they have few other options, in my view, is much more of a necessity, and far less of an atrocity, than people in this country of abundance mass producing and eating animals when we have so many other sources of food.

[Ly&Pigs]

It's actually called CUY.

[fieryone]

It's a different culture and a different food source. I agree with your outrage since they are pets to us, but like Paula pointed out, there are countries that eat dogs and think that us eating cows or pigs is just as awful. There is a market in my town that sells guinea pigs in the meat aisle. It's a horrible thought for me, but it's in a Hispanic neighborhood that caters to folks who eat GP's as a "normal" food source.

[blackarrow]

Originally Posted by madakri

Like I stated before, I do not criticize people for their cultures, but I cannot help this make ne feel very sad.

However, I "can" choose not to interact with people that have different believes than me and without any consideration at all, talk about eating GP's in front of me like I'm not there.

Sure you "can," but if you care about whether you are being fair, I hope you'll reconsider. Are you a vegetarian? If not, would you be OK if a customer of yours who had a chicken as a pet told you that you had to promise to stop eating chicken? Would it make sense for someone who had an aquarium snail to shun people who talked about eating escargot?

I think it's going beyond looking for consideration to expect someone to pretend that a major food source in their culture isn't a major food source in their culture. If that person was inviting you over to eat guinea pig when they knew you kept one as a pet, I'd be on your side on this. As it is, I think you're asking for more than you're entitled from a woman that gives you facials.

[madakri]

Originally Posted by Ly&Pigs

It's actually called CUY.

Yes, thanks. I really can't spell very well neither in English nor Spanish.

A lot of times when I'm posting, I have to have "Word" open so that I can double check myself.

Hopefully I'm not the only one that does this.

[madakri]

Originally Posted by blackarrow

Sure you "can," but if you care about whether you are being fair, I hope you'll reconsider. Are you a vegetarian? If not, would you be OK if a customer of yours who had a chicken as a pet told you that you had to promise to stop eating chicken? Would it make sense for someone who had an aquarium snail to shun people who talked about eating escargot?

I think it's going beyond looking for consideration to expect someone to pretend that a major food source in their culture isn't a major food source in their culture. If that person was inviting you over to eat guinea pig when they knew you kept one as a pet, I'd be on your side on this. As it is, I think you're asking for more than you're entitled from a woman that gives you facials.

Yes, I agree with your point and I respect other peoples cultures, but I can't help it make me feel so bad, though.

I don't know if she meant it or not, but she did say that she would respect my believes. Maybe what she meant was that she would not mention it anymore around me.
And see, that's ok.

But on the other hand, the produce man wanted me to give him a pair, so that he could mass produce them and sell them to this restaurant.
Now, you have to agree with me, that was very rude and inconsiderate, specially after he came to my home and I introduced him to my piggies like they were my children.
As a matter of fact, now that I recall, I "did not" introduce him to my son; I totally forgot!!

[Amsley246]

I learned in Social Studies back in Grade 5 that in India, they consider Cows Sacred Animals. Funny how big a change it is when you puddle jump to North America, where some of us (too many of us) pass them off as nothing more then a burger. You have all the free will in the world not to socialize with those people anymore, no one is holding you back from that, it's your choice. But like blackarrow said, if you didn't socialize with people you know becuase they did something you didn't like or agree with, then it's a lonely life. Just about everyone in my family goes hunting. I hate that they do that, but if I avoided them and stopped speaking to them because of it, then I don't have any family. There are different ways to go about things. I mean that in the most respectful way possible.

[madakri]

Originally Posted by Amsley246

I learned in Social Studies back in Grade 5 that in India, they consider Cows Sacred Animals. Funny how big a change it is when you puddle jump to North America, where some of us (too many of us) pass them off as nothing more then a burger. You have all the free will in the world not to socialize with those people anymore, no one is holding you back from that, it's your choice. But like blackarrow said, if you didn't socialize with people you know becuase they did something you didn't like or agree with, then it's a lonely life. Just about everyone in my family goes hunting. I hate that they do that, but if I avoided them and stopped speaking to them because of it, then I don't have any family. There are different ways to go about things. I mean that in the most respectful way possible.

This is true, most of my adult working life, I've worked with mostly men and a lot of them hunt.
However, they know how I feel about animals, so they respect my bilieves and when I enter the room, if the topic is hunting, they change the topic. I always appreciate that and thank them for understanding.

My children are mostly the same way. Last week my little boy begged me to take him out of school early because in one of his classes they were watching the movie "8 Bellow". The first time we watched this movie, he cried for days and he still can't watch any type of movies that involve any type of injury or that sort of things towards animals, specially dogs.

My oldest son, rescued a regular garden lizzard once that got cought in a mouse sticky trap (not ours). It took him about 2 two hours to do this with a pair of tweezers and the lizzard lost part of it's tail, but servived.

[blackarrow]

Originally Posted by madakri

But on the other hand, the produce man wanted me to give him a pair, so that he could mass produce them and sell them to this restaurant.
Now, you have to agree with me, that was very rude and inconsiderate, specially after he came to my home and I introduced him to my piggies like they were my children.
As a matter of fact, now that I recall, I "did not" introduce him to my son; I totally forgot!!

First of all, thanks for taking my post in the spirit in which it was meant. (And it's too funny that you introduced your piggies but not your son!) But I personally would not be angry at him if it were me he was asking about being willing to let him have a pair, if he wasn't deceptive in any way about why he wanted them (and it doesn't appear that he was being deceptive).

Case in point. I had ducks as pets from time to time growing up, and they make awesome pets, but it doesn't bother me that people (including me) eat duck. There's no way I'd have eaten my own duck, but I grew up in farm country and kids in 4-H regularly raised animals that were then sold to grocery stores or slaughtered for the family's consumption. In some way I do understand that as well, and think in some ways that maybe it's appropriate that people not distance themselves psychologically from what it is they're eating to the degree it's possible if, say, you've never seen the cute baby animal that is "lamb" and only face "lamb" as a shrink wrapped cut. Hope that makes sense.

[madakri]

Originally Posted by blackarrow

son!) But I personally would not be angry at him if it were me he was asking about being willing to let him have a pair, if he wasn't deceptive in any way about why he wanted them (and it doesn't appear that he was being deceptive).

Oh, he was being deceptive alright. he told me himself he has many animals in his yard nad he admitted that he sells them to the restaurants. He wanted my pigs for mass production to sell.
I don't mind so much that people in other countries eat them, as it is their culture or their need, but he tried to take me for a fool!

After I bought from him the third time and I told him that I would never give him one of my pigs, because I knew exactly why he wanted them for, he stopped calling me to take my weekly order.

I've even seen him once take a male duck from around that restaurant to take home and mate him with his female ducks.

[blackarrow]

Originally Posted by madakri

Oh, he was being deceptive alright. he told me himself he has many animals in his yard nad he admitted that he sells them to the restaurants. He wanted my pigs for mass production to sell.

I must be missing something, because that's exactly what would make me think he wasn't being deceptive - that he admits that he sells them to restaurants. (Mind you, I wouldn't DO it, but I personally wouldn't be offended at someone asking either.)

[madakri]

Originally Posted by blackarrow

I must be missing something, because that's exactly what would make me think he wasn't being deceptive - that he admits that he sells them to restaurants. (Mind you, I wouldn't DO it, but I personally wouldn't be offended at someone asking either.)

You have to exuse me, but yes, he did lie to me at first.

He said, "oh there so cute, I had them in Cuba in large amounts, then Fidel came and said we had to get rid of all of them, so I put them in a bag and threw them out in the forest".

Then I see him over at the restaurant running after these ducks and it was the cook that told me why he wanted the ducks and my pigs.

He wanted to mass produce from my pigs to sell!!

[blackarrow]

Originally Posted by madakri

You have to exuse me, but yes, he did lie to me at first.

He said, "oh there so cute, I had them in Cuba in large amounts, then Fidel came and said we had to get rid of all of them, so I put them in a bag and threw them out in the forest".

Then I see him over at the restaurant running after these ducks and it was the cook that told me why he wanted the ducks and my pigs.

He wanted to mass produce from my pigs to sell!!

I absolutely believe you that he wanted to mass produce from your pigs to sell to restaurants. I'm just wondering if it's possible that you just incorrectly assumed when he said they are cute that he ONLY wanted them as pets, when that's not what he meant at all. It really is possible for people both to think that an animal is cute, and sell its progeny for meat, is what I'm saying - I personally know many, many people who do just that. (Saying he had them in Cuba "in large amounts" suggests to me commercial production, not pet husbandry.)

[CavySpirit]

Assuming people still insisted on eating meat, life on our planet would be infinitely better if everyone who currently eats cows, chickens and pigs switched to guinea pigs.

Better yet, if everyone had to raise their own and kill their own, like MANY do in Peru, it would have far reaching healthy consequences for our planet.

[madakri]

Originally Posted by CavySpirit

Assuming people still insisted on eating meat, life on our planet would be infinitely better if everyone who currently eats cows, chickens and pigs switched to guinea pigs.

Better yet, if everyone had to raise their own and kill their own, like MANY do in Peru, it would have far reaching healthy consequences for our planet.

This is why we should all go "vegetarian".

[katiewilson]

Originally Posted by madakri

A lot of times when I'm posting, I have to have "Word" open so that I can double check myself.

Hopefully I'm not the only one that does this.

You aren't the only one. It'd be downright glorious if MORE people took a second to check their spelling.