A Survey Regarding Animals ..

For my Animals in Australian Society course at Uni, we have an upcoming workshop where we need to put forth various attitudes (and reasons for said attitudes) regarding certain aspects of animals in Australia (and obviously our interaction with those animals).

I've been given a survey as a means to collect this information, and as opposed to hassling people of my choice to fill it out .. I'm posting it here for anyone who is interested in this topic to voice their opinion.

This topic may possibly spark debate, or merely give you a chance to think and formulate an opinion - either way I think this is a more efficient way for me to gather information for my workshop

Thank you in advance for any participation you offer up

The survey is as follows:

For each of the following activities, state whether you approve or disapprove of the action; and also give an explanation as to why you feel that way.

1. Experimenting on animals.

2. Driftnet fishing.

3. Keeping animals in captivity.

4. Eating meat.

5. Culling indigenous Australian animals like kangaroos.

6. Treating pets like one of the family.

* EDIT: Apart from your responses, none of your details will be passed on (not even gender, age, etc) .. the workshop focus is purely on attitudes, not on demographic information of those giving their attitudes

1. Experimenting on animals- agree & disagree, agree with testing for things like cures for cancer etc but disagree with testing for things like makeup- i dont feel its necessary to put animals through pain unless it is for the cure for something life threatening to humans

2. Driftnet fishing- agree, the only downside being that they tend to catch other creatures in their nets. it is more humane for the fish though- no hooks

3. Keeping animals in captivity- disagree, i feel that animals should be shown at least some for of respect. keeping them in small confined areas couldnt possibly be comfortable for them

4. Eating meat- agree, although i raise & slaughter my own meat. abbatoirs have a bad reputation for being cruel when it comes to slaughtering.

5. Culling indigenous Australian animals like kangaroos- disagree, they are our native animals & while some people do kill them to eat them this is generally not the main reason for culling. therefore in my opinion it is unnecessary

6. Treating pets like one of the family- agree, my animals are part of my family. most pets will live to be 10 or more years old, they are a part of your everyday life & do become part of your family. you are responsible for them just like you would be of a child

1. Experimenting on animals.
I dont approve of it because animals are a living thing as well.

2. Driftnet fishing.
I'm not sure what this is but it doesnt sound too good if our oceanic stockand resouces are depleting because of this practice.

3. Keeping animals in captivity.
Some animals need to be kept in captivity because of the rate that they're decreasin. For example Pandas: sometimes twins are born and the mother tends to neglect one of them and leave it to fend for itself. Thats one good side of captivity.

4. Eating meat.
Nothing wrong with it. I just dont like what happens in some Asian countries where they feed on common domestic household pets and exotic animals. Wrongs I tell ya.

5. Culling indigenous Australian animals like kangaroos.
If theres an overpopulation of them and they're threatening natural resources and vegetation than I'm for it.

6. Treating pets like one of the family.
I approve. I had a little Yorky that I really loved. It really was one of the family and I was so sad when we had to put it down

1. Experimenting on animals.
wrong they might as well chuck themselves on the chopping bloke as even though the are animals they wouldn't agree to it

2. Driftnet fishing.

i am not 100% on what that is

3. Keeping animals in captivity.

it can be ok depending on the circumstances if endangered yes because someone will just go out and kill it any ways


4. Eating meat.

man i feel bad after stating itsa wrong to test on animals yet ok to eat them
buti enjoy my beef they were bread that way and kept in the worst areas you might as well put them out of there missery

5. Culling indigenous Australian animals like kangaroos.

not good why would any one want to kill and eat there native animals it symbolises australia

6. Treating pets like one of the family.

i do it my self i love but not to much like a human but they are my babies

1. Experimenting on animals.
I think, while experimenting on animals is not the most humane of practices it is a necicary part of the scientific process. Without animals to test on the pioneering of products such as medicines and other medical procedures would be severely impeeded to the point where some advances would not even be considered an option. In this situation we have to take a utilitarian outlook, the greatest good for the greatest many, people. I do not agree with makeup companies et. al. undertaking animal experiments.

2. Driftnet fishing.
A very greedy and wastefull method for catching fish, i would consider it comparable to open pit mineing when it comes to environmental damage.
3. Keeping animals in captivity.

I do not have a problem with keeping animals in captivity when they are kept in environments such as monarto zoo, where they have a free range of a large area resembling their natural habitats. with this said the idea of the conventional zoo, ie small enclosures/bars is abusive, especialy when we were keeping animals like polar bears in an arid hot environment like adelaide zoo.

4. Eating meat.
Humans were designed to be an omnivorous creature and thus eating meat is esential to providing neutriants and minerals not eailsy provided in the rest of our diets On top of that it tastes fantastic!

5. Culling indigenous Australian animals like kangaroos.
Culling of native animals is not a problem as long as it is being done for the right reasons, for example the koalas being culled on kangaroo island so they dont eat themselves out of a habitat and all die from starvation (now theres a good tourism postcard, 1000 emancipated koalas starving to death). culling is a much more cost effective option then say sterilisation which costs easily 100 times as much.
6. Treating pets like one of the family.

I treat my cat like a little sister, this is because i have grown up with it from an early age and with is being an indoor only cat it craves the interaction with the other family memebers. thus she intereacts with us much like a family memeber and is treated like one.

when do you need it by?? i'll do it when i have a bit more time

1. Experimenting on animals.
Animals should not be put through pain of any description, but if it isn't going to hurt them i have no objection


2. Driftnet fishing.
No problems - fish is tasty

3. Keeping animals in captivity.
If animals enclsures are appropriate and the animals are looked after and treated well, then i see no problem

4. Eating meat.
Love it! Yes! Meat is awesome! I pity the animals that had to be sacrificed to create the food i eat, but that wont stop me. Meat is fine.

5. Culling indigenous Australian animals like kangaroos.
Culling for appropriate reasons (over population etc.) can be fine, but unecassary is outta hte question. I always have the thought that theres gotta be another way though. I'd say no.

6. Treating pets like one of the family.
Personally I don't like seeing eye to eye with an animal. I prefer to look over a pet, so i am against a pet being a member of the family. That doesnt mean it cant be loved and treated well though.

Next Tuesday

I've already filled the "quota" with the amount of replies + my own which I will post shortly .. but the more info the better, it'll make for good discussion in class

1. Experimenting on animals.
NO: Animals cant say no.. so have no choice. Should be tested on willing humans who get paid lotsa money for it

2. Driftnet fishing.
NO: This is like a baby sticking a water pump on its mothers nipple! RESOURCES WILL RUN OUT. Fish should be farmed in a controled maner, not in the sea)

3. Keeping animals in captivity.
NO: No cages, open artificial envoriments are accaptable as long as the animal was never born in the wild. Taking an animal from the wild and putting it in the zoo makes GAFFiO sad

4. Eating meat.
YES: Humans were built to eat meat. we are animals after all. But we shouldnt take animals from the wild to eat, they should be farmed in a humain way (NO CAGES)

5. Culling indigenous Australian animals like kangaroos.
MAYBE: I guess if it needs to be done it needs to be done.. But there needs to be very good research into it.. and they need to be killed quickly and painlessly

6. Treating pets like one of the family.
YES: Any animal can be a friend, but any animal that will put its own life on the line to keep me safe - without question - deserves to be classed as family.

I love animals sooooooooo much
(and that includes most of you anthemites)

1. Experimenting on animals.
That's insanely cruel. Putting ears on a mouse's back etc. Scientists are horrible.

2. Driftnet fishing.
No because dolphins and other fish can get caught in there.

3. Keeping animals in captivity.
As long as they have a lot of room to move around in and are fed nicely, it's okay. Some of the animals at the Cuddly Creek wildlife park are being treated horribly. There's a puma in a tiny cage :/

4. Eating meat.
I eat meat.

5. Culling indigenous Australian animals like kangaroos.
That's horrible.

6. Treating pets like one of the family.
Definately. My mum's dog is practically her lover ;p

1. Absolutley Disagree, if we test on animals for things why wont the government then let the scientists do stem cell research to benefit us!!!

2. Should be banned, it kills way to many other animals.

3. keeping them in capivity is wrong, free range is friendlier.

4. it depands on your beliefs, but i dont see anything wrong with it.

5. Culling can be good for the farmers my unlce owns a cow farm and the Roo's attack his cows. but i think there should be guidelines of how many and how often they are culled

6. should not be done then you end up with spoilt kids and pets, but at the same time we should also respect our pets and not miss treat them.

1. Experimenting on animals... .do not agree its crul ,test on life time prisnors not helpless animals

2. Driftnet fishing.... agree fish is yummy

3. Keeping animals in captivity.. ...agree an disagree it saves most animals but som should be left in there homes

4. Eating meat... agree with out meat our brains would not have grown

5. Culling indigenous Australian animals like kangaroos....disagree thats just wrong ppl have over populated should we cull them huh huh

6. Treating pets like one of the family.... agree my cat owns this dam house not me lol