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03/20/2007: "Stupid Activist Tricks"

I respect anyone who believes so strongly in something that they are willing to take action on their beliefs, even if I personally disagree with those beliefs. Activism in any form is an admirable trait in humans - the willingness to put something ahead of our own self-interests being a big part of what sets us apart from other species.

That said, I have to scratch my head in wonder at some of the positions that are periodically taken my activists. When I see someone sit in a tree for a year to prevent it being cut down, or chain themselves together and allow themselves to be dragged off to jail, I can't help but ask if they fully thought out the ramifications of their actions on their own lives.

Recently, a pair of polar bear cubs in a German zoo were abandoned by their mother and left to starve. One cub in fact did die, so the zookeepers stepped in and began to feed and care for the remaining cub themselves. The public has adopted the little white ball of fur named Knut, referred to in the media as "Cute Knut".

Animal activists, who are understandably concerned about the plight of polar bears in the wild, had a strong opinion regarding the cub - but maybe not the opinion you would expect.

"Feeding by hand is not species-appropriate but a gross violation of animal protection laws," animal rights activist Frank Albrecht was quoted as saying by the mass-circulation Bild daily, which has featured regular photo spreads tracking fuzzy Knut's frolicking.

"The zoo must kill the bear."

WTF???? Kill the bear?? This coming from the same kind of folks who break into research labs to "liberate" the test animals and throw blood on women with fur coats. Talk about your mixed messages ...

I might understand their concern if this was a wild animal, and the intention was to try and return it to the wild - although, there are many successful programs that do just that. But this is a zoo bear - it's purpose in life was going to be to educate the public and hopefully teach them to respect the bears in the wild. I'm betting images of Knut rolling around on webcams worldwide will do a hell of a lot more for the plight of the polar bear than the rantings of idiots like Albrecht.

I guess this is what happens if you don't get enough meat in your diet ...