第832期:Captivity

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Paul: I mean, I think it's obviously like a special opportunity. It doesn't come around that often to get so close to these tigers. I mean, my main concern would be that whether the tigers are taken care of and how much we should meddle with nature, why we should just allow that kind of animal kingdom to run its course, or we should interfere in that and, you know, put these animals in captivity so that we can touch them, just for our own kind of curiosity. I wonder whether it's a price, you know, I mean, whether it's something we should do morally.

Todd: Yeah, that's true. There is another way to look at it, though, and that is, according to one of the trainers, you know. If the tiger was in the wild, you know, it would have a rough life as well, and you have encroachment, you have poachers. And by having tiger farms like this, they can guarantee the species; they can guarantee that it goes on. Obviously, they want to protect the tigers in the wild, but by having a domestic population as well, that's also beneficial for the long-term health of the species.

Paul: Hm.

Todd: So, I guess, you could kind of look at it that way, but maybe that's faulty logic.

Paul: Yeah. Maybe we're applying kind of human concepts to animals, and it doesn't always -

Todd: Maybe if you asked the tigers, they'd feel differently perhaps.

Paul: I don't know how I'd feel about keeping animals in captivity just for kind of human enjoyment. However, I did spend some time in Australia, and that was working with fruit bats. All of the bats that were held in captivity were actually bats that have been rescued. It's kind of a place where they would be able to have longer lives because they wouldn't have survived due to certain disabilities or injuries. So, I think there is a certain good way or certain benefit that we can offer to animals by keeping them in captivity.

Todd: True.

Paul: Unfortunately, it seems like in some countries, animals are not really taken care of properly. What do you think about that?