It can be cruel. A lady who lives on my street owns an owl. An OWL, for God’s sake! She must have read too many of those Harry Potter books. I think this is reprehensible, not to mention illegal. Also, I think people who live in a tiny tiny inner city apartment and how own one of them big-ass dogs REALLY need to think again. I find it hard to see how having a cat (one specimen of which fine species lives in my apartment (or I in his, I guess he’d argue)) could be cruelty.
Hmmm. I wonder if he realizes that one reason humanity’s still around is because these animals allowed themselves to become domesticated. As I remember my history, cats have played key roles in keeping down the population of rats and mice, thus reducing disease and food shortages and dogs, of course, were bred for hunting and herding, thus also ensuring the food supply. Of course, allowing themselves to be domesticated also meant dogs and cats ensured their own supply of food, not to mention scritches, belly rubs, etc.
But not vegan. So, clearly, in many cases it is okay to enslave and exploit animals for our own gain.
It is, in many places. I have no idea what the laws in the Netherlands are, but generally you have to hold some heavy-duty licensing. Here in the US, the fines for illegal possession of a raptor are extremely substantial. They don’t have a sense of humor about it, either. Possession of a single eagle feather without a license carries a maximum penalty of two years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
I don’t know about illegal in your jurisdiction, but unless she flies him regularly or she has a substantially large enclosure for him and a reason for keeping him contained, it is reprehensible. Does she keep him in a bird cage, like a parrot? Or does she have a proper mews on her property?
Property? A 60 m2 garden at best. I don’t know about how she houses this beast but there is no possibility that it’s in an acceptable way. As to legal, seeing as owls are rare + endangered, there’s no conceivable way that this could be legal here short from being a zoo. Which she’s not. I’ve never seen it flying around, I don’t think she flies it for fear that it might escape. You see her walking up and down the street while it sits on her hand, as she’s walking the dogs. Legal? Probably. But definitely reprehensible.
That may be the first time
I’ve heard a German making a non-racist Nazi joke. In general, I’ve only observed shame/avoidance when it comes to that particularly tricky subject.
Even though I own/have owned pets, I do actually believe there’s some weight to an ‘anti-pet’ stance, if only because of things like puppy mills. I know, I know, that’s more of an argument for responsible pet ownership, anti-animal cruelty laws, etc., but I can understand how someone might believe that the two go hand in hand.
While I am not a PETA supporter, their position on pets is not the same as the guy in the OP.
Have you asked her about it?
Do you have a governmental office that oversees wildlife issues? Give them a call. I couldn’t find any information on falconry laws in The Netherlands, but owls are very nearly never used for falconry purposes. Sometimes they’re kept for educational or rehab purposes, so it’s possible she’s got a reason for keeping it. Anyway, in the US, you’d still need some heavy-duty licensing to be able to legally hold a bird of prey, whatever the reason.
If you don’t know her, it would be hard to say if she’s got a proper mews as they can be built in a shed, lean-to, garage, or even a basement and are almost always built to be as concealed and inconspicuous as possible. I absolutely don’t want anyone to have their curiosity piqued by spotting my bird, or spotting housing that would suggest there’s an interesting animal on site.
Ask her about it! Feign interest in the bird and see what she says. People see me with my hawk all the time and want to know where and how they can get one. Usually, I tell them “sure, you can get one…” then describe in intimate and loving detail the two-year apprenticeship, metric fuckton of paperwork, licensing, facilities construction, and fees involved.