Preachy Animal Blog

I realise here that I am traversing dangerous waters. This blog is going to be related to vegetarianism. Before you quickly close the webpage and write me off as a self-righteous vegetarian preacher, just consider that you could look at this blog and think I am telling you to eat crocodiles. There, is that okay?

Right. The Guardian today released an article titled 'Chinese Police Rescue 3,600 Crocodiles', wherein three have been arrested and the police have intercepted the transportation of these (precisely) 3,619 crocodiles destined to become exotic meals in restaurants in southern Guangdong province. These particular crocodiles were Siamese and apparently have special nutritional value... 42 died on transit to their restaurant destinations due to dehydration, cramped conditions and the unbearable heat. Frankly, I wish that these crocodiles had snapped the dodgy tradesmen's hands off and whipped them about. Alas, this is but a dream.

This article did get me to a-thinking, why is it so much worse when a crocodile is killed for meat, rather than, say, a cow, or a rabbit or in some parts of the world, dogs? In fact, dogs are a prime example of my case. In Britain, dogs are considered pets and most (I hope) would consider it an abomination to eat a dog. In, for example, some parts of Vietnam, China and Korea where dogs are sometimes eaten, it is viewed in the same way as eating a chicken or a pig. Islamic dietary laws forbid the eating of dogs, but this isn't because they are seen as pets, like they are in some areas of Europe, North America and Australasia. So it is only different cultural practices which deam what animals are suitable for consumption.

Battery Hens in their natural habitat

These particular Siamese crocodiles are extinct in the wild but have been bred successfully in captivity, just like cows and chickens. So, why is it worse to eat a crocodile than a chicken? If they are in plentiful supply then what is the difference? Battery hens are kept in terrible conditions just like these crocodiles were, both are bred in captivity. Chinese authorities managed to intercept this particular deal, orchestrated by foreign men. However, this poses the question of why are Chinese authorities so against the eating of crocodiles? Is it a genuine ideological principle? Or is it because trade carried out on the black market is out of government hands? Tax cannot be collected from the black market and it is, ignoring corruption, out of government control. However, this is not a sweeping generalisation, as there are those in China who volunteer to prevent this particular trade of exotic animals. Animals who are deemed edible is relative wherever you go in the world, but it is important to look at it through comparative eyes. That is all, I hope it wasn't too unbearably preachy

Here is a link to the Guardian article

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/jul/08/chinese-police-rescue-crocodiles