Re:My first ten-day Vipassana retreat
by mvanvoorden on Friday January 15, 2016 @07:56AM
(#10908980)
Well, it wasn't wild life and it's not about feeding. There were 2 cats, who perfectly took care of themselves (saw them catching bugs multiple times), and sometimes they came to the people, stroking their bodies along their feet.
If an animal does that, it's normal to pet it and it's not harmful or unethical at all.
Nobody had to feed them, or take care of them, they just came for attention sometimes.
That seems like an ethical approach to me. Once you start feeding and messing with wildlife, you interrupt their natural habits and processes. Many animals have starved to death because some "do gooder" decided to feed them, thus raising their populations to an unsustainable level, then he gets bored of it, and now their babies cant get enough calories and starve.
Not to mention the potential of passing on or catching some virus or bacteria from touching feral or wild animals or the slim, but real, potential to get a rabies bite.