abandoned snails.

[Louise]

I came home today after taking my DDs to school to find a free local paper in my door. So I started reading it I was very surprised to read about 2, adult abandoned Achatina fulica in my area found in a park.

Its so sad both are doing o.k and are now settling into there new home. But the people who found them got quite a shock. They are a pair of very cute snails its such a shame.

[coyote]

This is so sad. People ought to accept life-long responsibility for any animal they bring into their home. Animals are not disposable!

[lucyjames]

It always makes me so angry when I read about things like this

If you cannot keep them you have the responsibility to find them a new home where they will be cared for.... not just dump a defenceless pet out in the open where it cannnot fend for itself..... GGGRRRR

[coyote]

Mr Coyote and I like to go on walks in local wildlife refuges and preserves, and we are always sad to see feral cat populations there. People will dump an unwanted cat in a park and think it can take care of itself. It breaks my heart, and I'd like to find such people and give them a piece of my mind!

[Rachel]

Unfortunately people do that a lot. Last year I helped rehome (via emails, luckily the rescuers could look after it for a while) a snail found in a tiny tank that was dumped in a building site skip, and a few years back someone dumped about 450 snails (mostly adults) in the local graveyard. My old cat Pickle was abandoned at 2 weeks old, all the fur burnt off his back, and still with blue eyes, in the middle of winter. its a miracle he survived.

[Snail Lover.]

I mean if they dont want the snails they could of sold them or gave them away not dumped them, im suprised there orite after being out in the outside world all cold and whatever .

[koreasnails]

here in korea if a restaurant owner sees a stray dog he will take it to da butchers to get it turned into dog soup!!!!!!!! it is called boshintang(boe-sheen-tong) and i hate it!!!

[Louise]

THAT HAS TO BE A JOKE!!!!! YOU CAN'T COOK A DOG

Like everyone else is saying why can't these people just phone and ask around if someone can have there pet. There are so many people around that are willing to take on pets even snails.

[Rachel]

yep, people eat dog, horse, all sorts.
This'll probally get me flamed, but look at it like this. Is a dog so different to that pig you ate yesterday or last week or whenever? Or the chicken you had for dinner? Pigs are smarter than dogs but people still eat them, and the pigs, cows, chickens etc that you eat never get a happy life, even the "free range" animals have a pretty crup life, only get to live for a fraction of their natural lifespan, most never get to see the sun because the exits are so tiny they can't fit out, and then they are crammed into crates or trucks, taken to the slaughter house and killed. I'm not being judgemental or anything, and i'm not condoning eating dogs. Its just to me the pig or chicken has as much right to live a long happy and contented life as the dog, ya know. can you really look a little baby lamb or chicken, or some poor piglet in the eyes and say it deserves to die any more than you could look a dog in the eyes and say that? THATS why i'm vegan. Anyway, thats my 2 cents

[lizzie97444]

SAD!
I mean, if u sell snails it'lll make atleast some money rather than just dumping them!
Yeah, welll EVERYTHING the chinese COOKED AND ATE.

[crossless]

I have always kept my animals even if I get bored, if example I try and try to find home to snails IF I would fed up them I would rather "put them to sleep" more likely then just care them poorly in my house. If there wouldn't be anyone who would like to have them.

[Louise]

I'm not saying its right or that theres a need to eat any animals. I was just surprised that people eat dogs I really didn't know this. It just surprised me thats all.

[morningcoffee]

People eat just about anything you could think of, in various parts of the world. There's plenty of places in the world where the majority of people are poor and have to eat whatever they can get... I'm sure some of them would be absolutely delighted to have an entire dog to eat - meat to feed a family with. I believe in Australia, some of the aboriginal people hunt and eat feral cats, which helps keep their population down.
There's also places that are no longer dirt poor but have a long tradition of eating things out of necessity that we'd find grotesque in the west, that are now just a normal part of cuisine for them.
For example - ever tried chicken feet? You can get them in most authentic Chinese restaurants

[coyote]

Western cultures have a taboo about eating carnivores, such as cats, dogs, foxes, etc., preferring to eat herbivores, but other cultures have no such taboos. Also, a lot of the world's population depends on eating insects as their major source of protein, but again, in the West, we have a taboo about eating bugs. What's considered edible is a matter of acculturation.

But I agree about what's the real difference between the dog who is a family pet and the pig who is eaten for dinner. Personally, I don't eat any animals at all because I came to see all animals as equal kinds of beings, and if I wouldn't eat a pet, I wouldn't eat any other class of animal either.

And of course I certainly don't condone disposing of pets that become "boring" or burdensome to care for. There's no harm in changing one's mind about taking care of an animal, but one really ought to be responsible for assuring it goes on to a good home instead of just chucking it out.

Thank goodness there are those who are willing to help out with rescue, not just for snails but for cats, dogs, guinea pigs, snakes, birds, any kind of creature.

[koreasnails]

hey! octopus are carnivores and they are the smatest invertibrates on this planet! they are smarter than a horse and a pig and a cow! but hey we still eat them!

[koreasnails]

BTW and lizzie what about that fish *ahem* wink wink nudge nudge...

[coyote]

Seafood is the exception to the "no carnivores" rule. And octopi are an acquired taste -- most people in the West don't think of them as food.

[koreasnails]

well in Korea they do. and i am especially fond of cephalopods.