vegan opinions on my farm delima:

[Silverbird]

Hi all I was wondering if any vegans would given an opinion on a problem that keeps reocuring with farms. As vegan I don't beleive in keep animals captive in farms. Anyway occasions I've wondered what to do:

Near us is a open air museum which is really good with lots of building from all over Wales. I also has a farm. It's free enty. (I still go).

When visiting Stockholm we brought a city pass which coevered lots of different attractions. It included a open air musem which also inculded a zoo. (we went but avoided the zoo).

When staying with friends last weekend they asked it we wanted to visit a country park. I agreed but only when we got there realsied it was in fact a petting farm. I didn't feel I could just leave so my husband paid (he's an omnivor) and I stayed away from the animal exibits.

I was just wondering what other vegans throughts about these places were? I wouldn't delibratly attend or take kids to a petting zoo or farm. But it seems a shame to miss out on the muesum and I'm not funding it (well it's already funded by the Welsh assembly). It would have cost a lot not to get the city pass but I guess I part funded the zoo. And it was so aquard having driven others all the way to this farm, I felt I couldn't wait outside.

Any thoughts appriacted.

[bandgeek]

I feel like it depends on the business's intent. Did they breed these animals so they can make money off them, or did they rescue them and continue to help animals?

Our zoo here has a lot of programs that help endangered animals and they have a surrogate program for the apes (I think). They aren't in it for "big business" as far as I can tell since admission isn't much and they go ALL OUT for the animals. I mean, it's might tick off other vegans if I say this, but the animals actually look quite happy. And since most were probably adopted, they would have been in worse circumstances than they are in the zoo.

I went to another aquarium type place last week and quite honestly, I don't know if they breed animals there for display, but they were also an educational center and provided tips on "going green". One of the books in the gift shop strongly suggested going vegetarian or vegan. And another place I went to encouraged eating less meat and fish.

So I don't know. I hope people can see the animals as REAL LIVING BEINGS and maybe even feel like they shouldn't eat them. Maybe. I can hope. Lots of people (especially those living in cities their whole lives) have never even been around livestock or farm animals and petting a pig or a cow may make them realize things they otherwise wouldn't.

But again, I wouldn't feel right about it if they were breeding the animals to make money. A "rescue" petting zoo would be different for me.