Farmer Removes Animals From Happy Rolph’s Petting Zoo. And That Is Not A Bad Thing

A Commentary By Dan Wilson
 
If Facebook is any indication, there are a whole lot of people out there upset that all the farm animals at Happy Rolph’s petting zoo are gone.

These goats are among the many animals recently removed from popular Happy Rolph's park in St. Catharines, Ontario where animals were violently assaulted by still-unknown persons this spring. File photo by Doug Draper.

Paul Vanderzanden, the West Lincoln turkey farmer who leased the animals to the park, announced earlier this week that he had removed them after a number of questionable decisions (questionable to Mr. Vanderzanden anyways) were made by the city.
 
Regardless of what those decisions were, the fact remains that the animals are gone. Is this a bad thing? I say no. I’ve never really been a big fan of petting zoos and the only reason I go down to Happy Rolph’s is to photograph the ducks and turtles.
 
I personally don’t see what’s so appealing about seeing animals in cages. Of course, they’re not exactly cages, more like enclosures, but the principle is the same: they’re locked up and they can never leave. Their whole world is a pen measuring 10 feet by 10 feet, or in the case of the larger animals, 20 feet by 20 feet.
 
If any of us were forced to live under the same conditions we’d scream bloody murder, but assume the animals don’t care one way or the other. After all, they’re just animals, and they’re domesticated so they don’t mind. They get plenty of food and water too, and let’s face it: they’re not the most intelligent animals on the planet. So what’s the harm?
 
By the way, many of these arguments are used to keep whales, dolphins and other animals in captivity too. But I’m sure the people who used to go to Happy Rolph’s to see all the cute and cuddly animals there also visit places like Marineland and Zooz, and are probably thinking: what’s this guy smoking?
 
The problem is that we continue to view and treat animals as property. Because we “own” them, we can do whatever we want to them, including killing and eating them, as long as we’re “humane” about it (and even if we’re not). 
 
So people bring their kids to Happy Rolph’s to feed the cows, pigs and chickens, take pictures of the baby lambs and billy-goats, and go “ew” and “ah” about how cute they are, then they go home and eat the slaughtered remains of other farm animals. Doesn’t this seem a little strange? Isn’t it a little sick?
 
Kind of reminds me of the stories I’ve heard from people who have visited the markets in China and Vietnam. All these beautiful dogs, most of them pups, lined up for you. “I’ll take that one,” you say in Mandarin or Vietnamese, or you just point, and then they slit the dog’s throat, cook it up and serve it to you in a bowl with mixed vegetables. Nice.
 
Given the choice, these animals would rather live than die. Their lives have value to them, even if they’re just lunch to you. So whether they are on display at Happy Rolph’s or not, you’re all missing the point: how can you love one and eat the other?