An Alberta farmer recently lost $175,000 worth of purebred cows, calves and bulls

(Terry Reith / CBC News)

  • jerkface@lemmy.ca
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    1 year ago

    All cattle are stolen. Animals have a right to exist, to own themselves.

    • NotAnArdvark@lemmy.ca
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      1 year ago

      This is a little overly simplistic. They exist because of us, and they can’t survive without us. So, it’s not like we can just swing open the gates and tell them to be free.

      I’m not saying “and therefore, let’s keep breeding them”, just that “all cattle are stolen” doesn’t make a lot of sense.

    • Smatt@lemmy.ca
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      1 year ago

      Well it’s an interesting argument. I’d say there’s got to be a line somewhere and it’s somewhat subjective where you put it.

      For instance, do bacteria have a right to own themselves, or can we harness them to ferment milk and make yogurt?

      Apes or dolphins are pretty clearly too intelligent, most people wouldn’t want them on ranches.

      Cattle are somewhere in the middle, I think you’ll find people’s opinions are likewise split down the middle

    • Psionicsickness@reddthat.com
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      1 year ago

      Nope. Cattle are a GMO created by man. They have no “right” to exist, and only endure because we created them and feed on them. The is no such thing as a “wild” cow.

    • over_clox@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      Meanwhile, humans sleep just like the rest of the mammals.

      Even with modern tech, have you ever tried keeping steady eyes on 50+ acres of land?

      Didn’t think so.

      • ImplyingImplications@lemmy.ca
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        1 year ago

        Lol the cattle were taken at night by people who decided staying up would be worth $175,000. I’d be hiring some people to guard the cattle overnight. It obviously wasn’t hard for the thieves to take so I don’t see how it’s hard to protect.

    • zappy@lemmy.ca
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      1 year ago

      I’m kind of against putting tracking chips in anything I might eat

        • zappy@lemmy.ca
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          1 year ago

          Hey, don’t go giving Big Brother any good ideas now (especially ones that would work on me)

      • nyan@lemmy.cafe
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        1 year ago

        It’s not like you’re going to eat all portions of the cow. Require that any chips be parked in the ear or something, where they won’t become a burger additive.

          • nyan@lemmy.cafe
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            1 year ago

            In which case, earless cows can just be presumed stolen wherever found, and confiscated. (Yeah, I know: “What if someone has a legit earless cow?” Then it should have a legit record at the vet’s office explaining why it doesn’t have an ear. And more than one or two of those on a given farm is pretty damned suspicious, barring an infestation of Martian Cow-Ear-Eating Bugs.)

            Or we could just tattoo them on something that’s not likely to get cut off without killing the cow. (They used to brand them for just this purpose, but that’s cruel.)

            • zappy@lemmy.ca
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              1 year ago

              At that point why not just embed the gps tags in the ear tags that we already put on cows? Or why can’t we just spray paint their butts like sheep? (Which I’m saying as a person that really knows nothing about this but if it works for the sheep…)