A top author has sparked fury by suggesting folk should ditch their pets to save the planet.
Sean Thomas said it was time to “chuck Fluffy” as it is selfish to “enslave” dogs and cats. He said, writing in The Spectator: “All forms of larger life, birds to reptiles to the ring-tailed lemur, ultimately depend on insect life supporting and linking the global food chain.
“Fluffy may not look like an ecological supervillain but I am afraid it is the case.” Sean blamed domestic cats for killing “up to 270million” small wild animals every year.
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And he said chemical-laden tick and flea treatments can “eliminate bees by the million” along with other vital insects. He added that keeping pets was “no better than visiting old-fashioned chimpanzee tea parties at circuses which we now view with abhorrence”.
(Image: Getty Images)
Sean added: “So maybe it’s time to get ahead of the curve. It’s time, my kitty-loving friends, to chuck Fluffy.’’
“For many people, addicted to the emotional and physical fun that pets undoubtedly provide, and convinced that their dog is supremely happy (spoiler: they often aren’t) and firmly of the belief that their cat doesn’t murder songbirds by the ton (spoiler: it does) this is a difficult dilemma
“But the time has come when we need to face up to the pet-unfriendly facts. Domestic pets are catastrophic for wildlife, for ecosystems, and for children that get their legs chewed off by killer hounds. Generally, we do not need them (soon even the loneliest labrador-lover will be able to get company from AI). Keeping pets is often, in essence, no better than visiting those old-fashioned chimpanzee tea parties at circuses, which we now view with abhorrence.”
Pet fans reacted online, with one commenting: “To the slaughterhouse with you, we keep the pets that are best for our wellbeing.’’
Another said: “My labradoodle is not enslaved, you fool. She has a better life than most humans.’’
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