MillenniumPost
Insight

Being benevolent

Regardless of what species they may be, we need to extend the same concern we express for humans to all living beings

Does experimenting animals saves human lives?

We cannot decide on whether an experiment is justified or not by merely showing that it is of some use. In order to save human lives, animal testing should not be an option. Lives could be saved and suffering can be stopped by educating people on the importance of avoiding fat and cholesterol, the dangers of smoking, reducing alcohol and other drug consumption, exercising regularly, and cleaning up the environment than by all the animal tests in the world.

The distinction is not between useful and useless experiments, but between barbarous and civilized behaviour. There are some medical problems that can probably only be cured by testing on unwilling people, but we don't do it because we recognize that it would be wrong.

Why are fish flicking and rubbing themselves?

The most probable cause is skin irritation caused by skin or gill flukes – you should be able to get treatment for these either from a specialist aquarist shop or from your vet.

I found a pair of baby squirrels in my backyard. They were quite noisy and restless so I gave them some milk (dipped some cotton in a bowl of milk). How do I go about their care now?

Squirrels are not domesticated and do not make good pets. Always wear gloves when handling wild squirrel babies. Try to reunite the baby or babies with their mother. If you think the mother squirrel may still be in the area and you have a good idea where the nest is that the babies came from, you can give the mother the opportunity to retrieve the babies. If a baby is sick, injured or cold the chances are that the mom will not come back to retrieve it. Place the babies in a box. You can place this box near the tree or around the area they came from. Make sure that the babies can't get out of the box you place them in but the mother will be able to get in and fetch her lost babies.

If the babies still have their eyes closed, they will need a heat source to help them keep warm. Even on hot summer days baby squirrels can get chilled quickly. A bottle filled with hot water and covered with a sock can be placed near the babies. Test to be sure the temperature isn't too hot, and place a tee-shirt around it to be sure it doesn't roll onto the babies. Never feed the babies any kind of cow's milk, goat milk, or even soymilk. The squirrel should be kept hydrated and be fed puppy replacement milk or kitten replacement milk using a syringe. If they won't take the fluids, put a drop on their lips or poke a drop in their mouth so they can taste some of it first. Before and after each feeding of fluids you will need to gently wipe the genital and anal area with a warm, moist cotton ball or Q-tip until they urinate or defecate. Otherwise their stomach will bloat and might die.

Views expressed and information provided are personal. Send your questions to manekaanimallove@gmail.com

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