Environmetalists - Tumblr Posts
Feel free to unfollow me right now if you believe it’s okay to endanger your house cat or the local native fauna it absolutely will kill by allowing it outside unsupervised/off lead.
Outdoor cats have a lifespan of 2-5 years. Indoor cats regularly live 15+, even getting up to 20+ sometimes. Unsupervised indoor-outdoor cats often don’t make it past 5 and the ones that do are a very lucky exception. Why?
They get hit by cars. They get attacked by other animals (predators or other pets like dogs) including other cats. They eat things that are toxic to them. They get killed by other humans. They contract diseases like FIV and FelV.
Even if your cat DOES live longer than 5 years, cats that go outside are responsible for the deaths of billions of birds and other small fauna per year. There have been studies done on this. It’s not people pulling stuff out of their asses, it’s something scientists literally studied and reported results on. Don’t believe me? Google “do cats kill wildlife” and have a read. They’re on the IUCN’s list of worst invasive species and have contributed to the extinction of 60+ species, and they continue to cause a problem for other threatened species of small animals.
If you think it’s okay to expose your cat to these hazards and potentially cut its lifespan by more than half, if you think it’s okay to allow your cat to kill native fauna to indulge it’s “natural instincts” instead of, I don’t fucking know, playing with it with toys literally designed to allow it to safely indulge those instincts, then you have no business following me.
I’m not here to indulge your whimsy about how cats “need” to be outside unsupervised to be stimulated and lead a happy life- I can assure you, they don’t. There are p l e n t y of enrichment devices and structures people can buy or make to ensure that their cats lead happy, full lives indoors to the ripe old age they are supposed to lived to.
You also have the option of lead training your cat if you really believe they need to go out. This is something that proponents of “let cats go outside” ignore almost completely. They somehow believe that it’s all or nothing- either the cat lives 100% indoors without ever seeing sunlight OR it’s let outside without supervision where it can be injured, killed, or cause harm to the environment. Those aren’t the only choices. Cats adapt to leads very easily. They don’t like it the first couple of times, usually, but also usually when they figure out lead=outside, they get over it and the best of both worlds gets to happen- your cat remains safely under your supervision where it cannot come to or deliver harm, and it gets to go outside.
TL;DR Letting your house cat outside unsupervised is extremely dangerous both for your cat and the local wildlife and people arguing otherwise can see themselves out the door because I’m not about people endangering animals out of willful ignorance. You, along with every other pet owner out there, have a responsibility to protect your pets to the best of your abilities, and choosing not to do so in some misguided attempt to indulge their whims is poor animal husbandry. Any argument to the contrary is just an excuse to continue doing things which put animals in danger.
Is this true? Like I genuinely want to know because I don’t see any sources, not that I don’t believe anyone or trying to fight anyone, I’m just confused. /gen /nm
This is what I have heard about honey:
‘‘Firstly, we must examine why bees produce honey. Honey is created as the bees’ source of nutrition – it is perfectly suited to fuel their bodies. They eat it, feed their young with it and store it for the winter months.Beekeepers replace honey with a sugar substitute which is inferior for bees’ health. If we are trying to protect these animals, it is logical not to deprive them of their ideal source of nutrition. While some beekeepers claim to only take ‘surplus’ honey, it is not possible to judge how much the hive requires to function optimally.‘‘
‘‘For example, in large-scale bee farming, sometimes the hive is culled after the honey has been collected as this is cheaper than keeping the bees alive over winter. Another practice is ‘smoking out’ bees when honey is collected, which is done to make the bees less likely to defend themselves. Bees are also bred for productivity which narrows the gene pool and makes them more susceptible to die-offs.Colonies are sometimes shipped around, especially in the US, to pollinate specific crops - such as almonds. This means that their hibernation is disrupted and could lead to the spreading of mites and diseases.’‘
Source - https://theecologist.org/2019/aug/21/eating-honey-bad-bees
‘‘The most common claim made is that beekeeping helps local bee populations. But people are conflating domesticated honeybees with wild pollinators. The USDA actually classifies honeybees as “livestock.” Since they are completely different (just like a domesticated farmed cow and a wild buffalo are totally different), one doesn't boost the population of the other. So obviously, the only population being boosted by beekeeping is that of domesticated non-native honeybees, which are not found outside of human confinement and control and which are widely distributed and not actually endangered. Human-controlled breeds of species can’t go “extinct” anyway, only species can.’’
‘‘Not only does beekeeping do nothing to “save” wild native pollinators, it actually does the opposite. Domesticated farmed bees can actually spread diseases to the pollinators who were there first and actually are endangered. They also crowd them out by competing with them for pollen.’‘
‘‘Exploiting bees for their honey actually weakens those bees themselves. Spikenard Farm and Bee Sanctuary co-owners Gunther and Vivian Hauk explain that exploiting honeybees to make a profit from their honey means "they’re worn down and their compromised immune systems now threaten their existence." The weakened immune system of the bees is part of what is causing 30 to 40 percent of bee colonies to collapse. The Hauks now keep domesticated bees in a sanctuary without taking their honey at all, and have noticed their health improve dramatically.‘‘
Source - https://www.truthordrought.com/beekeeping-for-conservation-myths
A three-year study published in the Journal of Economic Entomology found that wild, native pollinators like bumblebees can pollinate commercial pumpkin crops just as well as, and often much more effectively than, domesticated honeybee colonies.
Per Scientific American, in North America, honeybees are actually the single largest threat to native bees. The article’s author, insect expert Daniel Rubinoff, explains:
‘’Honeybees readily escape the hives of beekeepers and go feral, setting up shop on their own, easily invading and dominating a vast array of ecosystems from coast to coast. It’s these feral honeybees, especially, that pose a challenge to nearly all native pollinators since honeybees forage throughout the growing season for nectar and pollen from a wide array of flowers, building up vast numbers. When honeybee competition reduces the number and diversity of native pollinators, native plants also can suffer since they may receive less efficient pollination.’’
Also because of capitalism some beekeepers that are only in it for the money clip the queens bees wings and ‘’cull the hive after collecting honey as it’s cheaper than keeping the bees during the winter season. Others also ship the bees around to help in pollinating specific crops. Such practices can be good for profit margins, but for bees, they’re the worst. In fact, they often make them susceptible to die-offs as their normal lives are disrupted. Other inhuman steps that are sometimes taken include cutting off the wings of the queen to stop it from moving to a new colony. Some also take out all the honey from the hive and put some sugar for the bees to eat during winter. All these are bad practices, and they endanger bees while also threatening the ecosystem.’’ and ‘’Some beekeepers are just too greedy. It is a matter of simple economics. Honey is an expensive product, and it makes no sense to some beekeepers, from a financial standpoint, to let bees eat honey during winter. Beekeepers can make much more money selling the honey and feeding their bees with a cheap substitute. The same thing works for pollen.’’
Source - https://beehivehero.com/is-eating-honey-bad-for-bees/
Source - https://agriculture.vic.gov.au/livestock-and-animals/honey-bees/health-and-welfare/feeding-honey-bees-to-prevent-starvation
All of the pro-eating honey articles I’ve found all admit to feeding the bees artificial feed to make up for what they’ve taken which is bad for the bees:
‘’Bees are not used to eating anything but what they produce themselves. Bees have been gathering nectar and pollen for millions of years, mixing them with their own special enzymes, and placing them in cells on their honeycombs.
Honey is not sugar and cannot be substituted for anything else. It contains unique enzymes and nutrients that bees need, it also contains simple sugars that give them energy quickly. Honey also has its own pH (acidity) and the digestive system of bees is accustomed to it.
In the case of pollen, bees bring it to the hive and “add enzymes” to it, making some kind of pollen pickle that we call Bee Bread. This is a very nutritious food because they can assimilate it easily. This fermented pollen is for the bees what probiotics and prebiotics are for us. They help to support and introducing the many microorganisms that help bees digest their foods.
When these natural foods are substituted with the artificial feed we are messing with a lot of things we still do not completely understand.’’
Source - https://beeseasonal.com/blogs/every-honey-tells-a-story/artificially-feeding-bees-is-a-bad-idea-sustainable-honey-brands
Sources taken from both people that think eating honey is good and those that think honey is bad.
how do u actually save bees?
Disney Cruise is trying to get ahold of this urban reef area, that is protected by federal government, to expand their Disney Cruises franchise. This will destroy thousands of individuals that live on the reef, including hundreds of different kinds of corals, manatees, and many species of fish. The locals are speaking up about it: you should too! All it takes is a click and you will have signed the petition to keep Disney away from this natural beauty. Coral reefs are already endangered; let’s do something about it! Reblog, share, and sign!!!
Please, we need your help. The willow project is a project being viewed by the President in this moment, the plan is to sell ALASKA and its land, homes, and WILDLIFE for oil drilling. The project will produce up to 180,000 barrels of oil a day, according to the company — about 1.5% of total U.S. oil production. But in Alaska, Willow represents the biggest oil field in decades. What’s the problem with that? Project opponents point to its potential impact on global climate change. Environmental impact documents conclude that if the oil produced by Willow is burned, it would create 260 million metric tons of carbon dioxide. Exposure to CO2 can produce a variety of health effects. These may include headaches, dizziness, restlessness, a tingling or pins or needles feeling, difficulty breathing, sweating, tiredness, increased heart rate, elevated blood pressure, coma, asphyxia, various cancers, and convulsions. Once the plan is approved, climate change will be irreversible and unfixable no matter the effort. But the only way we can stop this is if 189 more environmentalists and citizens like you sign our petition before it's too late. We only have one month left before it’s approved, without your help- the human race will suffer more than it ever has. Don’t let old white men in the government decide the fate of generations, and centuries of human history and cellular evolution. I’m asking you not as a fellow american citizen, but as a human being- take a few minutes to end the end from consuming life as we know it.
![[SIGN] Stop the Willow Project from destroying the Arctic!](https://64.media.tumblr.com/105a906f3897c7e42c363862fe1e2817/40474959be97a580-aa/s250x400/364dbfb39534925b0c18e45e0742563aeccefe01.jpg)
Plz reblog so we can get as many signatures as possible!!
#stopwillow
Please, we need your help. The willow project is a project being viewed by the President in this moment, the plan is to sell ALASKA and its land, homes, and WILDLIFE for oil drilling. The project will produce up to 180,000 barrels of oil a day, according to the company — about 1.5% of total U.S. oil production. But in Alaska, Willow represents the biggest oil field in decades. What’s the problem with that? Project opponents point to its potential impact on global climate change. Environmental impact documents conclude that if the oil produced by Willow is burned, it would create 260 million metric tons of carbon dioxide. Exposure to CO2 can produce a variety of health effects. These may include headaches, dizziness, restlessness, a tingling or pins or needles feeling, difficulty breathing, sweating, tiredness, increased heart rate, elevated blood pressure, coma, asphyxia, various cancers, and convulsions. Once the plan is approved, climate change will be irreversible and unfixable no matter the effort. But the only way we can stop this is if 189 more environmentalists and citizens like you sign our petition before it's too late. We only have one month left before it’s approved, without your help- the human race will suffer more than it ever has. Don’t let old white men in the government decide the fate of generations, and centuries of human history and cellular evolution. I’m asking you not as a fellow american citizen, but as a human being- take a few minutes to end the end from consuming life as we know it.
Plz reblog so we can get as many signatures as possible!!
#stopwillow
It should be sunny today, but the wildfire smoke is clogging the sky and my lungs. I feel like I should be able to reach up and wipe away the smoke in the air like dust off a dirty window.
Now approaching, says the automated voice on the train, and for once I almost dread getting off. The train, for all it’s failures, has some kind of air filter that does a number, at least, on the smell of burning. I get off anyway, and pass a man reading Crime and Punishment. I almost laugh. You can’t read that book in English. Or so says my Russian best friend. And so says high school me, drowning in the depression and consequence and the bitter regrets they forced upon us before we even were considered adults.
I walk up the platform, and maybe it’s just my imagination, but my eyes sting. Or maybe I’m just crying. Things rose and fell and burned and died before any of us were around to see it, but now we are. Now I am, and seeing things die just reminds me I’ll have to see so many other things to their grave, regardless of whether I got the chance to love them.
Guardian News: “‘You have stolen my dreams and my childhood with your empty words,’ climate activist Greta Thunberg has told world leaders at the 2019 UN climate action summit in New York.”
Saddest thing ever is reading an academic paper about a threatened or declining species where you can tell the author is really trying to come up with ways the animal could hypothetically be useful to humans in a desperate attempt to get someone to care. Nobody gives a shit about the animals that “don’t affect” us and it seriously breaks my heart