I definitely agree with you...but unfortunately some, if not many, animal-rights activists ARE too militant. And I say this as a bleeding-heart animal lover. PETA is not JUST ableist and sexist...they have been proven to actually kill far more innocent animals than they actually save. In many cases they've even been found to be STEALING PEOPLE'S PETS RIGHT OFF THEIR FRONT PORCHES AND EUTHANIZING THEM. I find this to absolutely horrifying and disgusting. My pets are my children and I love them more than anything in the world. The fact that there are people out there who specifically go out of their way to kill pets makes me sick. I won't even link to the articles I've seen because they're too upsetting, but you guys can google them if you want to.

I absolutely believe in protecting animals. But some people just go about it the wrong way. And activism without facts or reason actually does more harm than good. Like animal activists that break into places to set animals free...without thinking about the fact that those animals might not be native and have nowhere to go and no way of surviving in their new environment. Or people (again, the PETA types) who go around saying that animals are better off dead than in captivity. That is disgusting, presumptuous, absolutely untrue bullshit. Yes, SOME captivity situations may be bad, if the animals are not properly cared for, but that in no way applies to ALL captivity. What about all those well-loved, spoiled pets that are kept in safe warm houses and given the best food and veterinary care possible? They are living the dream life! And domesticated animals couldn't be released into the wild anyway. Additionally, most zoos and aquariums (AZA accredited ones) are in fact GREAT places for animals to live. They are extremely well cared for by keepers who love them and dedicate their lives to making sure they are happy and healthy. They have access to excellent on-site veterinarians, and they are fed the most nutritious and high-quality diets possible (personal zookeeper and aquarist experience here). Too many people have this knee-jerk reaction that zoos=captivity=bad, but they don't know all the facts. So many of those animals would not even survive if released into the wild; these days most of them are bred in captivity anyway, not wild-captured, and they would be potentially subjected to predators and disease and habitat loss and famine in the wild. In zoos, they are very carefully protected from all of these dangers. They are also able to inspire people and educate them about endangered species and habitat loss; they can provide valuable observational data to zookeepers and scientists who can use the information to find better ways to care for and protect them, and they are used in breeding programs specifically to preserve endangered species. Many species have been saved from certain extinction by the Species Survival Plans (breeding programs) instituted by zoos. I could write a whole other article about this actually, but I'll just leave it here for now.

I guess what I'm really trying to say is that if you're really an animal rights activist, make sure you LEARN about the animals Research the facts, listen to the experts, avoid knee-jerk reactions, and think about what is really best for the animals, not just what sounds best from our perspective. Zookeepers and scientists are NOT in it for the money, I assure you! They do what they do because of their passion for the subject, and for facts and knowledge. So the BEST thing animal activists can do is to be informed, and to help educate other people. You're definitely right about catching more flies with honey than vinegar, but you'll also gather more followers with facts than with pitchforks and torches