Manipulated for Us: Introducing Hamlet and Lily
Hi Everyone,
At the beginning of 2023, I wrote a post titled 'Manipulated for Us'. The post discussed how people manipulate the world around them for their own perceived benefit. It discusses both the good and bad aspects of this manipulation. However, most of the post focused on animals and animal breeding.
In the video, I continue the discussion on the manipulation of animals through breeding. With me, I have my two good companions, Hamlet the Happy Pig and Lily Goat. Both of them have been bred to be a particular way.
Hamlet the Happy Pig
Hamlet is a product of many breeding practices. Initially, her ancestors were bred to be big and muscular for the purpose of being eaten. More recent generations were selected to be bred as pets. Pigs with short legs and/or spines were bred to produce offspring with shorter legs and spines. This type of breeding has only been practiced for a few generations. Therefore, a new breed has not been officially created but the pigs through this program are considerably smaller than their ancestors bred purely to be eaten. These smaller pigs are often refereed to as pygmy, miniature, mini, or Juliana pigs (particular type of small pig). Sadly, some of these miniature pigs die young because of skeletal problems and weakened immune systems, which is also a product of their breeding.
Lily Goat
Lily is a pygmy goat. She is really small. This is again because of breeding. She has not been modified to the extent as Hamlet. She has been bred to be considerably smaller than other goats but her body proportions are not radically changed because of breeding. As far as I am aware, the breeding to reduce size does not seem to add any medical complications. I expect pygmy goats immune systems are still compromised. Goats, particularly small ones, can fall sick very quickly. Other than the first week she arrived, Lily has been in great health. She was a bit ill from the stress of being cooped up in a small space while the fences were being put up in the garden.
I hope you enjoy the video.
Hamlet Attacks Water Trough
We had an after filming accident. I think Hammy got angry with the water trough. Not to worry, I had a new one in reserve.
More posts
If you want to read any of my other posts, you can click on the links below. These links will lead you to posts containing my collection of works. These 'Collection of Works' posts have been updated to contain links to the Hive versions of my posts.
Hive: Future of Social Media
Spectrumecons on the Hive blockchain
▶️ 3Speak
Lily really looks so clever
Lily is really smart. She can almost open the latch on the top gate. She lifts it up and is able to pull it a little. She started doing that after seeing me open the gate. I put a padlock on it to make sure she doesn't escape.
You had two happy animals in your backyard! I watched the video and really enjoy each other's company and having fun... Lily wants to play more than (a bit grumpy) Hamlet... 😃
I agree with your point of view about breeding... I remember my friend (who is a veterinarian) saying how pugs are heavily bred to be a "perfect pet", but it made them very weak and created a lot of health issues, infections, etc...
Also, your view about bred animals and those who aren't are on the spot... Many animals that didn't have direct "use" for humans are extinct... The same could happen with cows, and many others when they got "boring" for humans...
I have picked this post on behalf of the @OurPick project which will be highlighted in the next post!
Lily and Hamlet play together a lot. Lily initiates it. Hamlet often resists a little but she does join in on many occasions. They will run around the garden together. They are funny to watch. Hamlet is surprisingly fast for her size and her short legs.
Many have the mentality that animals are here for us. They are bred to be useful or be used by us. They are not respected as species that deserve their freedom as much as we do. This is both a tragedy for them as well as us. An ecosystem needs a wide diversity of species to flourish.