Barboro

[Irish79]

Barboro was euthanized today eight months after he broke down in the Preakness. I was really hoping he would make it, but at least he isn't in pain anymore.

[wordsmith]

Oh, sad. I've done photos at a few small races where horses have been badly injured. It always gets to me.

[Krishna]

I think that horse captured everyones' imagination.

[Irish79]

This is the thread I started yesterday. I agree that horse racing is not the most humane way to treat these animals, but I disagree with whoever said he should have been euthanized right away. He deserved a chance to fight for his life - and he did just that - in a way that inspired many people. As his vet said, he had many good days over the past eight months. He really did almost make it - at the beginning of this month they were talking about sending him home.

[AshleyJordan]

Whoops-- I didn't see this because I was searching with a different spelling "Barbaro," and then started my own thread. . . anyway, yeah, I agree, he should *not* have been euthanized right away. I don't think he should of been racing to begin with though, and find the whole thing horrible.

[Irish79]

Oops - did I spell his name wrong? Anyway, we're agreed. Sadly events like this aren't likely to change the "sport".

[AshleyJordan]

Dunno, I might've misspelled it, anyway, didn't mean to nit-pick.
That's what's really upsetting about it-- is that now everyone can have so much sympathy for him, etc., etc., while basically he had no real autonomy and was worked to death for our amusement. . . .I've already kinda decided that my kids won't even go to the zoo, because I think that's just another example of animal cruelty.

[Irish79]

Yeah, I'm kinda iffy on zoos also. I can see their value as far as educating the public about threatened and endangered species, but the facilities need to be such that they can enjoy happy, healthy lives. I have been to some zoos that left me depressed - elephants in tiny enclosures and the primates in cages - that is animal cruelty in my opinion.

[AshleyJordan]

This is all speculation, obviously cause I don't have kids yet. The only advantage I can think of is that they'd get to learn about different animals and maybe also gain some compassion for them . . . I wonder if there are any "cruelty-free" zoos?

[Irish79]

I think zoos can help make people aware of the need to save habitat for endangered species, and they also work to save species that are going extinct through their breeding programs. I think zoos are slowly transitioning to larger, more open facilities that allow the animals to have a life more closely resembling life in the wild, but of course they will never be as good as nature preserves and parks.

[wordsmith]

I think, in general, well-run zoos do more good than harm. Particularly the ones that are set up as parks, with predominantly natural areas.