[Animals] What is the ideal animal to give a child this Christmas?

[#Wittels-]

Not dogs, not cats, not fish, not turtles, not rabbits. Associations and veterinarians reveal the saddest cases they have faced after someone realized that caring for a fish was much more complex than putting it in a vase

Two boys observe the dogs for sale in a store in 1957. Fortunately, the picture of caged animals and for sale is gradually disappearing from the cities.

 

In the first chapter of Mare of Easttown, the character played by Kate Winslet goes into a pet shop to buy a terrarium for her turtle, the cheapest one, because it is for a four-year-old who does not know how to take care of it and the animal leaves to die soon, she sums up undaunted. That sequence is painfully real. According to Laura Alberdi, from the Animalandia store, the type of buyer who purchases an animal at Christmas usually does so to please the whim of a child and does not even consider that he is buying a living being. “Many children want a puppy, but since their parents know the responsibility that implies, they replace it with a turtle or a fish, hiding in that this will make them aware of what it means to have an animal and will make them more responsible. And mistakenly believing that smaller animals imply less care ", he explains.

According to Alberdi, they ask for a "little turtle", ignoring that this water turtle is small because it is a baby, but when it is an adult it may weigh more than a kilo, it will be the size of a sheet of paper and, like any exotic animal, it will require a lot of care and a suitable habitat that has nothing to do with the usual kidney-shaped plastic pool ("an aberration," says Alberdi).

 

Actually, that turtle that parents consider an ideal substitute for a dog or cat is one of the least suitable animals for children. "Many reptiles are carriers of Salmonella even when they are healthy, so it is advisable to take extreme hygiene every time they are handled and not allow small children to do so without being supervised by an adult", warns Inés Díaz, responsible for the service of internal medicine and exotic surgery at the Nacho Menes Veterinary Hospital.

The usual thing is that when these turtles grow and become difficult to handle, they end up abandoned in parks where they die because they do not adapt to life in the wild or they reproduce until they become invasive species. "Everything is abandoned," explains Eva Rodríguez, from the Adoptastur animal shelter. "Rabbits, guinea pigs, turtles and even fish." The reason, in most cases, is irresponsible buying. “A few months ago a girl came who as a child had had five turtles, one for each member of the Backstreet Boys, all have died prematurely due to poor care and now she wanted to give her daughter turtles, although she still did not know anything about their handling . Fortunately we managed to dissuade her, especially because the girl was a fan of BTS and there are seven of them, ”Alberdi laments.

No, a fish is not a good gift for a child. Their care is more complex than it is believed.

 

Pop culture has hurt animals. Paradoxically, nothing has been more harmful to fish than Finding Nemo. That after crying with a movie about a clownfish desperate to get out of an aquarium and return to the sea with his family, a child wants to buy a clownfish to put in an aquarium is like finishing seeing Bambi and wanting a hunting shotgun. But it is common, Alberdi corroborates.

 

“A few days ago a disappointed father visited us because the clown fish that he had bought for his son over the Internet (be careful, online!) Had died when he got home. It took us little time to find out why: he had thrown it into a freshwater tank. He had not noticed that sharks swim next to Nemo, he had only clicked and in a few hours that unfortunate animal was in his house, like a watch or a mobile phone. " An exceptional event, because “the most common thing is that when you explain to the parents the price and maintenance of a salty aquarium they forget about Nemo and convince the child to settle for a fresh and cold water carp.

Another mistake, since goldfis require a minimum of 40 liters of water per specimen, they can measure more than 30 centimeters and live for more than ten years ”. Those carp that now suffer the condemnation of leading a miserable life were originally destined for the ponds that surround the royal gardens in China. Does that mean we can't have a goldfish if we don't have a real garden? “Sure we can. But you have to think that they require aquariums of hundreds of liters and a lot of dedication. Having one of those majestic fish in a tiny ball fish tank, without space and without adequate oxygenation is animal abuse. Aquarium hobby is a fascinating and very satisfying activity, but it requires patience and money, something that a child does not usually have ”.

 

A turtle living in one of those po[CENSORED]r kidney-shaped plastic turtles with a palm tree for decoration? "An aberration", according to experts.

 

There is still no data on the abandonments of 2021 - the studies are the product of the crossing of figures from various associations and protectors and are not expected until March - but Sergio García Torres - general director of Animal Rights, a part of the Ministry of Social Rights - he hopes that “according to the first estimates, the data will be similar to those of 2020: some 300,000 abandoned animals in Spain. At the beginning of the confinement, adoptions increased, but later dropouts also ”. One difference, according to García Torres, is the moment of abandonment: “Before it was seasonal, often before summer, but now it is spread throughout the year, perhaps due to the oculomic crisis. That is why it is so important to raise awareness that if you are going to take an animal home, you have to count on their expenses ”.

As Christmas approaches, Animalandia's phone does not stop ringing. “This business has been a pet shop for more than three decades and was a benchmark. Here there have been tigers, crocodiles, monkeys and snakes of all sizes, the nineties were nonsense. When we took over the premises in 2012 we removed the cages and encouraged adoption. We try to keep the sale of fish explaining their care well, but in the end we stopped selling them after getting tired of fighting with parents who just want their son to stop giving them the tabarra ”.

Another big problem with pets is that they sometimes come to homes where they are not wanted by those who are going to take care of them. “A few days ago a desperate woman called us because she had given her an axolotl [a species of salamander typical of Mexico that is in danger of extinction] and she had no idea of its maintenance. Normal, it is a very delicate animal. That woman did not want an axolotl, but her son did, and a relative had given it to her without asking her. Now fifteen years await him caring for a living being condemned to captivity because his rosy color and his apparent smile make him sadly instagrammable ”.

 

The axolotl, a kind of salamander, is such a beautiful and 'instagrammable' animal as it is complex to care for.

Another victim of its own beauty is the Siamese fighter, the Betta fish, which has become a decorative animal due to the false belief that it can live in a glass. “It is a typical fish found in rice fields, it does not need a deep aquarium because it breathes on the surface, but it does need tens of liters and a heater because it is a fish with warm water, caves and abundant vegetation. Those interested are always surprised when we explain it to them because they have seen it in a vase in a decoration magazine and have not investigated further. We can spend a week looking for comparisons of robotic vacuum cleaners, but not spend a couple of hours knowing the conditions that an animal requires to live ”, Alberdi complains. "There is a great lack of information on the handling and basic care of animals, and this is what generates 90% of their diseases," says Inés Díaz. "It is essential that before taking an animal home you go to a specialist veterinarian, to learn about its diet, environment and basic management."

Although fish and turtles are usually one of the animals most in demand for their apparent simplicity, there is always news. "This week they asked us for butterflies," Alberdi is surprised. “We thought it was a joke, but apparently now they are bought to give color to the celebrations. We have read a little on the subject and their sellers justify themselves saying that their upbringing is ethical, something that seems like an oxymoron, but even if it was, what happens when they are released? Do they adapt to any habitat? It seems that even celebrating our happiness cannot be dissociated from mistreating an animal.

“The jellyfish are also becoming fashionable as a decorative element, that is, living beings of adornment, it is crazy. What will happen when people get tired of them and throw them into the sea? ”Adds Alberdi. It should not be forgotten that the Argentine parrots that Madrid now intends to shoot were the first adorable pets. Or that at some point it seemed like a good idea to have at home Vietnamese raccoons or pigs that have now become pests.

 

Overview of a pet shop with cats and dogs for sale in 2012.

Despite the news, the stars of Christmas are still cats and dogs. They are also the most neglected animals, especially for the same reason: lack of information. Now it is the turn of the Belgian Malinois and especially the Border Collies, Eva Rodríguez explains, “because of the false belief that it is the most intelligent dog when it is really a dog with a great capacity to learn commands, but also obsessive and with little emotional stability, little suitable for beginners. It is a wonderful dog, but ideal for someone who knows the breed and can give it the balance it needs. "

A few months ago Amarok Canine Education made a call on social networks to put an end to the phenomenon of "families with young children, living in a city and with little free time, choosing a tireless cattle driver as their first dog." The situation is getting so out of hand that shelters are filling up with them and their crosses, confirms Eva Rodríguez. “Before taking any animal home, it is important to check if the family and the animal are compatible with character or lifestyle. It has to be a considered decision, because it is going to influence everyone's life, that's why the protectors do questionnaires and interviews that may seem excessive, but they are focused on looking after the animal ”.

 

Watching over animals is the essence of the new Law on the Protection and Rights of Animals that the Government intends to carry out and includes obligations such as taking a training course before having a dog. “It seems that it will be free, online and simple, however it has caused a stir, although it is still something logical and perhaps it will help to avoid unpleasant surprises such as discovering that the puppies are going to chew your furniture or piss on the parquet and that they get sick and there is no social security, but there is a veterinary VAT of 21% ”, Eva Rodríguez emphasizes. “A few days ago they had to operate on a fifteen-year-old dog that we are in charge of after her owner dies, a small operation on one eye exceeded a thousand euros. It's a setback that doesn't have to happen, but if it happens you have to face it and that's the kind of thing you have to think about before taking a living being home ”.

 

Apart from the complexity of their care, experts also remember that animals get sick and veterinary consultations can be expensive. It is important to know this before bringing an animal home.

When asked which animals are suitable for children now that Christmas is going to cause too many to end up in the letter to the Three Wise Men, Laura Alberdi's answer is blunt: “None. If an animal enters a house it is because adults love it and are committed to taking care of it, from experience we know that the most probable thing is that the child who today desperately wants a fish in two months will not remember him ”.

Inés Díaz agrees: “Giving animals is not a good idea. Making a child responsible for an animal, and even more so if it is exotic, is like making a child responsible for having a barbecue in the mountains or driving a car ”. "Neither for children nor for adults," adds Eva Rodríguez. "In fact, more and more protectors close their adoptions during Christmas so as not to promote the idea that an animal is a gift."

“It is wonderful that children are interested in animals and the logical thing is to encourage it, for example by teaching them more about them. Today it is easy to access quality documentaries ”, proposes Laura Alberdi. “If a child becomes obsessed with Nemo, what we can do is make him know his habits. The clownfish is fascinating, hermaphroditic and an incredible father, but he will never show you that in a glass box ”.

 

Link: https://elpais.com/icon/actualidad/2021-12-16/cual-es-el-animal-ideal-para-regalar-a-un-nino-esta-navidad-ninguno.html