Letters to the Editor-WESTCHESTER RISING
In order to sell their questionable product, the ad for Goldfish crackers states, “Goldfish have short memories.”
But the fact is goldfish, like most fish, have excellent memories; studies have shown that they can retain information for weeks and even as long as five months. Where’s the truth in advertising? They’d never promote such lies about people to sell a product, but the animals are a ‘safe’ target.
Most marine dwellers are actually highly intelligent, far more than we have been willing to give them credit for: For 20 years, millions have delighted in videos of Emma the Shark enjoying head pets like a puppy, from her human ocean visitor; and people who befriend octopuses remark at their cleverness and excellent problem solving skills.
Negligent, unnecessary practices like fisheries using destructive, large scale drift nets, and various ‘adventure’ activities, avoid the fact of fish sentience and intelligence; but people are changing. The entire NYS legislature just passed a bill banning octopus farming – a deplorable practice that miserably exploits octopuses in horrible conditions.
We await Gov Hochul taking the decent step of signing the Octopus Farming bill; and we urge Pepperidge Farms, and all businesses, to tell the truth about animals instead of shamefully lying about goldfish – or any non-human animal who can’t defend themselves – just to sell a cracker or anything else.
Kiley Blackman
FounderAnimal Defenders of Westchester