strangehottubgarden:

chickenkeeping:

hot take of the day is that coyote peterson and his channel are Bad. his dramatized clickbait videos where he antagonizes animals until they bite him is not something i support at all

This has been my cold take of the fucking year. He gets broad immunity under the guise of a wildlife educator. This is the same immunity that Brian Barcyzk of Snakebytes and BHB reptiles (puppy mill style reptile breeder, practices terrible husbandry, exploits sick and unwell animals in his YT videos, free handles venomoids, kept a literal nile monitor in a mesh cage) benefits from.

A league of crusty ignoramuses emerge from the depths of these fan bases and defend them at any cost every time they are criticized. “You have to weigh the cost of one animal being a little distressed versus the education they are providing!!!” “If it weren’t for people like Coyote Peterson we wouldn’t even know about these animals or care so stfu!!!” “Biologists have to do the same thing to animals in the field!” “But he’s doing this because he loves animals and wants everyone to love them.” “The animal looks happy and healthy this is natural for them.”

When I hear this utter stupidity and ignorance I start to ascend to the next life or whatever the fuck comes after because my mortal soul has to displace itself to survive it. This invalidates the genuine work being done by zoos and sanctuaries to preserve wildlife, their populations and communities, and educate the public about their needs. Also, it turns out biologists use actual methodology and record keeping in the field to serve a purpose greater than “wow give me views, boy do I sure love animals, look at me being cute with this here animal!!!.” I’d say most biologists, if afforded the opportunity, try to devise safer and less cruel methods to observe and study wildlife. I am going to pray for all and any of you who watch and defend his shit.

Now, onto the elusive DOUBLE STUPID, and say it with me:

Calling 👏 an 👏 animal 👏 a 👏 cute 👏 name 👏 and 👏 declaring 👏 that 👏 it’s 👏 having 👏 a 👏 good 👏 time 👏 is 👏 not 👏 a 👏 valid 👏 form 👏 of 👏 measurement👏

For instance you can’t take: “Look at this gorgeous animal, a real cutie, she’s really having a good time with all this attention here-“ as a valid sign the animal is not in distress. This section of my essay is also a “fuck you” letter to those in the “this is natural in the wild,” and “it’s one animal and this education we are getting here on me YouTube program might save their whole species!!!!” camps. Anthropormization is literally killing animals. I’m going to go out of my way and make the bold statement that most herptile species don’t understand that making your mouth in the shape of a “u” is a sign of human happiness or affection. So if you say that a turtle is smiling at you so it clearly can’t be having a bad time than you need certified 100% Jesus.

There is no unspoken telepathic language between animals and humans. When you pick up an animal and harass it into biting you it thinks it’s going to die. That’s not an exaggeration or a metaphor. It genuinely thinks something larger and stronger that wants to eat it is going to eat it. When it bites you it is defending itself at all costs. It’s not thinking “oh man, I guess I can chill for this one dude he’s a wildlife educator I’ll just show him my skills *chomp*”

Also no, being taunted into biting a big dumb mammal(trademark sign) and then having isopropyl alcohol poured down your throat is not natural in the wild. That’s also punishing an animal for doing something you forced it to do, which as we all know, is very *natural* and all biologists have to do that in the field.

His only purpose is to educate. But what value is the education of proving that being bit by a snapping turtle is A) possible and B) hurts? We already been done knew that. This isn’t the most valuable thing for the public to know about snapping turtles, it’s the most shocking. The most entertaining. I find it hard to believe the education that snapping turtles, named after their predisposition to snap, can snap, is worth harassing that animal. Sorry.

Thanks for coming to my TED talk.