# RSPCA are at it again.



## candoia aspera (Mar 5, 2007)

how silly is this all going to end up?

Cuddling the class pet is cruel, RSCPA tells schools - Times Online


----------



## Reaper941 (Mar 21, 2008)

That's ridiculous. From first hand experience if the kids are supervised they cannot harm the animal and it's a great learning experience.

How silly will it end up??..

Don't breathe. Carbon dioxide can harm the house flies. :whistling2:


----------



## sharpstrain (May 24, 2008)

:devil: tossers


----------



## Sarracenia (Mar 20, 2008)

There was a decent point made about classrooms being a noisy environment, but maybe if they focused on it, they could get their point across. It also mentioned that school pets get given to different people every week, which, if it's true (which I highly doubt), is pretty bad. However, you may have noticed that these things aren't described as "cuddling the class pet". The RSPCA are missing the point entirely. If they tried to teach the "teachers" and staff properly and made the kids get disciplined, it would probably make quite a difference.
And come on, how would stuffed animals (I hope they didn't mean teddy bears :lol2 demonstrate the need to care for animals? Simply put, the RSPCA are messed up and certainly need X Rays to check for any signs of brain activity.


----------



## TAXI (Apr 5, 2008)

Got to be a good learning experience....DICK HEADS:bash:


----------



## Titch1980 (Mar 6, 2006)

Sarracenia said:


> There was a decent point made about classrooms being a noisy environment, but maybe if they focused on it, they could get their point across. It also mentioned that school pets get given to different people every week, which, if it's true (*which I highly doubt*), is pretty bad. However, you may have noticed that these things aren't described as "cuddling the class pet". The RSPCA are missing the point entirely. If they tried to teach the "teachers" and staff properly and made the kids get disciplined, it would probably make quite a difference.
> And come on, how would stuffed animals (I hope they didn't mean teddy bears :lol2 demonstrate the need to care for animals? Simply put, the RSPCA are messed up and certainly need X Rays to check for any signs of brain activity.


they actually do, our kids school hamster they choose a different person to take it home each weekend and holidays


----------



## ratboy (Jan 10, 2007)

Hmmm... Less about animal cruelty and more about animal rights I think ?


----------



## Athravan (Dec 28, 2006)

If the RSPCA are concerned, why not provide education in the case of a course for teachers to attend on animal welfare, that the teachers can pass on to the children.

Animals in schools are still being looked after at the end of the day, given housing, food, water, and attention. All the small furries and similar in rescues not being looked after and not being found homes are surely much more of a worry. 

My school had a hamster, to be honest classrooms weren't that noisy, it was quite a strict school, and there was no shouting / screaming in the classroom as we were always supervised, certinly no more noise than having a hamster in the same room as a tv being wached all day, and I don't see the RSPCA complaining about that. It didn't go home at night but again... how much attention do most small furries, reptiles, insects or fish need during the night? I dont handle mine at night! Our hamster went home to a different person in the holidays - with the permission of the parents of course, who would be the ones responsible for it, but on weekends the caretaker checked up on the classroom animals in my school.

I think a small furry teaches kids to be gentle and respect animals, it teaches them that they need to be fed, watered and cleaned... I don't see how a stuffed animal can teach them any of those things.


----------



## SiUK (Feb 15, 2007)

I expect no better from the twats


----------



## ratboy (Jan 10, 2007)

At the end of the day, most of the classroom animals they are talking about... ie Mice, Hamsters, Rats, Gerbils, etc would be classed as vermin if they were not being kept as pets. Which is why I think that this is more about animal rights.

Does the fact that a mouse is being held by a child that is shrieking ( presumably with delight ) actually bother the mouse ? Personally, I would think not. I have never seen a pet mouse bolt from loud noises... has anyone else ? usually, they just have a quick look in that direction, see that there is nothing to be scared of and stick their noses back in to whatever they were examining before the noise happened.


----------



## tokay (Mar 13, 2007)

this is rediculous , next itll be dont look at the animal as staring can cause stress :crazy:


----------



## matt1977 (Jul 1, 2007)

we were very lucky at my school a few of us that were interested were allowed to persue our own wild life projects in our lunch time and after school ,we got the school to set by a nice area for conservation which 16 years later is still there and doing really well. Also there was the good old school hamster and gerbal, we were also allowed to keep slow worms that we had found, i think these were my first steps towards keeping my own reps.
But most of all above all else we were encouraged to respect and care for these living creatures and to do our resurch. I think it would be such a crying shame if kids now didnt the opertunity to look after and learn about animals at school, me and my school mates got a hell of a lot out of keeping them.
Come on RSPCA how many animals were kept in your schools and how many at your rspca training course?? I hope you (rspca) work out that if you ban all animal keeping you'll be outa work. The "animal S.S" as i think they should be called need a good hard rethink on a lot of there policies.


----------



## Dungbug (Oct 16, 2007)

Stupid idiots, what harm is it causing? It's a good way to allow kids to interact with an animal and how to be responsible, haven't they got anything better to do?


----------



## Matt Northampton (Dec 20, 2006)

More Rspca rubbish, where do they get off. When will they remember they are no more than a charity and not a law enfocement agency.


----------



## Marinam2 (Sep 4, 2007)

I remember being at school and being about 8-9yrs and we used to keep geese in a large enclosed area in the centre of the school it was surround by the school only the teachers had access but they used to breed and we were once all rounded up to open the eggs and look at the embryos. It was disturbing and cruel and we all went home crying our eyes out. 

The school then got a whole heap of ducklings and chicks and within a week five were dead being the kids including me were allowed to play with them.

On the other hand the nursey i work at now had a fish bowl with fish and they were kept appalingly before i stepped in to give them a proper tank with filter and light. We also had a rob hamster and the two girls who bought it were bored of it before the kids were although it was never treated cruelly or neglected.

Marina


----------



## skinky_boots (Apr 10, 2008)

*insanity*

where on earth do they get off ? how can you teach children respect if they dont come into contact with animals ! pure stupidity.


----------



## Marinam2 (Sep 4, 2007)

bloody hell though you have enough for your entire neighbourhood.

Marina


----------



## skinky_boots (Apr 10, 2008)

*lol ur joking*

what I have is very tame compared to my friends collections.I have two rooms dedicated to my reptiles. Does anyone really think the RSPCA will get there way over the reptile and snake keeping ? .I know alot of councils Have banned schools having pets now full stop the class room pet is heading for a thing of the past.I remember as someones mentioned that there use to be volunteers to take tem home for holidays and we loved doing it , that was a honour when I was at school to take the gerbils home for the holidays.


----------



## sparkle (Mar 21, 2007)

We had two gerbils in primary 7.... we took great care of them and it was an honour to be allowed to gently handle them and clean them .. give them fresh food and water....

it turned out they were not same sex and accidentaly had babies..

we were allowed with permission of a letter from our parents to have one baby permanently as a pet..

we seperated the two gerbils and they lived on their own after that first mating..
I was luckily allowed one of the gerbil babies....

He was golden coloured..


and the runt.. ( must have been where this saveing of the weakest started LOL)

that gerbil lived 3 1/2 years with me.. I adored him.. he got out every night to run around the living room... KNEW his name when he was called and come sit at your feet....and would run up onto your knee if you clicked your tongue as that meant food..

he would be out for around an hour each evening and retire back to his little cage..

each morning hed come out to greet my dad to get his little bit of fruit at 6am then back out again to se me before i went to shcool.

He was the tamest most celver gerbil in the world to me at that age ( 10 yrs old)... and most people who visited us couldnt belive he got out every night and went back into his cage willingly.. I stil have fond memories of him.. and as i wasnt allowed reptiles til I left home... rodents were what i kept back then... ( sorry for the gushy post but i DID adore him  )

If it hadnt been for classroom pets we wouldnt have understood the importence of keeping young animals apart.. nor would I ever have had my pet..

I agree occasionally kids can be overexcited and boisterous with small animals but surely thats down to the discipline of the teachers and not every classroom acts this way...


----------



## Evie (Jan 28, 2008)

Interestingly I used to teach in an animal care college. All reptiles, furries, birds etc. were (and still are) handled daily by students of all ages and abilities from severe learning difficulties up to HE. The RSPCA regularly sent their staff on reptile handling courses so it sounds like one rule for them and another for everyone else.


----------

