“So all pets are in prison. Keeping a pet by your definition is cruel. They are animals. Their life in captivity is far better than in the wild.”
Pets have been domesticated for thousands of years and enjoy being our companions if we give them good conditions. The intelligent ones will stay with you even if you put no walls around them.
Imprisoning wild animals in a tiny cage where they can’t even run is very very different. The animals obviously look depressed and dead when compared to their wild relatives.
And yes, I think the domestication process is very cruel and I don’t think it should be done on any more animals purely for our entertainment. In theory, you can create domesticated lions and whales but why make animals suffer for our entertainment?
but why make animals suffer for our entertainment?
So which one is it? You are arguing both sides of the issue.
And, of course, should we eat animals?
If you go out to a rural farm you will see a lot of dogs and cats that live their whole life free of fences of restraint. They still live in the bar and under the porch and love their owners. Domestication and imprisonment aren’t the same. If people want to see whales there are plenty of nice cruises off the Alaskan Coast.