Activists Antsy At Ant Farm

FORGET BATTERY hens and factory farmed pigs, animal rights activists have turned their attentions to the plight of the humble ant.
They are worried that a new space-age ant farm being marketed here as an ideal gift for children will leave its tiny inhabitants feeling blue and misunderstood.
Save Animals From Exploitation wants the ant farm sold for $36.95 at upmarket Christchurch department store Ballantynes and Nature Discoveries stores around the country withdrawn from sale.
The clear tank allows children to watch ants as they live, work and space heater reviews tunnel their way through a luminous blue gel, apparently based on a Nasa space shuttle experiment.
Its manufacturer claims the gel is nutritious and non-toxic for ants, but Safe is concerned the toy is anti-educational'' and does not teach children to respect animals in their natural environment.
The other thing that is disturbing is that it is taking ants and turning them into commodities or disposable items,'' says Safe education officer Nichola Kriek. We will be writing to Ballantynes and asking them to remove this toy from their shelves.''
The ant farm is marketed as AntWorks and is touted as an educational toy by its manufacturers. They say AntWorks is based on a 2003 space shuttle experiment to study animal life in space and to test how ants successfully tunnel in microgravity.
Kriek says the toy sends children the wrong message and deprives the ants of the opportunity to live a fulfilling, natural life.
All they can do is burrow so it must be frustrating for them. And watching ants burrow through luminous blue gel isn't going to teach children anything at all about animals in their natural environment. It doesn't show them the intricacies of normal ant behaviour and it certainly doesn't teach them to respect animals in their natural environment.''
If parents wanted to help their children connect with nature, they would be better off giving them a magnifying glass and sending them out into the garden, Kriek says.
Ants aren't that difficult to come across and jfk space center not that difficult to study.''
Ballantynes Christchurch shop manager Philip Richards says he is aware of one complaint being received about the product from a customer worried about ants escaping from the unit, but there had been no complaints laid on animal welfare grounds.
We're always interested in getting feedback about products and we encourage our customers to make their views known,'' Richards says.
If Safe did put its concerns in writing he would consider their arguments.
Ballantynes has stocked AntWorks for about 10 days but the toy, recommended for children aged sixoveris also available at most Nature Discoveries stores around the country. Ants are not included.