I’m a fan of The Rake, but do you just toss that award-winning attention to detail and critical thinking to the wind when you write about anything concerning animals? In December, you (1) profiled Horst [“The Fine Art of Living Well”] without mentioning a top Aveda selling point—their refusal to test their cosmetics on animals, (2) extolled the virtues of hat-wearing [“Put a Lid On It”], and reminisced for beaver-donning days without mention of the fact that this little fashion trend nearly extinguished Minnesota’s furry buck-toothed population and (3) detailed Katie Quirk’s transformation from vegetarian to butterburger lover [“Minnesota Fats”]. Now, don’t get me wrong, Quirk is a fantastic writer, but shouldn’t something as common as “Former Idealist Returns to Hamburger” be left to The Onion? In November, you published “Oh, fer cute! Ouch!” and offered a glimpse into the hip pocket-pet trend of the year, sugar gliders—from a pet dealer’s perspective. To balance this out, I sent the article to Nick Mooney, a wildlife professional in the gliders’ native Tanzania. It turns out that the cute little animal whom Dan Gilchrist describes as “desperately trying to get out of your hands” is probably “stressed and not happy about being handled,” says Mooney. And even when the glider seems mellow and content—Gilchrist describes owners who put the marsupials in their shirt pockets “while they watch TV or work on the computer”—they’re really freaking out, according to Mooney. Gliders, he says, “curl up and withdraw as a response to stress.” Mooney wrote, “All in all I’m appalled to see our wonderful marsupials become ‘pocket pets’ with little or no dignity, a likely sticky end with no benefit whatsoever to sugar gliders.” Want more? Mooney was also concerned about the impact on individual gliders and the local environment should they escape and compete with hollow-nesting birds and animals, and the temptation to declaw the claw-needing critters. Mooney was curious to know whether welfare legislation protects such unconventional pets. Concerns for animal and environmental welfare have prompted many states and municipalities to make ownership of the marsupials illegal. According to the online store K & D Exotic Pets, sugar gliders are illegal or restricted in nine states (not yet including Minnesota) as well as many municipalities. Keep up the good work, Rake editors. But maybe you could leave the critters be.
Sue Rich, North Minneapolis
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