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Pass the soapbox, please.
Ugh.
So, having posted that previous video of Manu Ginobili swatting a bat, I have since been informed that the clip terribly controversial. Apparently, animal rights activists are appalled. Quote an article posted to PETA's website:
To bludgeon a 4-ounce animal to death, it takes either a small man or a totally unthinking one—with no respect or consideration for lives humbler than his own. This is a time when athletes in particular need to be on their best behavior around any animal and show that they have brains and a heart, not just reactionary brawn.
Amanda Schinke, who authored the letter quoted above, clearly has blurred a few facts in the name of animal rights. True, bats are majestic and beautiful creatures, and an important part of the ecosystem.
However, it is also important to remember that they are also a very real health threat to humans. Bats carry both rabies and histplasmosis, dieases which are serious and can be fatal in humans. As proprietors of a stadium which serves the public sector, the managers of the AT&T Center have a civic duty to remove all rodents in order to remain licensed with the public health department.
Furthermore, considering that the bat was in the arena, an area with 18,000 plus spectators, employees, and athletes, this bat posed an immediate danger to a number of people. Keep in mind that not only are deadly viruses found in a bat's saliva, but also its droppings. As long as the bat was alive and excreting, it was capable of spreading deadly disease to the patrons of that basketball game. Rabies is a terrifying disease which is incurable and fatal within days after onset. Histoplasmosis is a very serious lung infection which can turn to deadly pneumonia or generalized organ failure, especially in high risk groups such as small children, the elderly, and the immunocompromised. Does the author truly believe, after taking this into consideration, that it is safe to have a live bat around large groups of people?
Ginobili himself was treated at the hospital prophylactically for rabies, which is a very painful procedure. In this way, his act may be even considered to be benevolent, as he possibly prevented other persons, arguably people in a weaker physical state than himself, from having to undergo similar treatments.
To write an article which assumes that the single life of a small animal is more important than 18,000 people the author has likely never met, "takes someone with no respect or consideration for anything other than a life more humble than their own."
As far as humane removal of the bat goes, if you had actually WATCHED the broadcast or LISTENED to the commontators, you would have known that the stadium employees had attempted for hours to remove the animal with methods such as the traps, nets, and towels that PETA so adamently endorses. Only after that didn't work, they attempted more severe methods to try and protect the people in the stadium.
Furthermore, as the article continues, the author actually goes so far as to compare the Manu Ginobili's swatting of a bat to Michael Vick's pitbull fighting ring. Pitbull fighting is a vicious sport which causes immediate physical and psychological damage to animals, and creates fear and misrepresentation regarding responsible dog owners and their pets. Someone who knowingly participates in multiple counts of felony activity should hardly be compared to a single act of pest control. While to the author, it may seem logical to compare these two instances, in reality, likening a simple swat to a dog-fighting operation makes the article end on a humorous note, or, at best, come across as a satire.
Ms. Schinke's letter continues circles the Internet, hoping to jerk a few tears and bring some sort of justice to the long-dead rodent. Hopefully, people will not forget bats pose a very real threat to the health and safety of their families. Furry animals can be very cute, likeable, and even intelligent. They should be treated with respect and dignity. However, sanitation and human health should always be taken into account as well. Public health departments and The Center for Disease Control were set up for a reason, which is to protect lives, in this case 18,000 people who were at risk for going home with diseases. Ms. Schinke, while the well-being of animals is always an important cause, it is important to take a step back and look at the larger picture of life: why are sanitation laws set up, and who is at risk. Only after taking that point of view into consideration will you become a more effective activist, one who is a proponent of all life, no exceptions.
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