Meet the Radical Rodents, the "coolest and hippest mice in the world" and keen surfers from Down Under! Their owner, Shane Willmott of Queensland, takes the mice surfing when the sea is calm and said that they love it!
While I applaud your concern, badgirl, I just wanted to say I've had lots of pet rats through the years (yes--those are rats, not well-fed mice) and that's exactly the kind of thing they'd find fun. Far from drowning, they're excellent and enthusiastic swimmers and quite the little thrill seekers. In the video, you can clearly see them jump off of the boards (not glued on) and run toward the camera with what looks to me like a "That was fun! Let's do it again!" attitude.
I enjoy seeing well trained and well cared for animals perform. It can be a credit to the trainer and the pet. That being said, this is torturing animals for the amusement of humans and I find it repulsive.
any time i see an animal on a surfboard (last month i think it was a cat, yes?) i can't help but think that they are staying on due to feeling trapped, not out of pleasure. what do i know, i don't speak any animal languages so i can't ask them, but based on body posture i don't think these rats look happy. that's just me.
I too have owned rats, and this is not torture. It's called fun. I am serious, people. There is a void in your soul if you have nothing better to do than cry about perceived torture, when the little critters are actually guiding the boards on clear set paths through the surf.
Our house rats (two sisters) love water, they've learned to turn the kitchen sink faucet on all by themselves - now if they'd just learn to turn it off when they're finished.
Hey, if humans enjoy surfing, why wouldn't animals? To assume that we're the only species that knows how to have fun is preposterous. And I agree, rats love water. If they didn't enjoy being on the board they could easily hop off and swim to shore.
I think this is so cool! Rats love water and you can count on me to be telling the truth because I am a die hard animal lover. I don't agree with cruelty to animals, or circus performing, or anything like that, but that's not cruelty! They love it, you can see. Like someone else said, why should we selfishly assume humans are the only ones to have fun?
to death. Of COURSE they're gonna stay glued to the boards!
Either that or drown.
Fun, Fun, Fun!