I remember when Karolina messaged me about a year ago inviting me to apply to CE and Shimp Welfare was the first charity idea I saw and I was like “Whaaaaat I’m not doing that. What’s next, bacteria welfare?” And now I’m going to be leading a charity working on insect welfare. The irony lol.
On a serious note, the sheer numbers, the welfare and practices facts, and especially the neglectedness of the invertebrates really brought me around. I really think you folks are working on some pretty important stuff, not only making an impact for the shrimps but also paving the path for success for neglected species welfare projects.
I wonder if so far you’ve found that people “get” what you’re trying to do? Or do you think that some people you speak to still think we should be focusing on bigger animals? I, for example, was pleasantly surprised by how many people “got” insect welfare and were excited about it. I guess there will be differences between EA and non-EA folks? Also, you mentioned that you are not public or consumer-focused, which might be why there isn’t a “pushback” against this work?
Many thanks for this blog post and for your work, I’m very much looking forward to seeing what you achieve in the next few months and a year. The movement will benefit a lot from your experience!
You’ve hit the nail on the head! The idea on the face of it seems so unusual, but once I talk through the scale, neglectedness and tractability of the problem, I’ve yet to find anyone who isn’t convinced by it (except maybe my parents...)
I have been slightly bowled over by the number of people who have “got it”, but as you say, this is largely because I’m talking to EAs. But even with non-EAs, describing welfare issues such as eyestalk ablation, dying of disease or suffocating due to lack of oxygen seems to be pretty well understood and hasn’t come across as controversial...
We’re really excited to see what lies ahead for us, and can’t wait to see the progress you make on insect welfare! :)
I remember when Karolina messaged me about a year ago inviting me to apply to CE and Shimp Welfare was the first charity idea I saw and I was like “Whaaaaat I’m not doing that. What’s next, bacteria welfare?” And now I’m going to be leading a charity working on insect welfare. The irony lol.
On a serious note, the sheer numbers, the welfare and practices facts, and especially the neglectedness of the invertebrates really brought me around. I really think you folks are working on some pretty important stuff, not only making an impact for the shrimps but also paving the path for success for neglected species welfare projects.
I wonder if so far you’ve found that people “get” what you’re trying to do? Or do you think that some people you speak to still think we should be focusing on bigger animals? I, for example, was pleasantly surprised by how many people “got” insect welfare and were excited about it. I guess there will be differences between EA and non-EA folks? Also, you mentioned that you are not public or consumer-focused, which might be why there isn’t a “pushback” against this work?
Many thanks for this blog post and for your work, I’m very much looking forward to seeing what you achieve in the next few months and a year. The movement will benefit a lot from your experience!
You’ve hit the nail on the head! The idea on the face of it seems so unusual, but once I talk through the scale, neglectedness and tractability of the problem, I’ve yet to find anyone who isn’t convinced by it (except maybe my parents...)
I have been slightly bowled over by the number of people who have “got it”, but as you say, this is largely because I’m talking to EAs. But even with non-EAs, describing welfare issues such as eyestalk ablation, dying of disease or suffocating due to lack of oxygen seems to be pretty well understood and hasn’t come across as controversial...
We’re really excited to see what lies ahead for us, and can’t wait to see the progress you make on insect welfare! :)