Isn’t incredulous, or maybe just tone deaf, that the two letter writers who want to keep Star where he is only talked about what they want, not what is best for Star? He is in a tiny enclosure near one of the busier commuter routes in Anchorage, exposed to constant noise, light and noxious fumes. He is on gravel, not grass, with no room in his pen to stretch his legs like other reindeer. Exposing humans to constant noise and light and in small enclosures has a term too: torture.
I grew up working on a farm in Point MacKenzie. I have been exposed to animals all my life; I come from an old Alaska family that hunts and fishes (and some even trapped), so I’m not some hack. I live with four animals and my thoughts always go to what are their needs and what’s best for them not the other way around. When one takes responsibility for another living, breathing creature, one of God’s creatures, and they depend on you for everything, then the whole ‘it’s about me’ notions are supposed to go out the door.
I’d like to see more people ask themselves what’s best for Star, not what’s best for them and the tourists who stop by to take photos.
— Shawn O’Donnell
Anchorage
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