Petpets - Part of the Food Chain? by maiada |  |
BALTHAZAR'S KITCHEN - Personally, I am tired of all the ruckus being made over
Petpets. You know- how everyone's complaining over the fact that they're being
devoured by Balthazar and Florg? Well, after reading ___'s article on Petpet's,
I finally decided to get my lazy bum up and write this article.
Petpets as a source of food has been a controversy since Extreme
Herder was let out. But frankly, I'm surprised nobody really bothered
about it before. I mean, it's not like nobody ate Petpets before then. It just
took a game to get the word out. Petpets have been hunted and eaten since the
beginning of time. Less so now that Neopets have been domesticated, but obviously
it's still out there.
All right, now you're probably lost. "Neopets eat Petpets?" You're probably
thinking, "Since when? My Neopet has never eaten a Petpet- my pet owns a Petpet!!"
Well, that's why I'm here. To explain this "darker side" of Neopia.
Petpets are essentially part of Neopia's food chain. "Food Chain? Neopia has
a food chain?" Yes, of course it does- just like right here on planet earth!
For example, just as a wolf may hunt a sheep or a bird dig out a grub, could
that not be compared to Balthazar snacking on a Babaa or a Pteri slurping down
a Slorg? Just as we watch a lion taking down a antelope on the Discovery Channel,
feeling horrible for the poor antelope, but knowing it's a part of the "Circle
of Life" (Stealing a quick quote from The Lion King, which, by the way, is one
of the greatest movies on the face of the planet), isn't that the way we should
perceive a Kougra stalking a Donkasaur? Sure, it's sad that the Donkasaur's
going to die, but that also means that's one more Kougra who's going to survive.
More if you count current and/or future litters of cubs along with the Kougra's
pride.
Of course, I'm not saying this is a very common practice here in Neopia. As
mentioned earlier, Neopets are now domesticated. Just as they no longer hunt
each other (well, unless you count the Lupe vs. Chia dispute), you will rarely
see a Neopet eat a Petpet, with the exception of Alkenore cheese, which disgusts
all my pets, anyway, especially my baby Kougra, Nerkiekins. Just as humans stopped
hunting horses when they learned that they could be domesticated for a greater
benefit, most Neopets have Petpets of their own which they share a certain bond
with.
But there are still Neopets that hunt Petpets, such as my Kougress, Shaytane.
You see, Shaytane comes from an area of Neopia where Kougras live by their own
means. This means that they must hunt to survive as they have no owner to provide
them with what they want like a domesticated Neopet Now, even though Shaytane
has me to provide her with food and shelter, she still prefers to hunt. Her
instinct seems to be stronger than that of a Kougra bred to be domestic and
she used to often be in trouble with the Chia police for chasing off yet another
Whinny or Apis. This could be compared to the French or the Chinese, who eat
horses and dogs respectively, although both animals are generally recognised
as being domestic animals, or pets. Fortunately, she's toned it down some, but
remains the only meat-eating pet in my family.
In case you were wondering, I am a vegetarian (Well, semi-vegetarian, but that's
a long story...) And as a huge fan of Neopets, "real life" animals and Petpets
(How can you resist their cute and cuddly faces?) the aspect of Neopets that
has Neopets hunting Petpets is not one of my favourites. But as I would never
consider punishing my cat over his hard-won mouse, who am I to begrudge the
Aisha his Miamouse? After all, most Neopets have some sort of Petpet whose taste
instinct will not let them forget. How many times have I seen a flotsam I once
owned look at her Catamara predatorily?
In conclusion, although Petpets make fine companions for some of your pets,
they can also be looked upon as a delicacy to others. While not really common
to see Petpets being eaten anymore, there are still the few hunters out there
who would love to have a crisp little Wadjet to munch on as an afternoon snack.
Just make sure to never let Florg get his paws on your poor Pet Rock, and you
should be fine.
Editor's Note: This will probably be the last "Petpets: Tasty Treat
or Handy Stepping Stool" article. |
