To add some more: that’s just not how genetics works.
The reason why humans can decide to be vegans is because we’re already omnivores. We have evolved over a long time to be able to eat pretty much anything.
Most predators aren’t. They are strict carnivores, not because they choose to be but because their whole body plan has evolved that way. Take wolves for example. Their teeth are designed to kill and rip apart their prey. Their stomachs are designed to digest meat. Their eyes, ears and noses are designed to find prey. Their legs are designed to run after prey. Every single cell in their bodies is hyper-specialized on one thing: eating other animals. You can’t replace all that with traits that help it survive on a plant-based diet and expect to still have a wolf. You won’t even have a dog. I don’t know what you would get but it would probably be closer to a sheep.
These are valid points from the perspective of the present, near, and even semi distant future. I’m thinking centuries long sci-fi stuff here but I can appreciate not many people would have an interest in that kind of discussion; there are zero things I’m suggesting we do now.
Thanks for coming back with the counterpoints though. I find the “predators would suffer” the most compelling.
To add some more: that’s just not how genetics works.
The reason why humans can decide to be vegans is because we’re already omnivores. We have evolved over a long time to be able to eat pretty much anything.
Most predators aren’t. They are strict carnivores, not because they choose to be but because their whole body plan has evolved that way. Take wolves for example. Their teeth are designed to kill and rip apart their prey. Their stomachs are designed to digest meat. Their eyes, ears and noses are designed to find prey. Their legs are designed to run after prey. Every single cell in their bodies is hyper-specialized on one thing: eating other animals. You can’t replace all that with traits that help it survive on a plant-based diet and expect to still have a wolf. You won’t even have a dog. I don’t know what you would get but it would probably be closer to a sheep.
These are valid points from the perspective of the present, near, and even semi distant future. I’m thinking centuries long sci-fi stuff here but I can appreciate not many people would have an interest in that kind of discussion; there are zero things I’m suggesting we do now.
Thanks for coming back with the counterpoints though. I find the “predators would suffer” the most compelling.