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An Iowa man built his six-inch parakeet a miniature submarine so the bird could join him underwater in the Bahamas — the homemade capsule used a paintball air tank, safety valves and an oxygen monitor (spacedaily.com)
submitted 3 weeks ago by to c/upliftingnews@lemmy.world
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This entire article is gold:

  • The bird is called Bebe
  • Bebe was fine. He was there for 15 minutes, and there was a lot of practice, safety, and care. Bebe is also used to shenanigans of all sorts
  • The submarine is called the Bebosphere
  • 'Stephen Lawyer, who really is a lawyer'
  • His wife is called Cher
  • People do the most beautiful unhinged shit with paintball cylinders
  • Bebe answers phonecalls
  • Bebe's other hobbies include indoor cycling, outdoor cycling, and skydiving
  • Precisely none of this was AI

What a treasure to be the person writing this story, congratulations Mr. Moran

Video here

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[–] 4 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

You should probably read the article then, since a bird did volunteer to do this

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  • [–] -2 points 2 weeks ago* (1 child)

    No, it didn't.

    Lawyer sealed Bebe into the capsule in a sink at home and then in the bathtub, with his wife Cher helping test the rig...

    No where in the article does it describe the bird as having an active role in any of the activities it was subjected to.

    It does document historical abuse of birds though:

    It is the same trait behind the old miner’s habit of carrying a caged canary underground: birds are famously quick to show the effects of bad air, long before it would register with the people around them.

    This is an abused bird that's imprinted on a human due to that abusive-environment. Its slaver has a habit of forcing it into novel situations.

    Animals should be with their own kind. This is an article about a bird-slaver playing with his "property". This is most certainly depressing news.

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  • [–] 3 points 2 weeks ago

    Go read the very bottom, all of it, where it explicitly says how the bird itself chooses to enter the capsule, repeatedly, and even chose the site for diving.

    I know this is a very sore subject for many, especially for someone calling pets a slave, but the bird absolutely did choose and seemingly had fun.

    We can't know what animals feel, or what's truly going on in their head. We can study their reactions, but what if that reaction shows they're happy? Would you still accept that?

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