PETA WATCH

Academics including a professor from Oxford university have launched an assault on common English language terms such as 'wildlife' and 'pets' claiming they are derogatory to animals.

An editorial in the new academic publication the Journal of Animal Ethics insists animal lovers should stop referring to their treasured friends as pets because it is insulting and use the term 'companion animal' instead.

“Despite its prevalence, ‘pets’ is surely a derogatory term both of the animals concerned and their human carers,” the editorial complains.

“Again the word ‘owners’, whilst technically correct in law, harks back to a previous age when animals were regarded as just that: property, machines or things to use without moral constraint.”

“We invite authors to use the words ‘free-living’, ‘free-ranging’ or ‘free-roaming’ rather than ‘wild animals’.

In a bizarre PETA-style effort, the editors Professors Andrew Linzey and Priscilla Cohnalso also want phrases such as 'sly as a fox', 'eat like a pig' and 'drunk as a skunk' banned.

Next up: world peace.

(via Doug and Sharon)