Are oysters vegan?
Question: Are oysters vegan?
Answer: Is this question asking if oysters eat a vegan diet, or if they are a vegan food for humans to consume? To answer both, oysters are herbivores. They consume a vegetarian diet that is comprised of phytoplankton and algae from the ocean. They are filters, which help to clean the ocean water. For the second question, it is not vegan for a human to eat oysters. Eating oysters is not a vegan thing to do. Oysters are not a vegan food.
Oysters are animals. They contain a heart, stomach, a circulatory system, and other such body parts and are bivalve animals. Oysters are animals. Period. And eating animals is not in line with being a vegetarian or vegan.
Vegans who want to consume oysters are not committed to being a vegan, because eating oysters is not a vegan thing to do. It doesn't fit with vegan views, even if people try to bend the definition to vegan to fit what they want it to be. When Watson coined the term vegan it was (and remains) a lifestyle that doesn't harm animals. Eating oysters would be harming animals.
Oysters are fascinating animals that are important to our ecosystem. They are peaceful animals that add to and help the planet. Let's let them live in peace and not try to bend the definition of vegetarian or vegan to consume them. We don't eat animals. Oysters are animals.
And while we are on the topic - it would not be a animal friendly to wear pearls either. Once you learn about how pearls are made and cultivated you will hopefully have compassion and avoid wearing them.
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