Actually -- the market for the meat animals is not largely affected by people purchasing them for pets. Many folks buy them for soup and many restaurants purchase them in large scale.

The only ones who may cause a larger demand are those that purchase them in bulk to re-sell them as pet animals.

Still buying one of these animals to rescue it should not be taken lightly. Yes, you are going to get an animal considerably cheaper than buying it through the pet trade but it may not be as inexpensive a deal as you think. The time, energy and medical treatment for these animals can be VERY VERY BIG. And still you may lose them. They have been through so very much that by the time they reach the meat markets they are really pushed to limit and their immune system can be shot. Not to mention the parasite load that so many of them have.

Just be prepared for the fact that this "inexpensive act of kindness" can end up costing you way more than buying a captive bred animal.

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