Men agree breast is best for babies

BY JAYNE ATHERTON

A woman breastfeeds a tiger cub together with her own baby. Hia Htay stepped in after two cubs were rejected and refused bottle feeding at a Myanmar zoo. 'They are like my babies,she said.  [Pictures AFP/Getty Images]

MOST men don't know where to look if a mother is breastfeeding- but the majority would prefer their own children to be fed naturally, a survey shows.

Nearly 80 per cent of men said they were in favour of the idea and a similar number said they would feel happy about their partner breast feeding in public.

The findings lend weight to efforts to encourage the practice.

Britain has one of the lowest breastfeeding rates in Europe despite the benefits, which include weight loss, bonding with a newborn and reducing the risks of cancer.

Almost a third of new mothers never try it, compared with just two per cent in Sweden.

The Government wants to increase breastfeeding by two per cent a year.Breastfeeding Awareness Week next week has the backing of Friends actress Courteney Cox-Arquette.

She said: 'Breastfeeding took a lot of perseverance through the early weeks because my daughter did not latch on properly and it really hurt.

'But I am so happy I stayed with it because, not only do I have a special bond with my child, but it's so easy now and she is extremely healthy.'

Cat's life:

Shinta, an eight-year-old endangered white Bengal tiger watches one of her four newborn cubs at Taman Safari Park, Indonesia.

Shinta, whose parents were donated from Minnesota Zoo,is the first tiger born and bred at the safari park.

Picture:AP

ANTI-AD CAMPAIGN IS ROARING SUCCESS

White tiger cub The HaIifax bank has become the latest firm to stop using wild animals in commercials following a campaign by the Captive Animals' Protection Society. A recent advert for Halifax's Moneyback Current Account features a white tiger cub chained to a  bedpost as a symbol of the luxury lifestyle the bank associates with the account.Its is well known that wild animals in captivity who are taken from their mother at a young age are more likely to have behavioural problems in later life. Wild animals do not belong in captivity. Those used in entertainment often live miserable lives and may be subjected to cruel training.
Craig Redmond, CAPS campaigns officer


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