Is it unethical (or even non-vegan) to watch Australia Zoo videos on YouTube? Also, please read the full post before leaving a comment.
So, to make a long story short, I've identified as vegan for many years now. I personally would never go to a zoo, aquarium, circus etc. With that being said, I grew up watching Steve Irwin's show as a kid. I loved him and his passion for wildlife conservation, and his death years back affected me a lot. Since then, I've been a fan of keeping up with the Irwin family and their personal lives via their Australia Zoo channel on YouTube.
I watch while using an ad blocker, so they're not being paid from ads when I click. My main concern is that I've heard YouTubers are paid a bit of money for every 1000 clicks they get. Some people have said that ad blockers can prevent a view from even being registered, but I'm not 100% sure whether or not that's true.
With this uncertainty in mind, do you guys think me watching videos from Australia Zoo is unethical or is it not so different from watching movies with animals in them? Would love to hear any and all opinions on this.