People should not kill mosquitoes and instead let them bite us, urged a French television presenter, in a statement which has since garnered much ridicule worldwide.

Mosquitoes are risking their lives for their babies

Aymeric Caron, who is also an animal rights activist, stated in a video that humans should not kill the insects, reported The Independent.

Caron referred to the insect as just a "mother trying to nourish her future children”.

All mosquitoes that bite humans are female—male mosquitoes feed on plant sap or nectar instead of blood, which is why Caron referred to the insects as “mothers”.

He stated that people should allow mosquitoes to obtain "blood donations", and that such an issue should not be considered a "drama".

He also added that mosquitoes were merely trying to obtain protein for their eggs, risking their lives for their babies, and therefore should not be killed.

Caron's unusual beliefs stem from how he considers himself an anti-specist—someone who believes all animals are deserving of equal treatment, according to the Mirror.

British animal-protection workers however, have opposed him, stating that his comments were "a step too far" and an "unhelpful distraction" to other purportedly more pertinent animal welfare issues.

UK head of animal welfare group Animal Equality Toni Vernelli stated that she drew the line at “parasites that carry malaria and kill millions of people a year”.

Some countries have mosquito-borne diseases

The Frenchman however, encouraged people to follow the example of one philosopher and activist Albert Schweitzer. 

Schweitzer believes that killing mosquitoes under certain circumstances is necessary, such as in Africa where malaria transmitted by mosquitoes is prevalent.

Killing them though, in other safer areas is not ideal, and Caron encouraged animal lovers to avoid doing so.

Caron's beliefs aren't likely to gain much favour in countries where mosquitoes actually pose a real threat.

The flying insects are known to transmit a host of life-threatening diseases such as malaria, yellow fever, chikungunya and dengue.

The latter is a real concern in Singapore, with the country currently in the midst of peak dengue season. 9,135 cases have been reported as of August 2, according to The Straits Times.

Top photo from Le Huffington Post / YouTube and Pixabay