Category: Animal Abuse

The Interconnected Web of Life: Human Dependence on Animals

The web of life is complex and involves the unstable equilibrium of a multitude of distinct organisms that compete, cooperate, destroy, transform, and that one billion and a half years ago evolve side by side, adapting, accommodating themselves, becoming indispensable to each other, and inexorably transforming the physical environment little by little. As living beings, human beings are part of this web of life, depending on nonhuman beings. It is important to recognize that defending animal rights is also fight for human beings rights, preserve the ecosystem will guarantee human survival. The diligence for broader animal rights would bring transcendental benefits to the public health, sociology and safety of individuals.

Historical Perspectives on Animal Rights

Humans from their earliest days created a supremacy relationship over other species. Such a hierarchy contributed to the exploitation of nature without any responsibility. The result of the human fallacy regarding the environment has generated a series of crisis in our biodiversity. The loss of natural habitat, the extinction of fauna and flora species, pollution, along with various factors leave the Earth in an emergency state. To push aside speciesism, to concretize the doctrine approached by animal rights activists, and to offer protection not only to men but to all species are essential actions that must be practiced for the good coexistence between beings and to recover the damage. Considering that every animal has rights and that ignorance and contempt of these rights have led and continue to lead humans to commit crimes against animals, against nature and even against themselves. To understand this article it is necessary to know that animal law is defined as a set of rules and principles that establishes the fundamental rights of animals, which exist for their own purposes and must have their rights recognized as well as humans.

The Evolution of Animal Rights Activism

Animal rights or movement in defense of these rights emerges as a fundamental activism, the protection of living beings as a way of protecting not only the environment, the ecosystem and preventing the extinction of various species, but also their fundamental rights such as life, freedom and respect, curbing acts of violence, cruelty and mistreatment. Philosophy, morals, ethics, virtues such as compassion and benevolence are the essence of the animal rights movement, arousing in humans the struggle for the rights of other species. Law together with morals and ethics must provide instruments to protect animals, must keep in mind that humans are also an animal species, that nonhuman animals as well as humans are capable of feel pain, hunger, cold, suffering, and even if it is not verified or not understood their language, they are capable of expressing feelings. Reinforcing the idea that animals should have rights similar to those of humans, guaranteeing at least the exemption from harmful exploitation, according to Rich (2019), “activists say that the intelligence, compassion, suffering, and community values that are so treasured in humanity are evident in other animals as well” (para. 16). After checking the moral status of animals and the so-called welfare laws in general, it is briefly noted that the main human actions involving animals violate animal protection laws in various ways, making it clear that despite moral developments of animals in history, they are still seen as property, or are simply morally ignored by human society. Hence the importance of animal rights reform, according to Rich (2019), ‘the adoption of animal rights into legislation would mean that nonhuman animals could not be used for food, clothing, entertainment, or experimentation’ (para. 1).

The Impact of Human Activities on Animals and the Environment

Over the years, nonhuman animals have been used for different human purposes, from food and traction to research and entertainment. This view led the world to adopt a strong anthropocentric position, which over time was reinforced by different authors. This position places man at the center of the universe, which is why the social evolution of rights has always been for humanity, leaving animals and the environment in the background. Although the history of humanity is based mostly on premises that uphold human superiority, there have also been in the past thinkers who upheld the life of animals. The first to advocate for nonhuman animals were the philosophers Pitagoras, Voltaire, and Rousseau. Around the middle of the eighteenth century, a new animal advocate, Jeremy Benthan, emerged (Proquest staff, 2019, para. 1).

Bentham argued that if rationality were the criterion, as argued, for example, by Aristotle and Descarte, many humans, including babies and disabled people, should also be treated as things. But despite his best efforts, his ideas were considered ridiculous until the late eighteenth century. The nineteenth century, however, comes with a marked growth in the interest of animal protection, especially in England. Scholars increasingly became concerned about the rights of the elderly, the needy, children and the mentally handicapped, extending these concerns to animals, as Bentham proposed. In this period several societies were born that aimed at the protection of animals. In 1822, according to the proquest staff, “Great Britain passes the Martin’s Act, the first law against cruelty to farm animals” (para. 2). Animal rights awareness increased until the period after World War II, when the treatment of animals began to worsen, the demand for animal products grew alarmingly, due to the acceleration of production aimed at fostering the consumption and feed the post-war countries. Along with the population explosion in the twentieth century, there was a change in the eating habits of the world’s population, increasing human consumption of meat, such consumption that persists in growth. Animal rights awareness grows and animal protection institutions are created until 1966, when the US Congress passed the Animal Welfare Act (AWA). The first animal law is put into effect and other laws and amendments are made when, on October 12, 2010, in Suffolk, New York becomes the first county in the country to create an animal abuse record, being an example for other municipalities and even countries. In 2015, the FBI announces that starting from 2016 they will track animal cruelty cases. Maltreatment of animals in human entertainment venues was discovered and laws were created, on January 29, 2019 the most recent accomplishment of the cause of Animal Rights was in California, when it was banned pet stores that were selling not rescued animals.

Challenges and Progress in Animal Rights Legislation

Despite all the exploration done in the past that persists to today, we can emphasize that there was a civilizing progress from the earliest to the present day, a better ecological awareness was being built as humans realized the destructive and irreparable consequences that were providing nature. The big challenge, however, is to reconcile economic and social development, which culminates in a derogatory and exploitative capitalism, with animal rights, as much of society still thinks this protection is not necessary, as such a position would make business impossible from large industries and businesses that base their activities on animal products.

Knowing that a proposal that treats animals as objects, as beings that are bound to serve human ideologies and which ignores the inherent and biological right of any living being to life, cannot be accepted by today’s society. Animal rights activists claim that religious sacrifices and slaughter by specific religions cause unnecessary suffering to animals. As found by Siegal (2018), ‘Observant Jews and Muslims follow religious laws that dictate that they eat the meat of animals that have been slaughtered according to strict rules, including that the animals are conscious and healthy when their throats are cut’ (para. 5). Slaughter rituals, which set specific standards for animal consumption, are commonly practiced in Judaism and Islam even currently. Nevertheless, the rituals of sacrifice, where animals are offered to spirits or deities for the sake of worship (not necessarily consumption), were frequent in most ancient religions, being present among the Hebrews, Greeks and Romans, but today only a few religions maintain this practice. But unfortunately, religious intolerance persists in our society, believers are segregated and oppressed every day, which makes an understanding between animal rights activists and practitioners of these religious rituals difficult. As stated by Moshe Kantor, the president of the Jewish Congress, through research by Siegal (2018):

Some of those who try and ban our customs are in essence trying to make Europe me uncomfortable for Jews, because the essence and centrality of our life are our ancient traditions, and if our customs are not welcome nor are our communities (para. 14). Speaking of two sides that suffer discrimination and neglect, an agreement must be made that respects the rights of religious freedom and the rights of animals. Certainly, the industrial slaughter that leads the animal to stressful conditions when in a single row watch, one after another, being slaughtered until its turn comes, needs to be commented and disapproved.

The raising of animals for food purposes is often related to cases of maltreatment in which animals live in deplorable conditions. In the United States, the largest meat producer in the world, millions of chickens are locked in “battery cages,” which are overcrowded and have no room for birds to spread their wings. The situation of pigs is no different: millions of breeding sows are confined to “gestation cells”, which are individual metal stalls where females cannot even turn around. Multiple animal mutilations: unanesthetized testicular amputation, tails, horns, beak, wing feathers, teeth and ear pieces. Branding, burning the skin of the animal and causing it a lot of pain. Forced crossbreeding between breeding animals and the abrupt separation of young from their mothers (artificial weaning). As pointed out by Bennett (2014), “undercover investigations at industrial farms have revealed that animals are often not properly anesthetized when undergoing physical procedures or during the slaughtering process” (p. 533). In addition, there are also environmental impacts correlated with livestock activity, which emits large amounts of methane, nitrous and ammonia gases into the atmosphere from animal feces and deforestation of pastures. Considering the high water consumption to keep the meat production, we can conclude according to Bennett (2014) that, ‘The pollution from factory farms, which is largely exemplified from many environmental laws, leads to contaminated land, air, and water, and damages the surrounding natural ecosystems. , the animals found within them, and areas sensitive to climate change ‘(p. 538).

The link between men and animals is very old. Over time, the domestic animal acquired the status of family members. However, due to this proximity, there are a large number of cases of maltreatment: abandonment, neglect, beatings, mutilations, burns, wildlife trafficking, zoophilia, breeding, illegal hunting and recreational use of animals, among others. Although much of society is more aware of animal status, the crime of mistreatment is still considered to be of lesser potential for offense. Grigen’s (2019) study found the following: Since the mid-1970s, numerous studies in psychology, sociology, and criminology have demonstrated that people who abuse animals are often—although not always—also dangerous to other people. Serial killers, mass murderers, sexual homicide perpetrators, serial rapists, and arsonists often have childhood histories of animal abuse. Perpetrators of more common forms of violence, such as child abuse, spouse abuse, and elder abuse, also tend to be abusive toward animals. (para. 9)

The causes that lead people to mistreat animals should be examined not only because abuse is correlated with interpersonal violence by humans, but also because animals are worthy of moral consideration, regardless of their relationship to humans. Animal abuse is more likely to occur when individuals are ignorant of the abusive consequences of their actions, believe that their abusive treatment is justified, and when they realize that the benefits of their actions outweigh the harms​. ​Unfortunately it is clear that although some cases of animal maltreatment reach wide repercussions through the media, these offenses are still more leniently tolerated by law and society in comparison with other transgressions, clearly reinforcing the anthropocentric perspective. According to Grigen (2019), ‘Historically, the investigation, prosecution, and punishment of animal abuse were considered as low priorities in the US criminal justice system (para. 14). It is possible, then, to start thinking also of biocentric criminologies, where all living beings should be considered for their value in themselves and not for their usefulness or ability to serve man. Human beings need to understand that their actions have consequences not only on other human beings, but on all life forms. And that they are all equally important and worthy of our respect.

The Ethical and Moral Grounds for Animal Rights

Opposition against rights states that the ability to think like a human is an arbitrary criterion for rights. This thinking is wrong because if rights come from the ability to think, then some humans (babies and the mentally disabled) should not have rights. Another argument is that animals cannot have rights because they have no duties. But all animals have at least one purpose in life, even a tick, a bloodsucking plague, is bird food. Those white birds standing over the cattle are not confusing the cow with an Uber driver! They are eating the ticks that help them do their job, which is to drop the seeds into the ground that will eventually become plants. Hawks eat carrion, sharks rid the ocean of overcrowded species, bees are absolutely necessary for the health of our crops. Animals play important roles in maintaining balance in nature, which are often unknown to people.

Thus, animal rights refer to the consideration of the nonhuman animal as a being worthy of respect and rights while being able to suffer and have an interest in its own welfare. The coexistence relationship between humans and other animal species on the planet, a common habitat for all, is currently beneficial only to humans. The other animal species were arbitrarily excluded from the protection of ethics, subjected to slavalism or symphilia, and are currently denied their rights. Since the creation of the world, nonhuman animals have been used for different human purposes, from food and traction to research and entertainment. Human thinking about animals has improved over the years, but while animal rights supporters are born, animals continue to be abused and mistreated by humans. Awareness to transform. It is necessary to stimulate learning about animal rights and encourage cultural changes in the relationship with such special beings. Despite technological advances that have facilitated communication and information, much of the population is still restricted to old beliefs and common sense, showing that one of today’s biggest challenges is actually achieving awareness.

References

1. Rich, A. K. & Wagner, G. (2019). Animal rights: An overview. ​Points of View​. Retrieved fromEBSCOhost
2. Proquest Staff. (2019) Animal rights timeline. ​Sirs Timeline​. Retrieved from ProQuest.com
3. Siegal, Nina. (January 1, 2018). Butchering laws pit religion against animal rights. ​The New York Times​. Retrieved from ProQuest.com
4. Bennett, E. (2014). Animal agriculture laws on the chopping block: Comparing United States and Brazil​. ​Retrieved from EBSCOhost
5. Girgen, J. (2019). Animal abuse. ​Salem Press Encyclopedia. ​Retrieved from EBSCOhost

Chapter 1: Introduction

Animal cruelty is when animals get abused by humans. People that harm animals are people that have been previously involved in a crime. The animals that get the most abused are dogs, cats, and horses and the reason is that those animals have no protection. Big puppies get sent to the pound and small puppies get put into a mill.

Chapter 2: Why Are People Doing Testing On Animals

100 million animals have been killed by animal testing. People do testing on animals to see if the product can be used by humans or if it can not be used by humans. What would happen if we stopped testing on animals? What would happen if we still continued testing on animals? What are some brands that do animal testing?

The problem with stopping animal testing is that if something happens to the people they can sue the company for creating a bad non-useable product. To prevent that from happening companies test the product on animals before giving it to the world. Take Swiffer as an example so when they test on the animals if it kills them the product is bad otherwise it is ok because animals are considered “HUMANS” (Animal Research,2019).

The cause of testing on animals is that it could hurt them badly or even kill them. A few examples are that if they were testing Calvin Klein on animals it would hurtful because it could be too tight. Another brand is Crest if they were testing it on animals it could take off their skin because Crest is harmful to animals. Some brands like Living Proof are animal-safe because it was already tested and it did not kill animals (Rose.S,2019).

You can not test other brands on animals because it will not have the same effect it has on dogs and cats because according to scientists dogs and cats are qualified as “HUMANS” and because of that, it will help humans to have a better life. So if they did it on a koala and they found that it was good they would give it to and people would have the potential of dying and suing the company. When they test on dogs or cats it shows if it is a good or bad product (Animal Research,2019).

There are many reasons why people have to test on specific animals and not other types like a mouse or a rat. If you stop testing on animals there could be a massive problem with the company because their product could be bad, but if we did not stop animals it could just hurt them badly and the population of those animals would probably go down so quickly because a lot of companies use animals to test their products.

Chapter 3: What Does Faye Carey Do

Faye Carey has saved more than 100 animals in her lifetime. She wanted to save animals because a lot of animals are dying because of animal cruelty. Faye Carey is a teen activist and saves so many animals, but how does she handle all these jobs. What is a teen activist?

Faye Carey is 22 as of 2019 she stops animal abandonment and animal cruelty born in Waikato, New Zealand she adopted 89 dogs and 20 kittens. She started saving dogs and cats in November 2012 till now because the problem with animal abuse only started in November of 2012 currently making her company currently 5 years old.

She saves the animals by bringing all the abandoned ones into the animal shelter, then she brings people into the animal shelter to choose which animal(s) they want, and then they pay for the dog, and then they leave and they a new pet friend because of Faye Carey. This matters because when Faye Carey gives all the animals to people the animals are not abandoned any more (Carey.F,2013).

Teen activists are teens that help fix an issue. They are the ones to become a hero. Some things that teen activists try to stop are bullying, animal cruelty, women’s rights, and child labor. It is better than activists are here because they are shaping the future for the next generation of people (sites.google,2019).

Faye Carey has saved so many animals by doing a thing called animal re-home Waikato which lets people have animals. You also learned who Faye Carey is and what teen activists are and how they are shaping society for the next generation.

Chapter 4: How Can You Stop Animal Cruelty and What Companies Stop Animal Cruelty.

Men harm animals at age 30 and women harm animals at age 60. The reason it happens at these ages is that it is when people get the rowdiest and start having a small problem with their brain. Surprisingly there are ten rules that will mostly always stop animal cruelty and some companies do stop animal cruelty with no rules. What makes you want to abuse animals

There are ten rules those rules that will stop there from being lots of animal abuse the rules are 1:Being a responsible pet owner.2: Be an example of kindness to other pets.3: Intervene if you witness animal cruelty, abuse, and neglect.4: Report animal cruelty, abuse, and neglect.5: Teach your children to have respect for animals.6: Demand stricter laws for the protection of the animals.7: Shelter an animal in need.8: Consider that neglect of animals can be closely linked to domestic violence.9: Educate people around you about the issue.10: Offer help to people who are overwhelmed with their animal(s) (Four-Paws,2019).

Cruelty to animals is related to other crimes, including violence. Some people abuse animals because they have a psychiatric problem. Sometimes people do not think about what they are doing. People just want to get revenge sometimes. People also want materials from animals like ivory, tusks, and meat (Independent,2014).

Some companies that stop animal cruelty are 1: American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA).2: Animal Aid.3: Animal Defense League.4: Animal Equality.5: Animal Legal Defense Fund.6: Animal Liberation Brigade (ALB).7: Animal Liberation Leagues.8: Animal Liberation Press Office. The reason people are trying to stop animal cruelty and animal abandonment are that a lot of animals are dying and are lonely (Voice of the Voiceless,2019).

If you ever get a pet don’t ever abuse it because it would affect the world the reason for that is we need all our animals to survive in the world and follow those rules even if you don’t have a pet.If you ever want to save animals go to the places above you can adopt a pet if needed.

Chapter 5: Conclusion

In conclusion, animal abuse is just a totally wrong thing and if you ever abuse an animal you would have to pay $5,000 or you have to spend one year prison and prison is bad. If you ever see someone not following the rules tell them about the rules. Never test on animals because then the population of that animal will decrease quickly.

Chapter 6: Bibliography

1. Animal Research. (2019). Read the four main reasons why animals are used in medical research. Retrieved November 4, 2014, from http://www.animalresearch.info/en/designing-research/why-animals-are-used/
2. Animal rights issues across the world that need to be addressed. (2019, December 13). Retrieved from https://voiceofthevoiceless.org
3. Carey, F. (2013, October 26). Animal re-home Waikato a big dream [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Be4QMh8OGXE&t=1s
4. Rose, S. (2019, October 30). List of companies that test on animals 2019. Retrieved from https://www.crueltyfreekitty.com/companies-that-test-on-animals/
5. Four Paws. (2019, March 22). Ways to prevent cruelty to animals. Retrieved from https://www.four-paws.org/campaigns-topics/topics/companion-animals/preventcrueltytoanimals/ways-to-prevent-cruelty-to-animals
6. What drives people to torture animals?. (2014, November 6). Retrieved from https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/features/what-drives-people-to-torture-animals-9844721.html
7. What teen activists do teen activism? (2019). Retrieved from https://sites.google.com/site/teenactivism/what-teen-activists-d

Adaptation Plan

1. Key Aspects:

The majority of my audience has an idea of how the animals in our country are being mistreated as well as exploited but do not have an in depth knowledge of how extensive and real this problem is.

2. Establishing and maintain common ground:

I will begin my speech with an experience just outside of the university and will reach out and ask the audience if any of them has had a similar experience. I will then keep referring to these short episodes in order to maintain a common ground.

3. Building and maintaining interest:

We usually tend to ignore these problems on a regular basis because we believe that people have to face so many problems of their own that the safety and well-being of animals does not matter or is of the least priority. I will have to give facts and figures to remind my audience time and again how massive and important this problem is and what areas it is prevalent in. I will talk about humanity and how these issues have gotten out of hand and are extremely inhumane to which my audience is likely to pay more attention. In addition to this, I will make use of images in my presentation which will help me achieve my goal.

4. Audience knowledge and sophistication:

Since not everyone in the room is an animal enthusiast or as educated about animals, I will tell my audience how the feelings of animals and humans are the same and how they do not feel any different than humans do. I will also propose solutions to how these problems can be improved. I believe by relating the feelings of the two, I will be able make my audience interested and they will be able to retain more information that is given to them.

5. Building credibility:

I will share with my audience, how I developed the love for animals and will tell them about the hurdles I faced and why I didn’t end up in a Veterinary School yet managed to accomplish a lot of goals. Also, I will tell them how I have been part of various organizations that have been working towards the betterment of the animals of our country.

6. Audience attitudes:

My audience is likely to be indifferent towards my topic so in order to grasp their attention I will show them how we as the youth of the country need to acknowledge these problems and why it is important for them to get better. I will use real life examples that they can relate with and show how other nations that are prospering take in account the problems and wellbeing of their animals as much as of their people.

7. Using presentational aids to enhance understanding and memory.

I will use colorful and easy slides with headers that will help my audience understand and retain the information that is given to them. I will not make use of complex terms or too many stats that may bore my audience.

Speech Outline:

• General Goal: I want to inform
• Specific Goal: I want my audience to be aware of the animal exploitation in Pakistan
• Thesis Statement: : hundreds of animals like donkeys, horses and dogs are exploited every day in our country through labour force etc. It is because of people not being informed about the kind of exploitation animals in our country endure. It is vital we acknowledge these problems and try and focus on the solutions.

Introduction:

1. I grew up in an animal enthusiast family. My father raised us alongside a number of animals which included dogs, cats, rabbits, partridges and many more. In fact, there was one instance where my father and I brought home an abandoned donkey to which my mother obviously wasn’t very pleased. She said I quote “it’s either me or the donkey”. So, we eventually had to drop the donkey off to a local sanctuary.
2. Today I run a business where I provide several services for pets. Apart from this, I have worked with numerous organizations rescuing and spreading awareness about animals such as Animal Care Association Pakistan and HWO animal rescue. Therefore, I would like to talk about animal exploitation in Pakistan as most of us are unaware of the everyday trials of our animal kind.
3. Animal Exploitation refers to making use of animals for the benefit of humans without taking care of the well-being of these animals. According to the AARDAS (Animal Abuse Database Administration System) the four major causes of animals’ deaths include neglect, shooting, hoarding and fighting, followed by torture and mutation.
4. The history of animal rights in the British India dates back to 1890 when the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act was introduced when a small group from English men formed the society for prevention of cruelty to the animals (Owen 20). This group was formed in response to animals being forced to participate in bull baiting where dogs fought a tether ball. It was later modified and the last time it was edited was on December 15th, 1937. Since then, Pakistan has had no laws concerning animals.

Main Body:

1. Every day, hundreds of animals are hurt, killed or left to die in the streets.
   1. A) Life at brick kilns is undoubtedly hard for people. According to the Brooke, the number of animals working in brick kilns of Pakistan amount to 115,000 that include Donkeys, Mules and Horses. These animals are usually used for carrying bricks that total to 45,000-50,000 per day (Brooke) and other materials within the kilns and to external locations for use in the construction industry. This is done under extreme conditions which makes the animal suffer serious health issues as well as injuries due to temperatures, lack of shade, difficult terrain and overloading.
   2. B) Not only are these animals worked up under extreme conditions, they are also not looked after. Just outside the vicinity of our campus, I had been seeing a horse on and off that was badly infected, skin and bones. I finally picked up my phone and contacted one of the members of ACF (Ayesha Chandigarh Foundation) who were very supportive. We went looking for that horse only to find out that it was at work with its owner. We discovered that the horse was at work until 3 pm after which the horse was left to go around feed itself. When we approached the owner in order to talk to him to get his horse treated, he said that he was not ready to spend on the horse and was waiting for it to die so he could sell the horse hide for a good sum of money. We however convinced him to sell the horse to us instead and he agreed on Rupees forty-five thousand. That one horse got lucky and is under treatment to date, numbers of animals are left to rot like this, every day.
2. The country we live in was established by animal lovers as we remember the picture of Quaid-e-Azam playing with his Doberman and West Highland Terrier which is embedded into the minds of those who love animals. Sadly, present day Pakistan is represented by people who either don’t value the well-being of animals or are unconcerned with the difficulties they face every day.
   1. A) In the urban areas of Pakistan, dog and rooster fighting is a common sport especially in interior Punjab and KPK. These animals are raised and trained to fight one another and their masters place bets on these fights. Easily lasting an hour, by the end of it the dogs have horrifying injuries: torn ears, ruptured windpipes, gouged out eyes and bitten tongues. If the master of the losing dog stops the fight in between, he will bash his dog with a hockey stick, electrocute it, poison it or just drown it with its legs tied.
   2. B) Another alarming factor is that people who sell animals in the market keep them in unhealthy conditions like that of Empress market, Lahore where various animals as young as a few weeks old cry all day long for the sanctuary of their mothers. The cages are packed with kittens, chicks and puppies so much so that there is no room for proper ventilation. Many of the shops have secret chambers where emaciated baby jackals, partridges, owls and other exotic animals are kept without a morsel of food and water. The Sindh Wildlife Department has raided their shops several times. However, this network of animal shopkeepers is so strong that the minute the inspection team enters Empress Market, everything ‘illegal’ is either gone or hidden.
   3. C) Animal breeding is one major problem in our country. Inbreeding causes painful and life-threatening genetic defects in dogs and cats, including crippling hip dysplasia, blindness, deafness, heart defects, skin problems, and epilepsy. Distorting animals for specific physical features also cause severe health problems. The short, pushed-in noses of bulldogs and pugs, for example, can make exercise and even normal breathing difficult for these animals. Dachshunds’ unnaturally long spinal columns often cause back problems, including disc disease. These breeders do not care about the health of the animal and often when their puppies and kittens are not up to the standard, they are known to inhumanely kill unsold or imperfect puppies using methods such as drowning and even burying them alive.
   4. D) An aspect that keeps this cycle of animal abuse running is the fact that most of us believe that in a country where human rights are nonexistent, talking about animal rights is an unpardonable offence. People who exploit animals continue to do so because there is no penalty or any consequences for their actions.
3. This leads me to the consequences and solutions that can or have been in place.
   1. A) As mentioned previously with the introduction of the prevention of animal cruelty act in 1890 the first and only legal action towards animal protection was taken in the form of fines and jail time against wide ranging explicit acts. That included anything from the treatment to the way of animal slaughter with various punishments inscribed. As written in section 6 of the act about the unlawful use of unfit animals
   2. B) Penalty for employing anywhere animals unfit for labour “If any person employs in any work or labour any animal which by reason of any disease, infirmity, wound, sore or other cause is unfit to be so employed, or permits any such animal in his possession or under his control to be so employed, he shall be punished with fine which may extend to one hundred rupees.” – Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1890. These hundred rupees adjusted for inflation make about 297,402.53 Pakistani rupees.
   3. C) Step 1: Evaluate the Situation. Animal Exploitation.
      1. Step 2: Report Animal Abuse. If you witness animal abuse or neglect, report it to your local animal control, law enforcement or humane organization.
      2. Step 3: Understanding the Law.
      3. Step 4: Help Prevent Animal Abuse.
   4. D) Part of what I’m doing here is making my audience understand the law and the consequences that do exist but are not enforced. As more and more people are aware of this issue, they will feel the need to report these problems to the authorities and we can help gradually decrease the exploitation of animals.

Conclusion:

I refuse to believe that our country is dominated by people who are unkind to animals. It is just that the heavy majority, which appreciates and loves animals, is silent and has unfortunately become apathetic. We must understand that if we’re not kind to animals, we are a long way from being kind to people. The plight of these animals deserves to be heard, so let’s give them a voice.

Unless we develop a sense of protecting animals and reprimand people who are cruel towards them, the cycle of abuse will never break. Reporting abuse to the authorities might appear to be a futile exercise; however, it is important to bring animal cruelty in the notice of people who are in position to offer help.

References

1. https://blogs.tribune.com.pk/story/22043/the-bloody-world-of-dog-fighting-victory-or-death-there-is-no-mercy/
2. https://aidanimals.com/animal-cruelty/pet-abandonment/
3. https://www.peta.org/issues/animal-companion-issues/pet-trade/breeders/
4. http://pawspakistan.org/wp-content/uploads/2007/04/the-prevention-of-cruelty-to-animals-act-1890-optimised.pdf

“A hundred years or so ago, when we were ignorant about the intelligence and emotions and ability of a species to communicate, we might have had the excuse of our own ignorance that we treated these animals so badly but we simply don’t have that excuse any longer.”- Jan Creamer, founder of Animal Defenders International and advocate for TEAPSPA.

Traveling performance acts continue to force animals into living conditions, despite the countless cases of animal abuse discovered within a traveling act. Research regarding to the well-being of “big cats” (The Humane Society 4) has revealed that even short-term transportation can have a detrimental impact on their physical and mental health. One study found that the main stress hormone in big cats, “increased as much as 482 percent and remained elevated for nearly two weeks following brief transport periods” (The Humane Society 5). What is considered a brief transition period varies between acts, but that fact that wild animals do not belong in any of the traveling conditions these acts keep them in remains (The Humane Society). In addition, traveling acts do not provide access to emergency health care for performing animals while traveling. Some examples of the devastating effects the lack of health care on the road has on these animals are: a two year old lion that died from heatstroke in 2004, a kangaroo who died from a disease called “lumpy jaw”, a bacterial infection in the jawbone which leads to swelling and a shift in the bone, (The Humane Society 5), an elephant that died from salmonella in 1997, three elephants and eight llamas died after being crowded into in overheated trailer in 1997, and many others. All of these animals were neglected treatment for serious illnesses while still being forced to perform in the traveling act that owned them. Another very troubling case of animal abuse in a traveling act was brought to light in 2015 in New York City. The performing tigers were kept in compartments on the travel trailer with only 64 square feet of floor space, or about one-fourth the size of a 1-car garage. In comparison, the average size of tiger enclosures at zoos 5,500 square feet (The Humane Society 12,13). Animal abuse in traveling acts is not just part of the past, it still continues to this day. A recent investigation from the Humane Society found that a tiger trainer mistreated his tigers, in violation of the Animal Welfare Act. A video revealed that Ryan Easley, the accused tiger trainer, beating his tigers with whips and sticks. One tiger was hit “31 times in less than two minutes” (The Humane Society 13). It is apparent that animals involved in traveling acts have suffered countless abuses over the years. The fact that these instances have occurred and continue to occur under approved American legislation is very troubling and constitutes a reconsideration of current legislation that allows or this mistreatment of animals to occur, and what legal action should be taken to end the abuse.

Animals were first introduced to the circus in the 17th century and since then have been forced to perform under abusive circumstances in a huge number of acts and circuses. Since circuses were first introduced, legislation has changed but not in the ways necessary to eradicate the continued animal abuse occurring in circuses. The Traveling Exotic Animal and Public Safety Protection Act is a bill that was introduced to congress in 2017 that would make it illegal to include wild animals in traveling acts where they perform in front of an audience. This legislation would lead to the end of a large number of circuses in the US unless alterations were made to how circuses transport their animals. Transporting animals from one performing location to another in the circus is where animals receive some of the most damaging abuse such as remaining in dark cages for 23 out of 24 hours for multiple days in a row (The Humane Society 7). This has traumatic and very damaging long term for these animals and TEAPSPA would eliminate this part of the circus, yet it has not yet been passed and made a bill, ending the suffering for many animals currently enduring abuse. In order to effectively ensure the safety of animals used in traveling acts and improve conditions for audiences of these performances, the TEAPSPA bill should be understood and passed. TEAPSPA is a bill that’s effectively protects wild and exotic animals, prevents public safety hazard, and saves taxpayer money.

TEAPSPA is a bill that was introduced with the purpose of ending a problematic practice made legal by the current Animal Welfare Act in congress. The Animal Welfare Act is “the only federal law in the US that regulates the treatment of animals in research, exhibition, transport, and by dealers” (USDA). In addition, this law is referred to as, “the minimum acceptable standard” (USDA) when taken into consideration for other, “laws, policies, and guidelines” (USDA). This flimsy and problematic law has been in place since 1966 (USDA), and it is time to strengthen the legal protection we offer to these animals by passing TEAPSPA. The TEAPSPA bill would prohibit the use of “exotic and wild animals” in performances that are considered “traveling acts”. The bill would not impact the use of animals in zoos, aquariums, research facilities, or film, and the possession of farm animals or domestic animals. Passing the TEAPSPA bill would only alter the way animals are used in traveling acts such as carnivals, parades, and circuses. This bill was first introduced to the house in 2017 and was most recently referred to as the Subcommittee on Livestock and Foreign Agriculture in April of 2017. Since then there has been no further progress towards passing it as a law.

Individuals who opposed the passing of the TEAPSPA law consist of groups such as the Cavalry group which has the purpose of defending and protecting the “animal enterprise”. One reason organizations like this one provide for disapproving of the passing of TEAPSPA into a law is because it would eliminate the opportunities for individuals, especially young children to observe exotic wild animals up close. They state this would be problematic because these interactions with wild animals create a love and appreciation for wild animals in the individuals, again most importantly in the children, who observe them. They also provide that TEAPSPA would decrease the amount of opportunity for exotic animals involved in traveling acts to breed, because these animals would be removed from traveling acts where breeding is encouraged in an often unsafe way (The Humane Society), and therefore TEAPSPA would increase the amount of species going extinct. They especially emphasize these effects will be most problematic due to the zoos and aquariums that will be “shut down” if TEAPSPA is made into a law. They lastly provide that TEAPSPA will end many organizations that offer information to the general public with regard to exotic animals. This would be problematic because this would remove the “wonder” and intrigue sparked in the audiences of these exotic animals.

However, groups like these, from what they base their reasoning against the passing of TEAPSPA, oppose TEAPSPA due to a lack of understanding of what impacts this bill would actually have. A very important part of this bill is the phrase “traveling acts” which as previously stated only applies to performances where animals are constantly being moved around in order to be able to perform in various different places. This means it would not limit the use of wild animals in facilities such as zoos and aquariums where exotic animals are bred often and, for the most part, in healthy ways. The bill directly states passing TEAPSPA will not,” apply to the use of animals, zoos aquariums, research facilities, film, television, advertising, rodeos, domestic animals, or farm animals” as long as, “the performance is not before a public studio or audience” (Congressional Research Service). Meaning, these various establishments and uses would still be able to provide education to their audiences with regard to the wild animals on display at that facility.

TEAPSPA would be an especially effective new bill because of its focus on ending traveling acts of animals specifically. Animal welfare experts have found that it is “grueling and stressful for animals to always be on the road, confined to tight spaces, and made to perform before screaming audiences” (National Geographic) which are the exact circumstances animals involved in traveling acts are forced into. Research from Volume 92, Issue 3 of Meichel Korte’s journal “Physiology and Behavior” titled A new animal welfare concept based on allostasis that animals, very commonly animals involved in traveling acts, who are kept in the same conditions for extended periods of time experience trauma and negative effects to their long-term physical and mental wellbeing, as a result of extensive and unnatural confinement. Animals in Traveling acts are constantly kept in the same conditions for extensive periods of time as shown. However, the papers aim of mending congress’ current Animal Welfare act has not been acted upon to this day. TEAPSPA is a bill with realistic chance of becoming a law with the capability of lessoning the abuse experienced in traveling acts due to the outdated belief, that is reflected by the Animal Welfare Act, that maintaining “homeostasis” (Korte) through maintaining animals in a similar environment for long periods of time is necessary for animal welfare. These problems with the idea of homeostasis being incremental to animal welfare is that, “it suggests that without environmental challenges good animal welfare can be guaranteed.” (Korte). This plays a huge role in why there are so many loopholes in the Animal Welfare Act and why animals are able to be kept in the same circumstances for such long periods of time. The data collected in this study prove allosteric conditions where animals are stimulated by new things yielded a much higher production of positive emotional hormones in the animals than those who received the same stimulations. In addition, their data shows a huge incline in the amount of stress responses from the animals kept in homeostatic conditions compared to those in allosteric. Because of this, this study is very effective in summarizing why TEAPSPA’s emphasis on the elimination of traveling acts is so groundbreaking, for animals involved in these sorts of acts experience the detrimental effects of not making appropriate moral adjustments despite an abundance of scientific evidence offering attainable solutions.

The circus would no longer be allowed to transport animals from location to location in order to perform with the passing of TEAPSPA, and the economic effects of this would be largely, positive for Americans. Circuses must be regulated heavily and the costs of this can be very expensive. A part of these regulations is having United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) do up to 42 various inspections within three years, when one inspection has an average cost of $1,363 (ADI). The UK spends an average of $13,000-19,000 on inspections and licenses alone annually, compared to the US which does not have an estimated figure but does have six times as many circuses to inspect. However, under the Animal Welfare Act, the costs of traveling acts are rarely federally regulated and as a result, animals taxpayers pay for 87% of licensing costs while large establishments such as the circuses only are accountable for paying 13% of the licensing costs (ADI). In addition to this Animal Defenders International points out by shutting down traveling acts with a, majority, animal performers, we are creating new jobs for humans, bettering the economic situation in the US, and freeing exotic and wild animals that have been abused. Additionally, tickets to an all human performing staff range in cost from $25-300 while animal acts range on average from $14-100 per ticket, which brings in much less revenue compared to that of a unanimously human circus or other traveling act (ADI). Angelo Andres Olaya, an activist a lead artist of the animal free circus in Peru states” we must fire the animals, so the clowns can be hired.” (ADI).

Passing TEAPSPA would not only protect wild animals, it also would prevent a range of public safety hazards. In banning the use of animals in traveling acts, this bill would offer protection to employees and audience members. One main issue is animals spreading diseases to their audiences and trainers. One example of this was brought to light by Kathleen Michalak in 1998 in volume 4 of her journal “Emerging Infectious Diseases” when she discusses three circus elephants that died from Tuberculosis (TB) and the eleven employees that tested positive for TB as well. In addition, this study reported that there were “thirty-four confirmed cases of TB in the US population between 1994 and 2005” (ADI). This study introduced the negative effects of disease spreading in circuses many years ago, yet altercations have not been made to improve the animals’ health and ability to spread disease and therefore these issues continue. Another public safety issue TEAPSPA eliminates are the high rates of animals escaping from the circus, many who has developed violent tendencies while kept in confinement or naturally are aggressive. Some examples of this are: in 2014 three elephants escaped from the circus and rampaged through the parking lot, in 2013 a tiger attacked a trainer and killed him in the Suarez Circus, in 2012 a Cole Bros circus truck crashed, greatly injuring a number of wild animals, and a camel ran into open traffic, in 2012 in the Courtney Bros. circus and elephant trainer was crushed to death trying to break up a fight between two elephants just days after a baby elephant had escaped in the same circus, in 2010 a startled elephant trampled its owner in the James Hamid circus, in 2010 a circus elephant killed a thirteen year old boy by throwing him to the ground twice after the boy and his friends teased the animal, in 2008 a bus killed an elephant after it escaped from the circus after being untied to eat just like she was every day, in 2006 a man was trampled and attacked by an escaped elephant, in 2006 a sixteen year old was attacked by a circus tiger resulting in a 5 inch wound down to the bone, and many more. All of these instances took place in a traveling act and were greatly harmful and not only physically dangerous but also had hugely negative impacts on the phycological wellbeing of those involved. Animals are not supposed to be kept in the conditions traveling acts force them into and as a result, traveling acts continue to pose a threat to public safety and require the passing of TEAPSPA to eliminate this.

Overall, traveling acts have failed to provide an environment that is safe for animals for far too many years. The animals are abused and mistreated, often resulting in permanent effects. There have been countless examples of abuse and moral injustice within traveling acts but there has been no real action towards legally enforcing that the animals involved in traveling acts well-being be taken into consideration and valued. This capitalistic adventure that traveling acts like the circus do not take proper precautions to ensure the safety of the wild animals providing them with performance content, as they are solely focused on profit. in order to advocate for these animals who do not have the opportunity to do so themselves, it is necessary TEAPSPA become a law.

Do you think animal testing should be illegal? What would you do if I sprayed bleach into your eyes? Would you consider it nothing? Enough animals are dying and suffering in the wild every day, and you are just here making it worse. Every year, over 100 million animals are used to be tested on. Animals are being forced to live in cages for the rest of their lives just so that products made for our comfort can be tested on them! Imagine yourself being locked inside a small cage or room until your last day. Animal testing is not worth it as most of the tests fail and each of the experiments costs a lot of money. Some animals are injected with poison just so we know that a product is safe. Many animals are used to get tested on and here is a few of them; Cats, Dogs, Mice, Monkeys, Rabbits, and Guinea pigs.A shampoo is a product found in every household. Not one. Not Two. But many more! We have a huge variety of shampoo with different textures and smells and we simply toss them out when they do not meet our expectations. By supporting the different shampoo brands, you are supporting animal testing. So stop for a moment and consider if a new shampoo is really worth an innocent animal being burned, cut, skinned alive, and tortured?

And this is to the girls out there, is it really worth blinding a monkey to have the new mascara? During the research process animals are being killed and harmed, isn’t killing an animal the same thing as murder? Just imagine these things happening to your pets. How would that make you feel? Animal testing is inhumane and it needs to be stopped. If you were to test on an animal the results will not be accurate, as we all react differently.

Millions of animals are dying every year just so you can be happy, is that what you want?

Do you think animal testing should be illegal? What would you do if I sprayed bleach into your eyes? Would you consider it nothing? Enough animals are dying and suffering in the wild every day, and you are just here making it worse. Every year, over 100 million animals are used to be tested on. Animals are being forced to live in cages for the rest of their lives just so that products made for our comfort can be tested on them! Imagine yourself being locked inside a small cage or room until your last day.

Animal testing is not worth it as most of the tests fail and each of the experiments costs a lot of money. Some animals are injected with poison just so we know that a product is safe. Many animals are used to get tested on and here is a few of them; Cats, Dogs, Mice, Monkeys, Rabbits, and Guinea pigs.

A shampoo is a product found in every household. Not one. Not Two. But many more! We have a huge variety of shampoo with different textures and smells and we simply toss them out when they do not meet our expectations. By supporting the different shampoo brands, you are supporting animal testing. So stop for a moment and consider if a new shampoo is really worth an innocent animal being burned, cut, skinned alive, and tortured?

And this is to the girls out there, is it really worth blinding a monkey to have the new mascara? During the research process animals are being killed and harmed, isn’t killing an animal the same thing as murder? Just imagine these things happening to your pets. How would that make you feel? Animal testing is inhumane and it needs to be stopped. If you were to test on an animal the results will not be accurate, as we all react differently.

Millions of animals are dying every year just so you can be happy, is that what you want? Animal testing should be banned because it is cruel, unnecessary, inaccurate, and expensive. The animals have no chance to stop the pain, simply because they are “just animals.” Animal activists and everyday people believe that humans are voices for the animals.

In my opinion animals have just as much of a right to live as we do. The fact that innocent animals are being killed for unnecessary products such as cosmetics sickens me. I believe drugs should be tested on humans instead of animals because then at least we will know that the drug being tested will be giving accurate results.

Some Background Information

People all over the world abuse animals, But specifically in America, cruelty to animals is still being preformed despite being illegal in every state. Also, some states have worse punishments than others for certain types of cruelty to animals. It doesn’t matter if you just left your dog in the car while it was hot, this is still painful and will cause brain damage whether or not you were “directly” cruel to the dog or not. You could also have gone on vacation for a couple days and forgotten to get someone to feed your cat. Cats have very fast metabolisms, meaning even if you think it would be fine for the cat to live off of one can of cat food for two days, they can still lose a drastic amount of weight. Some people wouldn’t even suspect that doing things like this could be considered at least a Class A misdemeanor in some states.

In Kentucky, there are no restrictions on owning an animal, even if you have been convicted for cruelty in the past. There are also no punishments for sexual assault or protective orders on animals. Speaking of Kentucky, from worst to best, this is the worst state to be in for animal rights due to having the least amount of laws regarding animal abuse in all of America; Illinois being the best. Out of all 50 states, 43 will punish someone for abusing animals on first offense because of the zero tolerance policy, which is still not enough. Kentucky seems to only count cats and dogs as potential victims of tourturing and there are only two sub-sections of things the state would consider prosecutable. One stating the general actions that are considered animal cruelty, and the other making tourture look like it’s exclusive to only cats and dogs.

According to Stray Pet Advocacy, “Intentional infliction of pain of or subjection to extreme physical pain or injury, motivated by an intent to increase or prolong the pain of the animal” is only a Class A misdemeanor in Kentucky. But in Illinois, tourture of an animal is a Class 3 ​felony​ with an imprisonment of two to five yearrs. Inadequite owner duties alone on first defence is a Class B misdemeanor and will land you up to six months in jaill. Another thing about Illinois is that their Humane Treatment to Animals Act Although I’ve only talked about two states on the opposite sides of the spectrum, I think you get the idea of how different states perceive animal cruelty and how the problem won’t stop until the tourturing of animals in general (because some states only convice cruelty to dogs and cats) is seen more than a misdemeanor.

How and Why?

Enforcing laws can only do so much. People are still going to do what they want regardless. Educating offenders/potential offenders of animal cruelty could also help the situation – but not stop it completely, just as law enforcement. As I said before, laws can only so so much, so creating longer sentences and making fines larger could scare people into not not abusing animals in any way. If you allow people to do whatever, they will assume they can do whatever. That’s why laws exist, breaking laws seems to be the only reason some people won’t do certain things they want to do. It’s not always morals is caring about others that motivates someone to abide by laws.

Education can be the best way to reduce or eliminate animal cruelty, this should start early on in preschool or kindergarten. Children should be taught in school that animals have feelings, just like humans, but are unable to vocalize them the way we can. Children of a certain age should witness both good ​and​ bad living conditions of animals, whether it be through field trips to farms or video presentations to understand right and wrong. For example, when a child experiences how meat is prepared in some settings, that might be an eye-opener to future concerns such as careers and dietary restrictions.

Based on information i’ve found on the RSPCA website, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, located in the United Kingdom, introduces common household pets to it’s Kinder Kids program to educate children on appropriate care. Again, this is not 100% deterent to stopping people for harming animals. An individual can have all the education they could get and still not care about an animal’s wellbeing; this is cognitive empathy. Emotional empathy would be the opposite of cognitive empathy, making it so you not only get what someone/something is going through, but care about it as well.

Overall, education seems like the most effective way to prevent cruelty to animals. With respect to the RSPCA, they are successfully introducing animals into households to improve a child’s empathy. Learning at a young age is very helpful to the individual’s development. That’s why we normally start preschool around the first few years of our lives because most of the education taught in preschool is the kind we need for the rest of our lives.

Maybe This Isn’t a Big Issue?

Surprisingly, not all slaughter houses are that bad. Free range produces healthier meat and less fat content, In contrast to feedlot livestock which are provided with a strict diet and no room to graze, producing fattier and unhealthier meat. For this reason, free range meat is proven to be higher in vitamin E and leaner from fats. Additionally, free range meat tastes better. From personal experience, farmed salmon are presented with a specific diet, in opposition to Atlantic wild salmon which are pumped with pesticides and hormones.

All things considered, slaughterhouses although inhumane, produce food with necessary proteins and vitamins to assit our ongoing biological diet development that may be more helpful than using supplements. Even though you can still get protein and vitamins from food that is not meat, those foods might not contain an ideal amount to keep you healthy. Sometimes, consuming a large abundance of certain foods containing the protein and vitamins you need isn’t that great for you either. The food can have a good amount of those supplements but maybe has high cholesterol or fat, therefore not really doing much better than just eating meat.

Conclusion

As been noted, inhumane treatment to animals should not be tolerated whether it be household pets or animals raised to be consumes. Laws have been designed to protect these creatures from tourture and exploitation.Under those circumstances, if stricter laws are emplaced, it might serve as a deterent to protect animal rights, increase fines and extend sentences in case of felony endangerment. My uncle in the 70’s would capture frogs and captivated them in mason jars full of concrete cement for entertainment as a child. I’m sure he had an idea of what the frogs were feeling due to that encounter but I don’t think it really mattered to him since at least he​ was enjoying it. If my uncle was educated with compassion against animals before he learned that doing this might be entertaining, he most likely would not have done what he had done. To further my cause, I would like to propose a bill requesting the enforcement of a more perennial barrier against animal cruelty in general. If we can do this, they could live in a much safer environment, along with people having healther choices in regards to food. In essence, laws are created in order to protect from tourture, maiming or mistreatment to animals; but those same laws are not stiff nor do they prevent ongoing infliction of harm.

Works Cited

1. “Stray Pet Advocacy.” ​Stray Pet Advocacy​, 2010, ​www.straypetadvocacy.org/
2. “RSPCA.” ​The Largest Animal Welfare Charity in the UK​, ​www.rspca.org.uk/
3. http://www.straypetadvocacy.org/
4. http://www.rspca.org.uk/

How would you like being separated from your mother the minute you were born? Never being able to see her again. Or your expected lifetime being 20 years shrunk down to 4 or 5? For dairy cows that is their harsh reality. Factory farming animals suffer in harsh conditions. Such as, neglective and abusive behaviour, the overcrowding of lots and the milking myth. These actions are currently still legal to this day under the face of the law. These animals do not have a voice, but we do. So let’s raise our voice for the voiceless.

Dairy cows are suffering in severe conditions, living in narrow stalls or pens denied socialisation. Catching and transmitting terrible diseases, which then transfer onto our dinner plate. As a planet we are consuming these animals on a daily basis. Animal Cruelty is a world wide issue, often not spoken about as it will “destroy the food industry”. These animals are the food we consume, the food we say “is good for you.” However, that is not the case. Imagine this, right in front of you, you are served with the best milkshake you have ever seen. The syrup slowly oozes down the side of the glass, just waiting for you to consume it. Little did you know that the cow that has produced this milk went through more than half of its lifetime pregnant, and was filled with antibiotics and hormones to produce more milk. And that’s only minor! Some spend their entire life standing on concrete floors, others are forced to live in massive overcrowded lots, which they are forced to amid in their own faeces, often up to their knee in height. But why would you care? It doesn’t affect you, does it? However, humans who consume cows milk increase their chances of developing heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and many other ailments. We can change this, not only for us but for the cows. One of the many ways you can make a difference is by excluding these dairy or animal base products from your diet, buy more suitable and humane raised products where the animal was treated better. Or even donate. These animals NEED and deserve our help .After all, aren’t we the reason why they live like this?

Cows are repeatedly abused on a daily basis for living their normal life, not wanting to stand up at times, refusal to move pens and so many other reasons. As soon as a cow refuses the abuse gets stronger and more aggressive towards the cow. Some cows getting stomped on their head, getting stabbed or even tormented with a pitch fork. And we still eat their dairy! Calves are separated from their mother the day of their birth. The mother and calf will mourn for each other the minute they are separated, as the little time they had spent together they had formed a special connection. Calves will be fed milk replacements, as us humans receive the milk that the calf needs to develop and grow. A dairy cow is forcefully, artificially inseminated to give birth to a new calf every 13 months. Shackles are forced around their feet, castration and mutilation are completed without pain relief. Each year over 450,000 Bobby calves are sent to the abattoirs, as they are unwanted and useless. There they will suffer more than 24 hours without food until they face their death. The worst part about it is they can’t help themselves, these cows are relying on us humans to help them. And we aren’t doing a very good job. The law states in New South Wales Australia, that it is an offence to fail to provide an animal with adequate exercise, except if that animal is a cow, sheep, goat, pig or chicken. Even though Australian Capital Territory was the first state to legislate against certain factory farming practise, this is still not enough, we are their only hope, they need us. Our choices determine their fate, so please choose kindly.

The milking myth is erratic. On average Australians now consume 107 litres of milk, 14 kg of cheese, and 4kg of butter per person, per year. How is that helping them? Due to their continuous cycle of pregnancy mother cows can come susceptible to painful diseases such as lameness and mastitis. In as little to 7-8 years the cow will become worn out and then will be sent to slaughter. The milking machine is believed to be painful to the cow and increases the chance for an infection to occur. The front teats will be subjected to a vacuum pulsing for up to two minutes after the quarter has been emptied and while the hind teats are still yielding. This process continues for 10 months after giving birth. Dairy cows produce about 100 pounds of milk per day, 10 times more than cows living a few decades ago. And we aren’t even designed to drink their milk! Cows milk is suitable for the nutritional needs of a calf, who have four stomachs and need to gain hundreds of pounds in a matter of months. No species drinks milk beyond infancy or drinks the milk of another species, besides us humans. Cow’s milk is one of the primary causes of food allergies among children. Lactose intolerance can begin to appear at the age of 2 years old, with the symptoms of bloating, gas, cramps, vomiting, headaches, rashes, and asthma. Just by drinking cows milk! The association between the intake of animal protein and fracture rates appears to be as strong as that between cigarette smoking and lung cancer. Unbelievable! The saying “milk strengthens your bones” is far from the truth. Milk is meant to be a prevention of osteoporosis, however it is one of the main causes of it. How does this happen?

Dairy cows are suffering animal cruelty and they need our help, so help them. Humans can get all the protein that they need from nuts, seeds, yeast, grains, beans, and other legumes. It’s very difficult not to get enough calories from protein when you eat a healthy diet. So why not go dairy free? There seems to be a lot more bad than good results in the dairy industry. Lets help these animals and help our health. We owe it to them.

Every single day, there are newborn animals in different countries. Different types of animals that can be seen everywhere. Lovable and kind beings. Animals should be treated just like humans. But somehow, there are people who abuse the animals. It is against the law to be cruel or harm animals, even your own pets. It’s called animal abuse, or neglect. The animals whose abuse is most often reported are dogs, cats, horses and livestock. Animals have generally played a great role in human ecological adjustment. They have many benefits and roles. They act as our food supplier and also our stress reliever. But why do some people take advantage of their kindness?

More than 50% fur in the US comes from China, where millions of dogs and cats are often bled to death and skinned alive for just for their fur. It’s been estimated that there are 900 to 2,000 new cases every year of animal hoarding in the US, with 250,000 animals falling victim. Over 115 million animals mice, rats, dogs, cats, rabbits, monkeys, birds, and many more have died for laboratory experiments worldwide for chemical, drug, food, and cosmetics testing every year. Animals are also used for major circus that uses them to entertain people. Each year, approximately 2.7 million dogs and cats are killed every year because shelters are too full and there aren’t enough adoptive homes. The Philippine Animal Welfare Society told the Senate agriculture and food committee that the punishment for violence against animals must be imprisonment of 6 to 12 years and a fine of at least.

The pain they are going through everyday is unbearable. They are just like humans that can feel sad, happy, endangered, and many more. Animals have feelings and emotions too. Emotions in animals were first described by Charles Darwin, where he described emotions as stereotyped facial expressions and bodily postures in specific contexts. It is generally agreed by scientists that animals have emotional responses.

Animals provide us supply of food everyday and yet humans take advantage of them. They give us the cause to exercise, offers a cure for loneliness, and animal-assisted interventions that improve motivation to participate in treatment and lessen worry, anxiety, and pain, we recognize that animals can influence not just our happiness but also our health. Animals should be treated as humans too. Animals have a right to be free of human use and exploitation. We should look after them and care for them. That’s why God created us to take care of the living things that He gave us. They are creatures that bring so many people happiness every single day. They are loving, compassionate and a friend to all people. They also help in allowing people to be more loving because of the compassion animals give to them. They just want us to appreciate and love them just like we appreciate our own beings. All animals deserve our respect and love and people throughout the ages have dedicated these words to our four-legged friends.

It is time to end animal cruelty. Let’s take this opportunity to change the lives of our Animals and the change starts with us.

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to provide valid avenues of and specific examples of animal abuse, and how our laws regarding animal brutality fall short of solving the widespread problem. This paper also indulges on ways we can begin to call for a change and fight for stronger laws to be created and enforced.

Introduction

An animal is defined as a living, breathing creature. Although some are more advanced than others, many components of our ecosystem are generated by the basic actions of living organisms. The human species are also considered to be “animals”, so why do we subject other species that we are in such close harmony with to our wrath. We wage genocide on species who can’t revolt back, or beg for peace. How and why are laws not formulated to protect these dissimilar victims? We see countless scandals of animal cruelty and abuse in the news, it seems as though the plague bleeds into many niches of the United States. When we hear of these ethical violations, we become sad, and maybe even try to convince ourselves that it’s just a “rumor” and then we turn a blind eye. To no extent am I claiming that animals should be determined to have the same inalienable rights as humans, but with their pivotal aid to our survival, they should at the very least be treated with humanity and kindness. This paper examines the extent to which a lack of animal brutality laws allow for animal mistreatment and how sounder laws could save millions of animal lives.

Wild animals/game

The topic of hunting laws and methods is one that is prolonged and consistently altering. The hunting of animals has become a culture–a game. But to what extent can we allow for harmless animals to be persecuted in the name of fun? Not only are certain forms of hunting inhumane, but it also destroys migration patterns, families, and reproductive systems. Furthering the topic of unethical persecution by mentioning the fact that many animals are not killed upon being shot, but left to suffer (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, 2019). Some inhumane forms of “hunting” include cruel bludgeoning, sharp objects being penetrated into animals repeatedly, rendering animals paralyzed but still conscious, etc. To humans that preach humanity and compassion, this should automatically be an outcry to be solved with swiftness. One specific cruel form of hunting that sticks out to me, occurs during the commercial hunting of seals. Seals, who have shown no form of threat towards humans, are bludgeoned to near death, and then dragged across the ice (while still alive and very aware) with a pickaxe. After this whole fiasco, many seals are skinned ALIVE. The ONLY hunting standard that has been put in place regarding this malevolence, is that seals must be at least 18 months of age. This rule is put into place so they are not killing “pups,” but this rule is OFTEN disobeyed with no consequences to be bestowed. The mere fact that the malicious killing of animals in hoards is summed up to the term “commercial hunting” is in itself horrendous. The idea of cruel commercial seal hunting needs to be banned. Additionally facilitating the agony, in most cases, only the fur of this seal is utilized, and then the rest is disposed of and put to no further usage. A waste of precious life with no real means to their suffering.

Invasive species

The term “invasive species” is used to coin species that are not native to an area, due to their foreignness these species often do not have natural predators in their newfound home and then begin to reproduce without a limiting factor. This frequently results in the overpopulation of invasive species with consequences affecting indigenous species and ecosystems. Some invasive species have little effect on their foreign environment, other invasive species are detrimental to ecosystems. What motivated me to create a specific subsection for invasive species was a video I came across on a social media platform, the clip projected a focus onto iguanas in Florida. The Florida government has given citizens the to “humanely” kill iguanas if they come across them. This clip showed the ulterior side of these “humane” killings and showed humans beating iguanas with sandals, stepping/kicking them, hanging them upside down for laughs at the helpless iguanas. Many see these killings as necessary, but there is a flipside to this ideal. A flipside that has not been probed in depth. (Hoag, 2014, para.13) states “If you want to preserve species, then a lot of these nonnative species around the world can do that in the long run.” We have no right to condemn and brutally murder all non-indigenous species, after all, at one point we were once viewed as the invasive species. Along with governmental permission to kill these animals, guidelines and consequences for misconduct should have also been presented as well. A far outreach, but a stray as far as to eliminate the option of killing iguanas as a whole, should also be presented. The problem seen with iguanas is their large consumption of crops. There is a much more logical answer to this problem than blind murder, the creation of an iguana repellent. We did not decide to kill every crop-eating bug in our area to “save the crops,” we decided to create pesticides and insect repellents. So why would such a ridiculous solution of murder be presented in this situation, rather than giving room for scientific innovation to save the crops and iguanas?

Mass production

Animal abuse in dairy farms and slaughterhouses is one of the most largely publicized animal abuse scandals. There are constant stories surfacing about how “animal-friendly” production corporations turn out to be anything but. These large corporations hone on mass production achieved at nearly impossible rates. With the human race, specifically the common American family consuming meat with every meal and grocery stores stocked with thousands of gallons, have you ever stopped and wondered how this rate is even fathomable. My eyes were opened to the true speed of (specifically) dairy production when a heavily publicized video emerged targeting Fair Oaks Farm, one of the top dairy producers of the United States, this company also happens to be funded by Coca-Cola, one of the largest and wealthiest companies in the world. The mentioned video provides live footage of the true horrors going on behind the façade of an animal-friendly front. Calves being thrown and stomped on, cow’s tails being BROKEN repeatedly for not wanting to enter the milking carousel, cows who have just given birth placed on the milking carousel mere MINUTES after giving birth (with afterbirth organs contaminating the milk procured), mother cow’s dead babies being placed just feet away from them, cows being forcefully impregnated EVERY year of their life, cows forced to live their years standing on concrete floors covered in their own feces, ETC. How can the law allow for such heinous crimes to occur with NO justice? There is no more speculation, undeniable footage and facts are coming to light that is absolutely heartbreaking (Bangert, 2019.) Cows provide us with the nutrients and luxury of milk, cheese, etc. And this is how we treat them for their service. Large-scale dairy industries are simply unregulated and purely evil. The government needs to intervene, laws need to be formulated to aid in the protection of these giving animals, who devote their lives to human satisfaction.

Action

The countless forms of animal abuse listed would become pointless without further action. With knowledge, the power to take action arises. As a unified front, we need to demand sounder animals laws. MORE petitions, BIGGER protests, WIDESPREAD boycotts. If we can treat innocent animals so harshly with such ignorance, who knows what will come next. Although animals are not people, they deserve a degree of respect and humaneness. Take the steps to acknowledge yourself on what dairy brands to avoid, take the time to learn humane and necessary hunting methods, stop being okay with COMMERCIAL hunting. It’s up to the US to communicate the guilt-less cries for help that fall silent to the rest of the world. They are not just rumors, the time to full-face the entirety of animal brutality has come, and so has the time to take action.

References

1. Bangert, Dave. Lafayette Journal & Courtier: Fair Oaks Farms animal abuse: Claims of prosecutor’s conflicts follow coercion allegations (June 29, 2019);
2. (Bangert, 2019) expands on the fair oaks farm expose video and further discusses the multiple accounts of calf and cows abuse. This is including but not limited to physical abuse of punching, kicking, and stabbing Hoag, Hannah;
3. “Why We Need to Save Some Invasive Critters, Not Kill Them.”(July 17, 2014);
4. (Hoag, 2014) embraces the flip side to killing off invasive species and brings about the concept of preserving them to prevent further extinction;
5. (“Hunting,” Sept 3, 2019) Retrieved from website https://www.peta.org/issues/animals-in-entertainment/cruel-sports/hunting/ (“Hunting,” 2019) focuses on the concept of how hunting has turned into a mere game of entertainment for most, rather than necessity, and how this outlook creates inhumane methods of hunting.

As people rights are something that we deserve, especially when we talk about human rights. Human rights are rights that every person is born with and keeps throughout his life no matter race, sex, nationality, ethnicity, language, religion, or any other status. These rights include things such as freedom of speech, right to marriage and family, freedom of belief and religion as well as many others. Human rights have been something that people have been fighting for throughout all of history, and they have been something people have given their lives for because they believed in inequality and that everyone deserved to be given these human rights. But do rights stop at humans? Rights are something that most people know like things that everyone deserves, but there are multiple kinds of rights; two of them being earned rights and human rights. Earned rights are the rights that are given or earned. An example of these would be certain licenses such as the ones hunters receive. This license gives them the right to hunt as long as they follow the law. People think that there isn’t anything wrong with hunting as long as they don’t hunt the animal into extinction, they aren’t exactly wrong. Hunting is acceptable when it is needed for resources, or when there is an animal that is overpopulating a certain area and hunters help keep that population down. Many more times though hunters mess with the habitat they are hunting in by killing animals that are necessary for those places. There are animals all over the world that are suffering because they don’t get treated correctly. There are people who believe that they can treat animals however they want just because they aren’t people. Animals are not able to communicate and defend themselves, but they are still capable of emotion, pain, and suffering.

Animal owners have rights as well when it comes to owning an animal. They have the right to sell or keep their animals. The problem is, that depending on who they sell the animal to the animal might not get treated or taken care of how it’s supposed to be. Many people just give away animals when they don’t want them as a way to get rid of them that they often don’t double-check or see if the person they give their animals to is capable of taking care of the animal or if they have had a history of hurting them. The owners of these animals are the first step in making sure these animals are being taken care of. Animals are creatures that feel and aren’t able to defend themselves, therefore it is our job to defend them against abuse and cruelty. Animal rights have been an ongoing issue in society since I can remember. They became prevalent at some point in the past and never went away. The issues only seem to matter to people whenever a big story breaks through of certain animals being abused, a company being accused or proven of something concerning the abuse of animals, or when it is announced that an animal has become an endangered species or has become extinct. But after people see what is going on, they don’t take any actions to stop what is happening; and just like that, the topic of animal rights and the topic of how animals aren’t treated properly disappears until the next time it happens. In today’s day, and age people like to refer to themselves as “woke”. This makes them out to be aware of social justice issues or of things that other people aren’t aware of. People like to be seen as social justice warriors, but many times let the topic of animal rights go over their heads. Animal rights should be something more widely discussed when in terms of social justice because at the end of the day these are living creatures too.

This topic, like mentioned before has been and is brought up constantly and because of this, things have been done about animal rights, but we are far from being done and solving the issue. Animals are no less than humans just because they aren’t as “evolved” as us and they have the right to live without being abused or killed. Animal rights at the moment are seen as an ethical issue because there is disagreement about the way that animals should be treated. The argument for animal rights and is that animals should be treated well and with respect, animals feel pain and suffering and just like humans, they don’t deserve to be subjected to that for any reason because all types of life should be respected. Some may think that the animal rights movement is trying to give animals all the same rights as humans like marriage and voting, which is ridiculous, it is just about the treatment they receive.

Animals just like humans have some of the same rights that we do. These rights being as to how there are treated. Animals should be respected and taken care of since they are living creates and deserve to live just like we do. Animal rights should be supported just like other causes, though it might not seem important, even if it isn’t, it can’t be something that is left on the back burner for us to get to because at the end of the day there are living creatures who are being mistreated, tortured, abandoned and killed.

Strides that have happened in animal rights are the Humane Slaughter Act, the Twenty-Eight Hour Law, and animal welfare. The term animal welfare is used to describe the well-being of animals and how they are being treated. This has different views depending on the person because everyone has their own definition of how animals should be treated. Jennifer Everett explains in her journal that even though everyone has a different understanding of the term most people agree that “all members of some class of animals are properly treated as direct objects of moral concern but differ as theories about the rightness or wrongness of actions affecting the members of that class.” Continuing on, there have been laws and regulations passed about the rights of animals. Though it looked at, they can seem rather useless since much of the time these laws and legislations are very under-enforced. According to NAVS (National Anti-Vivisection Society), The Welfare Act is a law that was “established in 1966 in response to the growing concern for dogs and cats used in research, particularly with regard to a large number of reported thefts of dogs and cats for use in research institutions.” The problem with the welfare act is the animals protected under it are so specific and exclude many more of the animals that are used in research institutions. Since the law was enacted it the number of animals protected under it has grown but at the same time added more exclusions such as one for farm animals. The Welfare Act can also be compared to the Humane Slaughter Act. The Humane Slaughter Act was originally known as the Humane Methods of Slaughter Act, “Originally passed in 1958, the law that is enforced today by the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) was passed as the Humane Slaughter Act of 1978. This Act requires the proper treatment and humane handling of all food animals slaughtered in USDA inspected slaughter plants.”( United States Department of Agriculture) The law though seeming helpful also has many exclusions such as the slaughtering of poultry, this being one of the only laws protecting the humane slaughtering of animals so that they can die without pain fails not only chickens but other animals that are also excluded or ignored. One more law that there is to protect animals is the Twenty-Eight Hour Law. The Animal Legal and Historical Center in the University of Michigan explains the law as, “This Federal law addresses the transportation of animals, including those raised for food or in food production, across state lines. The statute provides that animals cannot be transported by ‘rail carrier, express carrier or common carrier (except by air or water) for more than 28 consecutive hours without being unloaded for five hours for rest, water and food.” Though the law is helpful in protecting animals being transported, it makes no effort in controlling the conditions in which the animals are being transported, which at times causes animals to be transported in bad conditions.

These laws though try to help do to some extent aren’t enough to keep animals safe. This is why there are people who still fight for the rights of animals. These people are a great help and are a part of a great movement, but it takes more people to make a point and get the things we think are not only needed but deserved. There are many ways to help the movement and many organizations to join to do so. Unfortunately, many people are scared or nervous to join these organizations because in the past these organizations has been called extremists for doing things to bring attention to the cause. Though they do it with good intentions their actions are seen as offensive or unnecessary because there are more ways to do things and instead of doing things in a peaceful way to bring attention these organizations will usually go the latter and do things that will catch peoples attention even if it causes people to disagree with what they are doing.

Animal rights activists have been trying to bring a change to the way animals are treated for a long time, but it was made difficult by the number of hurdles they have to pass in order to do it. Many times they get into trouble for the things they do even if they never reach an extreme level such as the ones made by big organizations. Laws that have been passed to go against them don’t help and only make things harder for them but allow companies and factories to get away with mistreating and abusing animals. One of the examples of these laws is Ag-Gag Legislations. Animal enterprise interference’ statutes known as Ag-Gag laws are described by Pamela Fiber-Ostrow and Jarret S. Lovell in their article Behind a veil of secrecy: animal abuse, factory farms, and Ag-Gag legislation as “Proposed legislation would prohibit visual and sound recordings at meat and dairy farms, would make it illegal for job applications to fail to disclose affiliation with an animal advocacy organization, and legislation would mandate the prompt reporting of animal abuse.” These laws make it almost impossible for animal rights activists to expose companies who are mistreating their animals even when these people are doing things in a legal manner. Fiber-Ostrow and Lovell provide the case of Amy Meyer as an example in their Article. They explain how in 2013 she was the first person to be prosecuted under one of these laws for recording what was going on inside a meatpacking company. “She refused since she was actually filming from across the street and was therefore on public property.” Amy Meyer is a great example of how companies get away with the way they treat animals because she was not on the property of the meatpacking company yet was still prosecuted.

Everywhere there are animals who are suffering because they are being mistreated, abused, have no home, or are being neglected. Different types of animals require different things, some need to be given shelter and to be fed while others find shelter and food for themselves. All animals have different characteristics and to humans, only certain animals deserve to be treated correctly. No matter what all animals are important, and people need to understand the importance that it is to protect animals. No creature should be subjected to live a life with pain. It is important for us to stand up for the rights of the creatures who aren’t able to defend themselves.