Essay/Term paper: Animal rights

Essay, term paper, research paper:  Literary Essays

Animal Rights


Many people feel that animals have no rights and are here solely for our use.
Humans are animals too, we shouldn't take advantage of other animals just
because they can't reason like us.
Animals are used in medical research labs as experiments. These experiments
are meant only to benefit humans. I'm not totally against testing,some good can
come of it. But when are tortured and abused in the process then there is
something wrong with it. For example in the early 1980's baboons were involved
in experiments to find out more about comas. There was no care given to whether
or not the animal would be hurt by this procedure. They just strapped the
baboon to a metal device, which would force it's head upward at a sixty degree
angle and then crush it with violent force. The baboon would then writhe and
moan before falling silent. This experiment meant to simulate what happens to
human beings in a car crash or a violent head injury.
It isn't right to cause pain, suffering, and certain death to animals just
for our benefit. Many scientists also agree that this experimental procedure
was wrong but only because primates have higher intelligence. I don't think it
is right for any animal of high or low intelligence, to suffer that way. In
other laboratories animals are confined to small cages or locked up so that thay
can't move. They are then used to test cosmetics and household chemicals. They
have chemicals poured on to their eyes and skin to see if they cause irritation.
These experiments would hurt the animals by causing burns and evn blinding them
sometimes. I don't think it is right to hold these animals, caged against their
wills and hurting them repeatedly. Nothing is done to ease or prevent their
pain and suffering. There must be a better way to test substances without in
iflicting suffering on innocent, bewildered animals. Some scientists feel that
animals are just that, animals. They lack the feelings that humans have. But if
you have ever owned a pet dog, cat, etc., you know they have feelings and are
sensitive to their surroundings just as we humans are.
We are also abusing animals rights by destroying their habitats. We lose
thousands of animal and plant species each year. we are only hurting ourselves
by doing this. There is so much to be learned from these habitats, even the
possibility of cures for diseases. As a result from destroying animal's natural
habitats we are having to depend on zoos to keep species of animals from
becoming extinct. Zoos have done such agood job of breeding the animals that
they have produced a surplus. When zoos have a surplus of animals they are
sometimes sold to circuses and hunting farms. Animals don't belong in circuses
where they are paraded around and forced to perform unnatural tricks. The
animals at the circuses are sometimes forced to live in squalid conditions and
are mistreated. When the animals get mad and try to get away they are often
killed because they are said to be dangerous. They are just trying to get away
from they mistreatment and abuse. it didn't want to jump through a hoop of fire
or walk on it's hind legs. Merely providing food and shelter is not adequate
treatment for an animal that has been taken from it's natural enviromnment.
The hunting farms that buy older and surplus animals from zoos let people
hunt them. People pay money to kill an animal for fun. Some farms allow the
hunters to torture the animals before killing them. They have dogs to chase the
animals and attack it, and other weapons such as spears. These animals are
trapped. They have no hope of escape. People pay to take home a trophy, in one
way or another they get their so-called trophy. These animals meet a merciless
death. How can people consider this a sport?
I firmly believe in animal rights. God created the world with both animals
and humans. To both coexist peacefully. Each bringing benefit to the other,
but not at the expense of pain and suffering. Animals do have feelings. They
may not experience life as we do but they have their likes and dislikes, they
are aware of their own needs and their environment. God gave man the ability to
think and reason. We should put our abilities to better use when it comes to
animals and the world that we share.