Creature Feature

Image by Arno and Louise Wildlife

Some people, such as circus and bull fight attenders think that animal cruelty is okay when it is meant to entertain humans. I must disagree! What I’m trying to say is that I think using animals for human entertainment is wrong when the animals are treated unfairly. Animals are just other species on earth, and they should be treated at least as fairly as we treat each other and if not, more.

Imagine a time when a mother or father goes to take their child or grandchild to the zoo and there are no elephants or bulls. All of the elephants have died off by being starved, contained, and beaten to learn tricks. The bulls died a bloody murder so that a group of humans could watch a man take down a bull, in what they thought was a “fair” fight. The younger generations of our world might never see an elephant or a bull. How does that make us feel?

I’m not alone with my opinion. Dr. Thomas Dixon (Of the U.K.) is a research fellow of Churchill College in Cambridge. He states in his idebate.org paper, “The circus is an arena in which human beings abuse elephants and other animals … they are trained to perform tricks using electric goads, whips, sticks, and food deprivation…” He also states, “The bull in a bull fight always dies (It is either killed by the matador or slaughtered afterward if it does survive) …it is also very rare that the matador is seriously injured and it is really rare that the matador dies after a bull fight. … Matadors are not heroes they are cruel cowards.” Others agree with these statement and  feel that bull fights are unfair.Many others feel  the same about dog fighting. Although some people do not think the same and that is expressed here,” … audiences of dog fights contain lawyers, judges, and teachers drawn in by the excitement and thrill. To them dog fighting is not brutal, it is an art.” The important thing to take from this quote written by Michael Vick is that some people think that this kind is okay but I think the exacted opposite. I think that this is wrong.

I present all of us with a choice to make: We could save these animals from their pain and suffering or we could leave them be and let them all be murdered to entertain us. This is the decision we have to make and I hope we choose wisely for the sake of the animals and our future generations.

by: Joseph Sardin

Some people think that it is okay to torture animals and use them for our own needs; however I believe that hurting animals for our own selfish reasons is wrong. Imagine if some giant species made us into puppets for their entertainment? You wouldn’t like it would you?  The animals feel the same way. Here are some examples of how the precious animals are tortured. Everybody thinks that the circus is just fun and games. Yeah, the circus has fun tricks and everything, but do you really know what happens before the show? Well, many employees have seen animals beaten, poked with sharp things, or even burned to learn their routines. Many people don’t believe that happens and argue “the circus is where children first learn to love animals.” The American Humane Society says that people will shoot, stab, or beat their animals because the humans are emotionally unstable. People who abuse or neglect their animals will be violent towards other people, even people they are really close to. Many people think that it is okay to abuse their pets, and that they don’t have feelings, they’re just animals. Neglect is when you don’t feed your animal or take it to the vet. When an animal dies from neglect it feels just as much pain as it would if it were physically abused. Why would you want to hurt the animals that you love? They have never done anything to hurt you; they are just innocent little creatures. When you are harming an animal, you aren’t just hurting them you are hurting all of the people who love animals. Some of those people could be your family. Dr. Thomas Dixon quotes “All sports and entertainment that exploit non-human animals should be banned. Like us, animals feel fear, stress, exhaustion and pain. Being a species with a great amount of power and control over other species brings with it a responsibility not to abuse that power.” We really need to protect the animals of our world. Without them a lot of us would be lonely. Now why don’t we get out there and help save the animals of the world, not hurt them.

Image by Keven Law

The debate over whether animal rights should be protected, has continued over the past years, resulting in law suits and arguments from both sides of the discussion. As animals are used for the entertainment of humans in circuses, dog/horse races, and zoos, there are many other uses of animals for entertainment that cause harm. I believe that even though animals are of lower intelligence than us, they should be treated as individuals, for they have lives too. How would you feel if a species of larger intelligence and strength tortured you in the most vial and cruel of ways? As Jacques Deval once said, “God loved birds and invented trees. Man loved birds and invented cages.” The issue of animal revolves around the idea that animals should be given the same protection as humans. For example, the deer is a resource, used for sport and food. As it may be used as a vital food resource for people who might not otherwise be able to obtain meat for their protein, the deer is often killed purely for entertainment. Imagine that it is a beautiful, sunny, day in the woods. You are licensed to only hunt small game like rabbits and squirrels. Peering out of the bushes, you spot a beautiful, white tailed deer. You approach the animal with great caution. Out of temptation, you point your gun at the deer. Crack! Struggling to stay alive, the poor deer gasps for it’s last breath of air. Thump! The deer hits the ground. Covered in blood, the blank, lifeless body gazes up at you. You feel regret for the poor, dead animal but you cannot take it back. You sling the dead carcass over your shoulders with confidence. As you start walking back home, tears pour down your face. You pray that the deer could go back to where it came from. but still, you cannot take it back. What I am trying to say is that I believe that humans should be allowed to hunt for deer if they are going to use their prey as a resource to improve their lifestyles. “When it comes to pain, love, joy, loneliness, and fear, a rat is a pig is a dog is a boy. Each one fights the knife,” says Ingrid Newkirk, cofounder of the PETA. Animal rights is not just a philosophy. It is a social movement that challenges us in every way. Who said that adapting to a new lifestyle was going to be easy? Even the slightest adaptations in your lifestyle can save many deer from all over the world. One way to save deer is to eat less jerky, or any other product with deer meat in it. If everybody did this, we could save millions and even billions of deer from all over the world.

Photo by CALM Action

People and companies big and small do not have a mind for the pitiful style in which we defend our cousin, the animal, as wages for the infinite ways he aids us. This intentional obliviousness is wrong, inhuman. In my heart, I stand with the strongest belief that it is mandatory animals are at least granted man’s basic comfort. This is not hard to grasp if you consider it openly; we must commit to act as civil beings, ensuring our animals are never exploited past the point of discomfort. Here, there is no question of “Why?” but merely a question of “Why not?” Utilizing the gift of Creation is great, but if humans strip all remaining beauty from it by choice, the damage reflects on each and every one of us. As man, we already lounge casually at the top of the animal kingdom; so why is it we are choosing to lower ourselves in rank to a position where we would, in our standards, be subjects to unthinkable abuse and neglect ourselves?

Picture in your mind’s eye your shaggy pup wagging at you a mile a minute, his eyes shining like two deep, dark, and shimmering moons. Your reflection glimmers in those spheres as your hand jolts out startlingly to snatch him up. Surely you are going to take him on a nice snowy stroll. But no? Where are you going? O-oh! -Into the kitchen for a treat! Your aggravated steps speed up as you blow past the treat cupboard, flipping the bewildered retriever upside down! You hang him, whimpering, over the nightmarish black basin of oil that sits seething ominously in the corner. Your hand grasps the cold, silver hatchet, and the winter sun glints off its razor sharp blade… a sickening “thunk” can be heard…And when the work is done, no one will bother about the hairy animal head that bobs around in the filthy pot; that it was still conscious of pain for many ghastly moments after plunging into the scalding depths as the rest of its body was ripped to pieces. No one will know, just as we are oblivious to the fact that this happens to innocent commercial farm animals every day. They are merely stunned without any painkillers and hacked apart when still struggling, half alive. Thing like this should not be happening; they sound like they come straight from a horror movie. We must realize that if we want the authority to continue to use and eat what we do of animals, they should not be allowed to be treated equally as bad-if not worse-than slaves, as many are now. We need to step up our game. Wouldn’t you want painkillers before being slaughtered?

Sadly, these gruesome scenarios are not just reminders of what may happen sometime, somewhere. It appears we have made a movement to help ill-treated domestic and wild animals alike, but have stopped mid-stride, as executive director of the Oakland Zoo, Joel Parrot’s words clearly state (as cited from the PETA website). He declares that training “can be severe, using techniques that include prolonged hitting by the elephant trainer with clubs…electricity, prolonged chaining, and food deprivation.” There is no doubt Parrot has witnessed these cruel activities at his work, but what makes Oakland Zoo so different from others? PETA-People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals- agrees, claiming that circuses use many like methods. So these organizations prove that in places like this there is mass corruption, places where young girls and boys relish these circus shows or trips to the zoo.But  how can their hearts be truthfully content when we are weighing them down with such lies?  We as humans do not care that half of the items we reach up to grab off of the shelves in the cosmetics and toiletry aisles of grocery stores have caused numerous animals unthinkable suffering. In continuance of their effort to actively resolve cases of animal abuse, the Humane Society of the United States reminds us how essential it is to be aware of animal testing. “Picture…the guinea pigs or mice you had as pets growing up…Now imagine 25 million of animals just like these living in small laboratory cages…deliberately sickened…over years–and then killed…Many humane state-of-the-art alternatives have already been shown to be affective in advancing medical progress, cutting research costs, and eliminating animal suffering.” As you consider HSUS’s words, it is mandatory to notice that there is a resolution to this problem of animal misery in testing laboratories, a fix that can ensure our brethren the lives they deserve…

And there is a fix for all inhuman treatment of creatures. If we are to exploit these animals in zoos, commercial food production, anything, we must raise the bar higher in our use of them as civil persons. People of all nations must raise their eyes to the defects in our relationship with the most profitable organism we exploit. Many of us were taught as youngsters about the significance of “treating others as we would like to be treated”. It is my hope that as adults and children alike we can now understand that this “others” counts for our animals too. So how will you take action? Pass it on.

   Some people believe that farm and domesticated animals don’t have rights, but I think otherwise. I believe they should be treated as good as zoo animals, and that their care should be supervised and enforced. To put it another way, I think domesticated and farm animals should have rights. This makes sense because when pet possessors purchase or adopt a pet they take a “vow” to love, care for, and look after the pets.  Imagine a poor puppy at his owners home. Then for leaking on the carpet he gets kicked, for lying on the couch he gets smash off the couch .The next day no food no water then training and fighting. Dog and Cock fighting, neglect, are all signs of abuse to farm& domesticated animals.  Ledy VanKavage of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln reports the shooting of cats. The report includes a disclaimer that it’s not always legal or safe to pull out your gun and start firing. She states, “In your haste to shoot cats, you might hit someone’s kid. What they don’t mention is that in some areas, if you hit your target, you could be charged with animal cruelty. In Illinois, if you shoot a cat it’s a felony. That’s right — aggravated cruelty, a class 4 felony. If your target turns out to be someone’s pet, additional charges may be piled on.”  She also states that” Despite years of evidence showing that catching and killing cats is ineffective, the University lists numerous barbaric methods that can be used to kill felines. These inhumane methods range from body-gripping traps to padded jaw foothold traps, and of course, gunshot, which is even listed as a form of proper euthanasia. The University does carefully instruct cat killers to aim shots between the eyes or at the heart/lung area to ensure a humane death.” According to the humane society of the u.s. animal experimentation was the hallmark of 20th century biomedical research, sophisticated non-animal methods are likely to characterize 21st century research. The HSUS is at the forefront of promoting these research methods and their continued development, as well as ending some of the most inhumane research practices. Until the day when animals are no longer used in harmful experiments, the HSUS, with your help, also strives to gain stronger legal protection for animals used in research, and seeks to limit animal use and suffering. Right now, approximately 95% of the animals used for research aren’t afforded even the minimal protections of the Animal Welfare Act. We have a choice to make. We can ignore animal abuse and have violent dogs and people or we can enforce the laws and make it right. Your decision, stop the cruelty and abuse

picture by: Tyler lngram

Many people think that animals are just things that have no feelings at all. And think they are just for people’s amusement nothing else. Those people need to wake up and pay attention to the animals that need help to find families of their own. In other words I think that animals are equal to us and deserve respect like we do. This makes sense because animals are being neglect like toys and treated badly and there are some ways you can stop it from happening like stopping dog fights, betting you animals, over breeding and much more. There ones when I hated my mom’s bird and for no reason and he did nothing to me. He did nothing of what kind   to deserve none of this. Then when i started this blog I really notes’ what I was doing to him and for what. He loved to play with me and love on me he never did again. So yesterday I opened that bird cage and got him out and I played with that big blue and gold macaw baby. So  according to humane society “people with emotional problems may beat, shoot, stab, or even set animals on fire.” What they are trying to say is some people with problems may or may not neglect there animals. This testimony is by Tom Regan and he said “Animals are subjects of a life”. I think it means animals deserve to be able to live a life of their own. Roger Scruton said (“you were not made to live as brutes but to follow virtue and knowledge.”)

Robbie Wrobleski

Some people think that animals don’t have rights, but I think their wrong. In other words, this makes sense because imagine if you were an animal and someone just came up to you and shot you for no reason at all. For example, one time one of my friends was taking his dog on a walk past a field. The dog went into the field and my friend went after her and there was cop in the field that they didn’t see. The cop shot the dog in the leg because the cop thought the dog was a deer. The dog’s leg is now missing and she will now never walk in a field ever again. American Humane has worked to protect animals since 1877, “All efforts of our Animal Protection Division are focused on preventing cruelty of animals.” I think that cruelty of animals is wrong. Ever since the publication of Charles Darwin’s Origin of Species in 1859 we have known that human beings are related by common descent to all other animals. We owe a duty of care to our animal friends.

Some people think that animals should not have rights like humans do but I think they should be like us humans who wouldn’t want animals to be starved to death. Is what I’m trying to say is that I think animals should be in a better habitat. This makes sense because once an animal is extinct it is gone forever. The animals will be lost forever. Why can’t the humans just give up a little land? As I began to enter Colorado, I slowed down just enough to see all the beautiful animals on the mountain and then all the cars behind my mother’s car just stopped and finally they seen what we were looking at. What if sights like these diapered forever? According to my best friend she thinks animals should have the same exact rights as you because they need to have room to play and have fun instead of being abused. According to Thomas Dixon he” thinks animals should have the same rights as us.” We have a choice to make. We can either let animals have rights and people will be happy or we won’t let animals have rights. I  hope we will choose wisely.

Photo By Bart Van Damme

Many people think that animals are just toys for play and work but they are not. They are real living creatures just like any other human. They deserve to have rights. I disagree with animal cruelty. What I am trying to point out is that animals deserve to live their lives without getting beaten, strangled, or wounded by their owners. This makes sense because animal cruelty makes animals believe that they don’t mean anything. But they do. They are people’s companions and best friends. They can`t really get up and take care of themselves. They need to be cared for. Image if you looked across the street at the neighbor`s house and they were beating their dog. They were just flinging punch after punch at him. They were telling him to get out of the house by shouting at him. Then the dog comes out and you see him more clearly. He has torn hair, soaking eyes, and bruises everywhere. The dog limps away and never returns. This is a form of animal cruelty. This causes animals everywhere pain. Not just dogs; animals everywhere. According to The Humane Society, “Animal cruelty can be either deliberate abuse or simply the failure to take care of an animal. Either way, whether the animal is a pet, a farm animal, or wildlife, the victim can suffer terribly. People with emotional problems may beat, shoot, or stab animals or set them on fire. Neglect is not giving an animal the right food, water, shelter or vet care. Because their misery goes on for so long, animals who die of neglect can suffer just as much as animals that are harmed on purpose.” As the Human Society points out animal abuse and neglect cause lives of dogs and animals everywhere to suffer, whether it is an animal dying of neglect or one who dies of being harmed by owners. In the words of volunteers at DoSomething.org, “The people who usually harm animals are young. They hurt animals because they are not thinking, or because they can’t stand up to their friends and peer pressure. The people who aren’t thinking may be mad at someone else and kick their pet dog because they can`t kick that person. Or they may think it is fun to watch a dog run away scared, without really thinking how the animal feels. The ones who are giving in to peer pressure might be trying to show-off to their friends. Or they may be with a group of friends who are all trying to impress each other, and so they go along with what everyone else is doing.” In other words, DoSomething.org is trying to say that some people abuse animals because they think it is funny or they are trying to show-off and do what their friends do. In short, animal cruelty is causing animal’s pain and pleasure. We have a choice to make. We can either leave all animals as they are, getting beating and killed, or we can do everything we can to help all mistreated animals.

Some people think that dog fighting is cool and fun. However it is cruel and despicable to beat dogs tell they fight. What I am trying to say is dogs would never want to fight they would never want a life of agony so why would you fight them. In other words dog fighting is dumb and cruel only dummy’s fight dogs. Imagine this; a loving, caring family breeds a bull dog. They love the puppy and play with it all day and when it is old enough to sell, they hug the dog the dog licks them on the face. The guy takes the dog home, throws him in a cage and leaves. The next day he whips the dog, pokes him with a sharp object, yells at him and throws him in the fighting pin to be ripped up by another dog. Would you want a dog to be treated like that, because I would not. What is obvious here is that exports are working on this problem with dog fighting. But they need your help. According to the Humane Society, “All fighting dogs suffer, whether in the pit or out. Although they are pack animals, an instinct to fight other dogs is bred into these dogs so deeply that they mainly live isolated on chains or locked in cages.” What is important here is that it’s not only the fighting that kills them. They also say that, “With 40,000 professional dogfighters and more than 100,000 street dogfighters nationwide, man’s best friend is in dire straits.” What is important here is that if we think dog fighting is going away it is not, We have a choice to make. We can ignore dog fighting and let helpless dogs die in agony, or we can help stop dog fighting and save poor dogs!