Animal rights are an increasingly large concern in many communities. Some people, believe animal rights as a trivial issue in the world at the moment. However, I find this matter to be untrue. The rights of animals should be treated with as much respect as the rights of humans. After all, theoretically, w humans are animals too. Learn ado Da Vinci said, The time will come when men such as I will look upon the murder of animals as they now look upon the murder of men.
Since the beginning of known history, humans have tried to maintain their dominance over other animals. As humanity began to grow intellectually and socially, it became apparent that many feeling beings were being discriminated against, that is, having their rights taken way from them because of what class the belonged to. A world without animals is like a man with no soul. I for one can t imagine a world without animals.
Animals and humans need each other to survive. We humans are very selfish. We only care for ourselves not for the others. I guess it must be human nature. We don t realize it fully that the animals are there for a reason. The animals help the eco-system by controlling the animal population.
This provides stability in the food chain. But in turn, we give the animals nothing in return. We only plunder, pillage and pollute their precious environment to make room for our factories, cattle ranches etc just to make companies rich. It is easy to destroy but it is not easy to rebuild.
People mostly slaughter animals that are on the endangered species list for medicinal purposes, souvenirs and for fashion. Most of the animals that are slaughtered for medicinal purposes are mainly sold to Chinese markets. The horn of the Rhinoceros, which many poachers are after, does not affect the human body in any way when consumed. It is almost the same as eating one s fingernails. Other animals that are slaughtered for medicinal purposes ar the great American Grizzly bear for its gall bladder and the tiger for all its parts. Ivory and shark teeth, which are illegally sold by traders to tourists who visit their respective countries, have caused the populations of the elephant and the shark to dwindle.
Fine felines such as the magnificent leopard and the stunning panther are also slaughtered all in the name of fashion. Why kill animals for the soft and lush fur when one can buy fake furs, which are as good for a cheaper price We must understand animals itself to co-exist with it. For example, The Great White Shark. People often mistaken that shark to be some homicidal beast of the depths. I fact, it is one of the most peaceful animals that inhabits the calm ocean. It only kills when it needs to feed.
When it kills, it only kills the animals that are dying or injured. But we humans kill animals regardless of their conditions just to show our dominance. Movies, such Jaws, Deep Blue Sea etc have caused great misconception towards the behavior of the Shark family. Thus, resulting in the mass murder of the shark population. Most people, who rely on animals such as the cow and the chicken, rely on them as the number one source for proteins.
Proteins enrich our bodies with energy, which is necessary for us to have when we carry out work. If there were no animals, the people of Africa would be the first ones to perish in the heat of the sun due to famine because as it is, they are already starving. They couldn t rely on plants because vegetation growth in that region is very sparse. Many people believe that humans and animals cannot cooperate in a common environment. Beyond a shadow of doubt, they are wrong. One such important example lies right under our noses.
It is the policeman and his trustworthy assistant. Otherwise known as the dog. The dog helps the policeman to sniff out drugs that are being smuggled from one country to another, such as, Mexico and the United States of America. Unlike humans, the dog does not fall into the trap of temptation. We can always rely on dogs because they can t be corrupted in any way! Another example is in the field of agriculture. Farmers use oxen or buffaloes to plough through the field in order for the farmer to plant his seeds.
This is also an example of where the animal is more efficient that the human. Animals provide very good companionship for humans. It helps us to understand the behavior of animals and instill moral values in the young children s minds that animals like us humans have feelings too. Unlike humans, animals don t back stab or betray their companions.
A documentary shown on the National Geographic Channel stated that a number of soldiers had owed their lives to the dog during the Vietnam War. In return, the dogs were not commemorated or merited for their bravery and loyalty but were banished to the cruel Vietnam military bases! Until this day, no one exactly knows what actually happened to the dogs in the military bases. To help the animals, we must first help ourselves. In order to help ourselves, we must learn to protect both other humans and animals. How does humanity intend to solve differences among its own species when we cannot learn to make peace with other animals on Earth Humans need to start thinking and living in co-existence as opposed to dominance.
One certainly does no have to love one s neighbour but should be able to get along with them. Peace begins with the individuals who make a conscious effort to go through life making the least negative input possible. Due to the recent major developments in medical science, a new vaccine has been obtained from the ovaries of female pigs. Although it might sound disgusting, it is actually quite effective. When injected into a female animal, it prevented the female animal from bearing young because the vaccine interferes with the female s ovaries. This process is called immuno contraception.
This process is useful to control the number of animals populating the forests because our growing population is in need for more living space. The days when we humans conserve nature by just leaving it be are just a mere thing of the past. We have entered a new era whereby we must take responsibility into our own hands. Another method to decrease animal slaughtering is for us humans to become vegetarian or vegan for short. Most people say that it is difficult to change to a vegan because giving up eating meat means that they have to give up their number one source of proteins. Instead of eating meat, they can use foodstuff such as milk etc as a source of protein.
Some people become vegan overnight but the majority of the people gradually become vegans. A good thing about being a vegan is that it isn t easy to return to meat eating because the person will either feel guilty because he has betrayed his promise or will feel ill both mentally and physically. As the saying goes, Nurturing children starts from young. The government should educate today s young because they are tomorrow s future to be friendly and compassionate towards animals. This can be achieved by showing more educational cartoons such as Captain Planet and The Planeteers and more documentaries about the characteristics of animals on both the National Geographic Channel and the Discovery Channel. After all my salient points, I hope this essay will make some sort of impact on the minds of people about the way they think whether animals have the rights to live or not.
As a pro-animal activist, I say, for all of us animal lovers, all living things, no matter how big or how small the animal is, at least deserve a chance to live in this cruel, harsh and sometimes unforgiving world.