In Laura's blog, she states that animal ethics encompasses the moral value and moral status of animals as well as the rights of all animals in general. Everyone has different views about whether animals have rights, how many rights, and if some animals are superior to others when it comes to these rights. Animals need to be protected, especially domesticated animals that are under the care of human beings. Morally, it is wrong to exploit animals and mistreat them but some people do not share these morals. There are always stories in the news about dog fights, abuse, abandonment, neglect and so on. Laura asks, "Why do you think people violate animal rights?"
According to ASPCA, most people who abuse animals don't do it on purpose. They hurt animals because they don't think about or realize what they are doing. For example, some people don't realize what kinds of shelter different animals need. They may keep a dog in their yard with a doghouse that is on the ground and gets flooded with water when it rains, or they keep their dog on a short chain all of the time. On the other hand, people may abuse an animal, on purpose, maybe once or twice just to see how it will react. A group of kids may decide to throw rocks at a birds nest to see what will happen. Curiosity doesn't justify cruelty, but this is a reason why animals get hurt. Then there are people who intentionally hurt animals because they enjoy it or it makes them feel in power. These people would most likely hurt other human beings too, just to feel in control. They target animals more often since they are more helpless than people. Animals are only capable of expressing themselves indirectly in case of abuse.
In my opinion, people violate animal rights because they can. It breaks the law but, in many cases, nothing is done about it because no one is aware of the abuse. The abusers want to feel powerful; they want to dominate and bully something and animals are the easiest target. They know it is wrong and hurtful but they get pleasure out of it. Some people believe human beings are the dominate species and they can simply control 'lesser' species however they want since nothing will come of it. Animals are vulnerable, defenseless and completely in man's power. People who ignore the well being of animals should be brought to court and be held accountable for violating animal rights, plain and simple.
My question to you is: Do you think humans fail at protecting the rights of animals and what could be done to better protect animals in our society?
I have responded to your question.
ReplyDelete