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Animal Rights Human beings have been in control of the planet for quite some time now. We selfishly built our homes and buildings and we paid no attention to the animals whose homes we destroyed. We didn't even stop to decide if animals had rights. Also, we polluted the environment, which further contributed to the abuse of wild animals. We have made it very hard for animals to survive, so we must help them out. In Ways of Living, in "Animal Liberation," by Peter Singer, it says, "If we have learned anything from the liberation movements, we should have learned how difficult it is to be aware of the ways in which we discriminate until they are forcefully pointed out to us. A liberation movement demands an expansion of our moral horizons, so that practices that were previously regarded as natural and inevitable are now seen as intolerable." Wild animals that live near residential areas should be left alone or put into wildlife sanctuaries. In sanctuaries, the animals will be cared for and they'll be safe from people who might do them harm. Our role in the preservation of animals is not only to keep them healthy and happy. One of the rights that animals do have is procreation. If we have them in captivity, this becomes our duty. This is especially needed if the animal in question is considered to be threatened or endangered, as are many of the animals in zoos. Most zoos are very involved in breeding exotic animals. At the Los Angeles Zoo, they have a wall inside their front office with about 50 plaques (each one for a different species) recognizing the zoo for being the first successful zoo to breed a certain species in captivity. This helps to boost the numbers of wild animals and enables the animals to preserve their species. Animals have the right to a happy and healthy life. We cannot abuse animals legally unless it is for researching purposes. But still, animals are abused every day. Some people get angry or frustrated and take it out on their pets. Some people don't pay attention to their pets' nutritional needs or they don't take their pets to the veterinarian. These are also forms of abuse that aren't discovered until it is too late. The animals in sanctuaries and zoos, as well as our pets, are dependent upon us. We are responsible for ensuring that they remain healthy. We have only recently realized that animals have rights. This created quite a dilemma. Should animals have the same rights we do? Still, the issue isn't completely decided. It is hard to give them as many rights as we have because we cannot fully communicate with them. We use animals for so many things; companionship, entertainment, food, clothing, cosmetic products, research, etc. It is hard for us to decide what is right and what is wrong. |