Animal Rights

I

Introduction

Animal Rights, moral right of animals to be treated with respect and without exploitation. Some people believe that animals have rights just as human beings have rights; opinions range from extreme views of total animal liberation by animal rights activists to the practical improvement of the relationship between animals and humans as shown by legislation, and animal welfare organizations such as the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in Britain. Questions arise over whether animals (and, which ones) have moral rights; and that if no animals should be ill-treated, whether this includes abandoning the eradication of pests and vermin.

II

Animals in Scientific Research

Scientific researchers worldwide use animal experimentation—on many types of animals, including cats, dogs, rabbits, primates, and birds—for biomedical and veterinary research to improve human health and the welfare of other animals. They claim that successful medical treatments, including antibiotics, vaccines, and other drugs, have been developed with the use of animal experiments, and that it remains a crucial aspect for the investigation and treatment of serious diseases. While some animal tests have enabled the development of important vaccines and medication, many other tests have been misleading since the genetic makeup of animals is so different to that of humans. Alternatives such as using human tissue cultures in test tubes, testing on volunteers in controlled conditions, statistics (reducing the number of animals used in experiments), and computer models have all proven successful for certain drugs. Cosmetics companies also use animals for experimentation. Some groups are opposed to all forms of animal experimentation, arguing that medical advances do not justify it.

Legislation exists to regulate the use of laboratory animals in scientific research and education; laws exist to cover the treatment, housing, and husbandry of animals, and the utilization of possible alternatives to animal experiments.

Protests from animal rights activists against the use of toxicity testing on animals by industrial organizations—to investigate the safety of products on the human biological system—have ranged from organized demonstrations to arson attacks on shops, especially those selling cosmetics and toiletries. Many cosmetics firms now claim to use alternative methods of testing. In January 2003, an agreement was approved by the European Union (EU) to ban animal testing for cosmetics and cosmetics ingredients within the EU. Where non-animal testing alternatives are available the ban began immediately, whereas a full ban will take effect in 2009.

See also Vivisection.

III

Animals in Entertainment and Sport

Animals have been, and continue to be, used in sports involving their injury and death. Bullfighting has been banned in certain countries, including Britain, but in Spain it is a traditional spectator event. Campaigners against bullfighting argue that before the bull goes into the ring it is kept in a dark cell, has grease smeared on its eyes, has its horns shortened (as well as other painful preparations), and is prodded to make it enter the ring in an agitated manner, where it eventually suffers a long and painful death. Those who are pro-bullfighting say it is a sport and an art with great traditions and insist that the animals do not suffer.

Foxhunting is still conducted in Britain but active opposition from animal rights and animal welfare campaigners during the foxhunting season has resulted in the sabotage of meetings. Those against foxhunting believe that it is unnecessarily cruel and that the fox is likely to suffer multiple injuries before it is killed. They argue that hounds are bred for stamina rather than speed and therefore run more slowly than the fox thus prolonging the chase until it becomes exhausted; and, at the top of the food chain, foxes are not accustomed to being chased. Foxhunters argue that it is the most humane form of controlling what they see as vermin responsible for killing farm animals. Foxhunting with dogs (as well as fox-baiting and hare-coursing) was banned in Scotland in February 2002. There have been calls for an outright ban on foxhunting throughout the United Kingdom and a similar ban in England and Wales was approved in 2004. Laws on badger baiting, dogfighting, deer and stag hunting vary from country to country.

Concern has been expressed for animals kept in zoos and those performing in circuses owing to the unsuitable housing, lack of space, and unnatural habitat and climate in which these animals are often kept. These conditions have been suggested to promote abnormal behaviour, such as pacing. Zoos maintain that they provide educational, zoological, and conservational benefits. There have been high-profile cases of animal abuse in circuses, including the multiple cruelty convictions of Mary Crawley (née Chipperfield) and her husband in the UK in 1998. Increasingly, there have been concerns about cruelty in the sports of horse racing and greyhound racing, especially the disposal of greyhounds once they have finished their racing careers. Additionally, there are increasing numbers of reported cases of cruelty or neglect where animals are kept as pets. The Animal Welfare Act of 2006 seeks to penalize owners if they abuse or neglect pets. Pet-owners found guilty can receive fines or terms of imprisonment and in addition can be banned from owning pets for life. A Scottish act, covering much the same ground, came into force in 2006.

IV

Animals as Food and Products

While vegetarianism is often undertaken for health reasons, many vegetarians are opposed to eating fish, flesh, or fowl, and vegans abstain from eating or using any animal products—including dairy products and leather—because they disagree with the farming and slaughtering of animals. This includes their treatment in farms, markets, abattoirs, and transport between these locations. Animal rights campaigners have strong opinions on the use of intensive (factory) farming, centred on the restricted space animals have to occupy.

The methods used for killing animals in abattoirs also cause controversy. Cows are sometimes stunned ineffectively since they move around, causing the electronic stun gun to hit the wrong part of their body, wounding them and leaving them conscious during the actual slaughter. Similar methods are used for sheep and pigs, the latter of which, in addition, are plunged into boiling water fully or semi-conscious if stunned incorrectly. Poultry are hung upside down, bleeding from the neck, before being immersed in boiling water for feather removal—again, if ineffectively stunned, they are fully or semi-conscious throughout the process.

Objections have also been raised against the production of pâté de fois gras, which involves force-feeding factory-farmed geese and ducks, using a funnel and pneumatic pump, to enlarge their livers to up to ten times the natural size. The use of veal crates (wooden boxes that prevent growing calves’ movement) to restrict muscle development in calves is also cause for concern. In addition, the calves are fed on iron- and roughage-deficient diets in order that their meat will be tender and white. Activities such as these are illegal in certain countries.

The use and treatment of animals in the fur industry has been the subject of intense campaigning. Fox and mink are bred in group captivity in fur factories, mostly in Scandinavia, and this, say animal rights campaigners, may cause stress as these animals are solitary by nature. Treatment of animals in fur factories is subject to legislation and the use of furs from endangered species is banned in many countries. A bill to ban fur farming in the UK was introduced by the government in November 2000 and meant the end of fur farming in England and Wales by the end of 2002. A similar bill was introduced in Scotland in 2002.