Essays on Animal Cruelty

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What is Animal Cruelty

Cruelty means to inflict pain or cause suffering; there are many different forms of animal cruelty. Torturing or beating of an animal, confining or transporting an animal in a way that is threatening to its well being, killing an animal in an inhumane manner, failing to provide appropriate food or water, treatment for disease or injury, or forcing animals to live in unfair living conditions are all examples of animal cruelty. Scientific research, abandonment, and mistreatment are some of the most common forms of animal cruelty.

Animal Testing

Animal scientific research is known to be a necessity. Humans use animals to test on while in veterinarian school and to test products such as cosmetics and hair products to ensure they are safe for humans to use. Society needs to research in order to improve the economy and the products of everyday life (Stuart). The biggest problem with animal testing is animal testing. Each year, more than 100 million animals—including mice, rats, frogs, dogs, cats, rabbits, hamsters, guinea pigs, monkeys, fish, and birds—are killed in U.S. laboratories for biology lessons, medical training, curiosity-driven experimentation, and chemical, drug, food, and cosmetics testing (Matthies). China has the highest animal testing rate because as of 2014 it was required by law to test products on animals in order for it to be required fit for humans. Even though it is no longer required by law to test on animals in China it is not illegal, which does not rule in the animals’ favor.

Animal Abuse

Abuse is not the only form of animal cruelty. Animals being held in captivity is a form of cruelty. Animals being held by humans and prevented from escaping are considered to be in captivity. Zoo, aquarium, circus and farm animals that are used for entertainment or to better human’s lives in a non companion manner are considered animals being held in captivity. Zoo animals are known to portray neurotic traits after being kept in captivity for so long, along with animals being held in aquariums, the ones being forced to perform in the circus, and animals living on farms.

Animals on Zoos

In zoos, elephants are kept in small quarters, giving them little to no room to be comfortable. Donkeys are sometimes painted with black and white stripes to make them look like zebras for kids to ride on. Most people visit zoos to see the young animals, because of this zookeepers breed the animals under their control to bring in more money from customers. Zoos claim they keep their doors open and breed their animals because they want to protect them from being endangered to going extinct. Studies have shown that most of the animals that are being bred in zoos are not endangered. A zoo is a dangerous place for an animal to live, it is known to be “prison for animals”. Animals in zoos all over the U.S. have been poisoned, starved, denied veterinary care, and even burned in fires (Matthies).

The Humboldt penguins at Scarborough Sea Life Centre have been prescribed antidepressants because they show signs of depression due to living in captivity. It has been reported that some fish in aquariums have been seen interacting with invisible objects, continuously raising their heads above the surface of their tank, spinning around uncontrollably, and frequently rubbing along the floor of their tank. Aquariums and marine-mammal theme parks like SeaWorld, the Miami Seaquarium and Canada’s Marineland are part of a billion-dollar industry built on the suffering of intelligent, social beings who are denied everything that is natural and important to them (Matthies). Sea Creatures/marine animals have families and they are torn apart due to the greed of humans. They are taken from their homes in the ocean and placed in tanks that aren’t equivalent to a small bathtub when compared to the freedom of the ocean.

The Orca Tilikum was captured as a calf in 1983 in Iceland; a year after his capture he was transferred to Sealand of the Pacific in Victoria, British Columbia then transferred to SeaWorld Orlando, Florida in 1992 where he spent his last days. From 1992 to the day of his death on January 6th, 2017 Tilikum was held in the same cramped tank performing to bring in money for his owners. On February 20, 1991, Keltie Byrne, a 21-year-old marine biology student slipped into the pool of water Tilikum was being held in, along with Tilikum there were 2 other orcas in the pool of water. The three orcas submerged her and dragged her around the pool which prevented her from reaching the surface. On July 6, 1999, 27-year-old civilian Daniel P. Dukes, was found dead over Tilikum’s back during the opening of the facility. Dukes had visited SeaWorld and hid in the park until closing to enter the orca tank. An autopsy was performed and his official cause of death was drowning, during the autopsy, a number of wounds, contusions, and abrasions were discovered all around his body. February 4th, 2010, was Tilikum’s last kill. During a performance, Tilikum pulled trainer Dawn Brancheau into the pool of water by her ponytail causing blunt force trauma. The autopsy reported her cause of death was drowning. Due to bacteria in the tank, Tilikum was diagnosed with a lung infection causing his death, which is very common for captive sea creatures.

Animals in Circuses

Circus animals are forced to perform and abused with whips, tight collars, muzzles, electric prods, and bullhooks to gain control of them. Circuses easily get away with such routine cruelty because the government doesn’t monitor training sessions and handlers are cautious when they’re in public (Matthies). Over time, elephants, tigers, zebras, and others have tried to make an escape during a performance. After being abused for years, an elephant named Tyke killed his trainers during a performance and escaped the circus roaming the streets in a panic in 1994, it took about 100 bullets to put him down after he escaped. Big cats such as lions and tigers are kept in confined spaces in trucks and trailers. During transit, animals may not have access to food, water, or veterinary care. Also, the animals are imprisoned in cages, where they are forced to eat, drink, sleep, and use the bathroom all in one cage during transit, before and after performances and training. Circus animals are the most mistreated animals that are held captive.

Food Production

The meat and dairy industry is the biggest industry in the world. Female cows are kept in small spaces to make room for thousands at a time. Hens that are used for egg laying are kept in small cages, while chickens and pigs are kept in jam-packed sheds. In order to keep animals alive in the unsanitary conditions, they are forced to live in, they are forcibly given antibiotics. The antibiotics given to these animals can lead to antibiotic-resistant bacteria that has been known to threaten human health. Most factory-farmed animals have been genetically manipulated to grow larger or to produce more milk or eggs than they naturally would. Some chickens grow so unnaturally large that their legs cannot support their outsized bodies, and they suffer from starvation or dehydration when they can’t walk to reach food and water (Matthies). When the animals have grown large enough or can no longer serve their purpose on the farm they are transported to the slaughterhouse. On their way to the slaughterhouse, they don’t receive food or water. After the transportation, any animal who survives will have their throats slit upon arrival, while conscious.

Conclusion

Animal cruelty is animal abuse, animal abuse is animal cruelty. Animals living in captivity are suffering every single day that they are under the control of humans. Wild animals are meant to remain in the wild. They were not born to be trained, forced to perform or to be used to satisfy humans needs. They kill because they are wild, they are being tortured behind the scenes, they are terrified, they are in constant pain and want to be saved. Animal cruelty is real, dangerous and threatening to an animal’s life and happiness.