Ashley Pagano
Pagano 1
English 11
Mr. Currin
25 March 25, 2009
Animal Rights
Is it fair that against their own will, animals are used for testing purposes, eaten and used
for fur, and kept in unfair conditions in a zoo just for the human benefit? The topic of animal
rights has been debated for a long time. The way they are used and treated is very inhumane. It’s
not just simply about eating meat, it’s also about animal testing, wearing fur, taking them out of
their habitat in the wild and forcing them into a small area for humans to view, and hunting them
for fun. Humans do as they do, when it’s unnecessary for the animal to be tortured or mistreated,
or even killed. Animal rights are not ridiculous or absurd because animals should be entitled to
some rights, and treated fairly.
Millions of animals suffer through stressful and unnecessary tests every year.
Numerous examples indicate that these examples are wasteful, cruel, and ridiculous. In one
study, pregnant rabbits were given cocaine and their offspring received shocks in order to study
maternal drug use. In another study, cats were shot in the head to show that this type of wound
impairs breathing (Newkirk 1). This is an example of how ridiculous animal testing can be, and
how it does not even benefit medical research. Ingrid Newkirk writes about how when seventeen
monkeys were taken in for animal testing purposes, A monkey named Billy could no longer use
his arms because they were both broken, he moved around by dragging himself by his elbows,
and his teeth were infected causing him pain when he ate (1). Newkirk also mentions that
Baboons are given aids, and great apes have been tested for child abuse studies, where they have
Pagano 2
been driven mad just so they will crush their infants. The genes of pigs and chickens are being
changed so that they cannot walk, nor fly (2). Regardless, the testing is in many cases,
unnecessary and very harmful or deathly to the animal. The animals should, if being tested at all
be unable to feel the pain. Though not much, but is still a percentage of animals, six percent of
animals used in experiments in 1992 had no pain relief given to them, and experienced the entire
experience. Innocent dogs are used for education and training, and most are killed after (Day,
30). The laboratory abuse continues as Newkirk goes on in her writing, saying how the small
animals such as rabbits and guinea pigs suffer silently and often go into seizures and
convulsions. Dogs had their vocal chords severed so that they could not bark (3).
Zoos are very deceiving to people, because they think the animals are healthy and happy,
but they do not know what it’s like for a wild animal to be captive in a zoo. Animals in the wild
do such things as Exercise, socialize with other animals in the wild, and hunting, but in a zoo
they are in a small area, that though looks like their habitat, is nothing like their living
conditions. The animals paces back and forth in a small area and does unnatural behaviors such
as vomiting and swallowing their regurgitated food, eating their own feces, being dangerously
aggressive and over grooming themselves (Zoos, 1). “Animals bred in captivity, do not have a
great chance of survival,” the author of “Zoos Harm Animals” writes (2). The money that the
zoos spend on making the animal habitats look better to attract more visitors to the zoo, should
be used to preserve habitats, so that the animals can survive outside of the zoo, in the wild (Zoos,
2). Zoos make it seem that they care for the animals and how they are treated, but if they did,
they would let them survive naturally where they belong, and treat them right.
Pagano 3
Most people do eat meat, but many people are changing their minds by trying a different
kind of diet known as vegetarianism or veganism. People are changing their diet because of
health issues (Mckeen, 1). Canadians eat meat in large quantities that is unheard of in any other
place, but regardless, more people are becoming informed and are learning more about meateating (Mckeen, 2). Mckeen explains how animals in nature suffer for many reasons. They are
killed by a predator, or by an illness, or other reasons as well (Mckeen, 5). Tom Regan argues
on the side of Animals in his article saying that a child does not have the same rights as an adult,
but the child still should be treated with respect and kept alive and well. Animals are just like
that. Animals should not have the rights of an adult, as in voting, marriage, divorce and so on,
but still deserve the same respect that a toddler would receive (1). People also say that animals
do not have souls. Even if that were the case, the question is, if we have souls and they do not,
does that justify anything about how humans treat them? Animals are only subjects to us, the
way we eat, trap, use, and cage them against their own will (Regan, 3) Animal activists and
PETA have a big impact on changing people’s ideas of animal rights, and changing their
opinions. Activists can be very extreme when trying to persuade people to change their opinions
on animal rights. PETA, which stands for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, has taken
part in many campaigns that are very outrageous. In one campaign there were celebrities that
walked around naked saying that they would rather do so, than wear fur (Mckeen, 4). Those are
the extremes that PETA takes. PETA has attacked the dairy companies and the milk campaigns
as well as the hunting industry and others Mckeen goes on (4). In a campaign against fast food,
PETA threw fake blood and set up a website with graphic images (Garber, 1). PETA goes after
many different restaurants and businesses to protest. Mcdonalds stopped buying eggs from
Pagano 4
farmers that de-beaked chickens because of PETA going after them (Garber, 2). Members of
PETA complain by saying that “Animals are not here for humans to eat,” and “We are a vegan
group but we are also realistic,” as well as “If we can’t get animals complete freedom
immediately, at least we want to make it better for them” (Garber, 3). PETA does not plan on
changing the way they protest, though they have been called insensitive and tasteless. PETA has
gone after KFC many times because KFC kills their chickens by slitting their throats or electric
shock. They have set up many campaigns to get vegetarians, vegans, and animal lovers to stop
KFC from treating their chickens harshly. PETA, as well as other activists promote themselves
all over, trying to get more and more people to join them to help stop animal cruelty.
It seems that many people have come to terms with the way animals are treated and how
unfair it really is to them. The number of businesses selling fur, has dropped dramatically over
the years. Caged mink ranches also declined. Though there are still some out there, and
businesses that still sell fur, it still helps, and saves animals lives (Regan, 5). People are
beginning to respect an animal which is how it should be.