Animal exploitation
Billions of animals are killed every year by humans for the sake of our own benefit. In addition, they are also made to suffer in terrible ways. They are captured, or they are farmed in uncomfortable and stressful conditions, being forced to live lives of full of fear, pain, and boredom. They sometimes suffer from chronic diseases or injuries as well. The purposes for which this is done are varied. The raising and killing of animals for the production of certain types of foods is the most common one, though animals are also killed to produce clothing, for entertainment, or to be used as labor or tools, including their use as laboratory tools.
In the links below you can find more information about the different ways nonhuman animals are used in each different field, as well as about how these uses have been questioned.
By far, the purpose for which the most animals are bred to be killed is the production of the animal products we eat. In most cases on farms, these animals suffer terribly and are eventually deprived of their lives, both land animals and aquatic animals.
In order to understand these problems there are several questions that must be addressed.
After fishing, fish farming has the next highest number of victims of human exploitation. In fish farms, animals endure terrible conditions…
The lives of chickens and hens are short and full of suffering. The vast majority raised for their flesh or eggs live crammed together…
Many people think that, though killing animals to eat their flesh harms them, using them for milk production does not. This is not correct, though.
In most farms pigs live in filthy conditions with very little space. Sows used for breeding are locked in crates in which they cannot move…
Sheeps and goats are also commonly bred and killed. They are used for several purposes, including for their wool and for the production of milk and meat.
Even among those concerned about the defense of animals, it is not uncommon to be unaware of the plight of animals in fish farms…
The situation of nonhuman animals living on land farms makes them very susceptible to a number of diseases. In addition…
The harms animals suffer when they are sent to be killed starts before they reach the slaughterhouse, during their transport.
Slaughterhouses are like torture chambers for animals. In them, animals may be stabbed or slashed with knives, boiled or skinned while fully conscious. They endure fear and terrible anxiety.
Huge numbers of bees suffer in a variety of ways from their exploitation by humans to make honey and other products.
Millions of animals are killed for their leather, feathers, fur, wool, and other products. There are plenty of clothing options that don’t require using animals.
In addition to those killed in farms, millions of animals agonize in traps, sometimes for days. Their misery lasts until they die due to hunger, thirst, or being killed…
Another reason animals are harmed is entertainment. Many animals are hunted or fished for this reason. Also, animals are confined for entertainment in places such as circuses, or killed in shows such as bullfights. There are many other ways to have fun without harming other animals.
Fishes are sentient beings who feel pain as other vertebrates do. Sport fishing causes billions of animals every year to suffocate or die in other painful ways.
Life for animals in circuses and other similar shows is like a life sentence. The places where they are enclosed are prisons for them in which many are regularly tortured so they will perform.
Bulls are used in specific entertainment events, such as bullfights (where they are killed), festivals like the “encierros” (running of the bulls) or in rodeos.
Because nonhuman animals are not given the same kind of moral consideration as humans even when their interests are vital ones, they are used as laboratory tools for many purposes in ways in which most people would never think of using humans.
Animals are made to suffer and are killed to test the impact that chemicals can have in the environment. Some of the most important environmentalist organizations…
While animal testing of new cosmetics and household products is now illegal in places such as the European Union and India…
The use of animals to test new weaponry, bullets and warfare chemicals, as well as the effects of burns and poison for military purposes, remains mainly hidden today…
Animals of a variety of species are harmed for numerous purposes in biomedical research because the non-animal methodologies aren’t implemented.
When new materials are developed, they are often tested by using methods such as cell or tissue cultures, or computational models.
Dissecting animals and using them in other ways has been common practice in the U.S. and some other countries in primary and especially secondary education for many years.
In the science departments of many different universities, research, teaching and training are successfully carried out without using animals as laboratory tools.
Defenders of animal experimentation often claim that there is no choice but to harm animals lest scientific progress be stopped, but this is not so.
Despite the fact that many other companies do not experiment on sentient animals, there are still companies that choose to continue carrying out animal tests…
Fortunately, although many companies today choose not to harm animals in product development, quality and safety isn’t affected in the least.
Many animals are bred and bought because people like to spend part of their free time with them. These are sold as “companion animals.” This is very different from adopting abandoned animals where the reason for the rescue is the well-being of the animals themselves.
Many nonhuman animals are used as workers all around the world. Their roles are like those of human slaves. In addition, they are often used as mere tools, as when they are used as weapons or for other military purposes.
There are numerous ways nonhuman animals are used for labor. In many cases they are used for transport or for traction, or as “beasts of burden”.
Nonhuman animals have been used as military tools throughout history. A great number of animals have been killed in wars.
Because nonhuman animals are considered very differently from humans, even when it comes to their most vital interests…
Millions of people all around the world have decided to live without exploiting animals. This position is called veganism, and it entails not using products coming from animal exploitation and not harming animals directly.
Veganism means trying to avoid harming animals. The most visible feature of being vegan, and probably the one that can directly make a difference for the most animals, is eating vegan.
Vegans often claim that the decision to no longer harm animals was one of the most important ones they ever made and remain very proud of it for the rest of their lives. Going vegan allows them to take a crucial stance…
The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, which is made up of over 100,000 nutrition professionals in the U.S. and abroad, has shown in numerous reports and position papers that an appropriately planned vegan diet…
In order for animal products to be obtained, terrible harms must be inflicted upon a great number of animals. No one would accept suffering those harms to themselves in exchange for enjoying the benefit…
