ANIMAL RIGHTS AND HUMAN COMPASSION
INTRODUCTION
In many ways, animals are the purest form of life. Unlike humans, they conduct their lifestyle in a way that is not destructive to the environment, nature or themselves. We believe that there are lots of things that people can learn from them and throughout this blog will be focussing on the importance of animal rights and how they should be developed and protected.
HUMANS VS ANIMALS - WHERE IS THE LINE?
Paulina Palinkiewicz-Stachowiak’s [pap28] Page
From the ancient times people in many different cultures were in cooperating various animals with their Gods. For example, in ancient Egypt, cultures of ancient America and many more believed that wisdom, strength, and other valuable features can be found in animals. Those beliefs survived until the present day in the tales that parents are telling their kids, in the proverbs used in everyday language. Some animal behaviours are present in human culture, for example, phrases such as “Stubborn as a donkey” or “wise as an owl” are widely used in today’s society. This inspired scientists to investigate the matter more deeply as animals have evolved into beings that are independent, having both feelings and thoughts. After years of research scientists objectively agreed that animals are very intelligent creatures. For example, ravens have a similar level of intelligence to 5-year-old children and certain breeds of dogs can be very helpful as guide dogs and aid in detecting various substances in the form of police dogs. Dolphins and other mammals that live in water have their specialised language. These findings gave rise to many questions, fundamentally, where exactly is the line between the human and the animal? Are they simply copying what humans are doing? Or are they doing this with full or even partial conciseness? There are many very interesting academic articles that are trying to answer this question. (1)
The scientist that established research into animals thinking was R.M. Yerkes. In the year 1905 he wrote “Animal psychology and the criteria of the psychic” where he established lists of six criteria, which, in his opinion can serve as a basis to finding the signs of conciseness in animals minds. Those were: general form of organism; nervous system; specialisations in the nervous system; general form of reaction, modifiability of reaction; variableness of reaction. Those are said to be signs of not only physical life but also mental. (2)
Next is W.J Cromie who in 2002 wrote the articles called “Scientists think that animals think. But what exactly do they think about?”. In his opinion the rich social life of animals is the sign of progress. The fact that animals can communicate between each other means they are forming some sort of language (as indicated above) meaning they are capable of complex thinking processes. He is referencing the mirror test completed on the elephants in which one of the elephants who sees that he has a paint on the forehead in the mirror was touching his forehead, not the mirror – indicating that elephants have self-conciseness. Another test, this time completed on monkeys, proves that they can count to four. In comparison to human ability, where our capacity to count to higher numbers only came after we had evolved. Although Cromie present many ideas about animal thinking he ultimately concludes his research with the opinion that there is still too little evidence to make some people believe that animals do think independently. (3)
The last academic figure that I would like to refer to is T. Radford. In 2003 he wrote an article called “Animals can think about thought”. In his findings he indicates that animals are capable of not just thinking, but of thinking about thoughts and knowing what they do not know. Putting this into simpler terms, they are able to learn from seeing their mistakes. In addition to this, where given option, they may choose to complete tasks when they are confident, but decline when they feel a sense of uncertainty, making them similar to humans in terms of these characteristics.
There are certain points for future discussions. Why don’t some people believe or want to believe that that animals do not think and do not feel pain or emotions? This is a broad concept that can be linked to the ways in which humans themselves think. It can also be linked to animal rights. It is clear that animals’ minds are more developed than people originally thought and further research on the intelligence of animals can give surprising outcomes. The line between humans and the animals is becoming increasingly more blurred. (4)
Bibliography:
(1)Radford, T. (2003). Animals 'can think about thought'. [online] the Guardian. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/science/2003/dec/03/animalbehaviour.psychology
(2)Worral, S. (2015). Yes, Animals Think And Feel. Here's How We Know.. [online] Available at: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/news/2015/07/150714-animal-dog-thinking-feelings-brain-science/
(3)Cromie, W. (2002). Scientists think that animals think. [online] Available at: https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2002/03/scientists-think-that-animals-think/
(4)Yerkes, R. (1905). Animal Psychology and Criteria of the Psychic. The journal of Psychology, 2(6), pp.141-149.
ANIMAL TREATMENT AND REPRESENTATION IN FILM AND TV PRODUCTION
Tom Stoker’s [tos35] Page
Animals have been used in film and television production for decades whether they be the sole focus of films such as ‘Babe’ (1995) or to simply add depth and realism to an environment. The animals featured in these productions often bring joy to the audiences watching them but the reality for lots of these animals is far less glamorous than it seems on screen.
WHERE DO ANIMAL ACTORS COME FROM?
One of the biggest issues surrounding the use of animal actors is the often sad truth of where they came from. The film Free Willy released in 1994 follows the story of a boy who befriends a killer whale and tries to help save him. The irony of the film is that the killer whale featured in the film, named Keiko, was once a wild orca himself, however was captured in 1979 at around 2 years old to become part of the entertainment business.(2) Unfortunately the film Free Willy is a relatively accurate representation of Keiko’s life - just as long as it is played in reverse. Killer whale health is massively affected by living in captivity, in the wild they usually live to be around 50 to 80 years old, however no orca born in captivity is yet to live past 30. (3)
POOR TREATMENT OF ANIMALS IN FILM PRODUCTION
Animals can often be harmed in television and film productions. In many cases this can be as a result of transportation and storage of animals. For example, during filming for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, there was an investigation conducted where it was found that 27 animals, including horses, chickens, sheep and goats died. The main causes included dehydration and exhaustion which was largely due to the long distance the animals needed to be transported between locations and a lack of care from those responsible for the care of these animals. This draws attention to the need for improvement to animal welfare on the set of movies like The Hobbit, but it also highlights an issue with the overall system regarding animal treatment in Hollywood. The American Humane Association were the organisation monitoring the treatment of animals on the set of this movie and many more like it. They are the organisation known for their tag line ‘no animals were harmed during the making of this film’ tagline and they claimed that this was the case for production on The Hobbit. (1) If 27 animal deaths went unnoticed by The American Humane Association then surely more thorough and careful monitoring needs to take place to ensure the safety of these animals in the future. (4) (5)
IMPACT OF USING ANIMAL ACTORS
Even though the use of animal actors in many cases can seem highly unethical, there are positives to take from the situation. For example, even though the capture of Keiko, the killer whale used in Free Willy was an extremely cruel thing to do, a young person could have watched that movie and become fascinated by the orcas, potentially inspiring them to dedicate their lives to the conservation of the species. This movie presents killer whales in a completely different way compared to how a more matter of fact nature documentary would. If it wasn’t for the movie painting killer whales in such a positive light and sparking that initial affection and sense of wonder towards the species, that young person may have followed a completely different path and never been drawn to the idea of Orca conservation.
The use of Animals in film and tv can often mislead audiences in terms of their perception of certain animals as many species do not necessarily behave in the same way that they do on screen. This presents potential risks when it comes to the safety of people when they see certain animals in the wild. If a person were to come into contact with a wild monkey they may be tempted to approach the animal and even interact with it. This reaction to seeing a monkey is likely to be largely influenced by the way they are represented in the majority of films as a lovable and friendly animal, however in reality the behavior of their behaviour in the wild is often unpredictable and could potential mean that people put themselves in harms way due to their perception of these animals being altered by the films they have watched. (6)
Although films and tv can show the wonders of the natural world to a huge number of people on the big screen, it is important to consider the consequences of using animals in film and tv productions. It is easy to be mesmerised by the fascinating animals we see on screen, but it is important to remember that the animals are sentient too.
References:
(1)https://www.nhes.org/animals-in-film-and-televison/
(2)https://institutions.newscientist.com/article/dn17039-why-freeing-willy-was-the-wrong-thing-to-do/
(3)https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/2019/03/orcas-captivity-welfare/
(4)https://www.outsideonline.com/1794636/how-many-animals-died-making-hobbit
(5)https://www.nbc26.com/news/national/10-popular-movies-that-faced-claims-of-animal-abuse
(6)https://www.thejournal.ie/monkey-actors-misleading-viewers-3801817-Jan2018/
ANIMAL RIGHTS
Dave Faber’s [daw82] Page
Animals are like you or me, they have a beating heart, a functional brain and pain receptors just like a human being. However, they generally do not have any rights under the current law and are deprived of legal protection on a massive scale.
INTRODUCTION
In today’s society, law considers animals to be property of their owners.
In fact, animals should be protected under strict legal regulations in both the federal and state law. A lawsuit against either a private party or the government could very well provide job prospects in the future and decrease unemployment and other attributes that increase system failures.(1)
The seminal case that raised the “standing to sue” issue on behalf of Animals - Jones v Butz, involved the federal Humane Slaughter Act. Proving in court that there was malice or intent to hurt or kill animals can be difficult – especially if the evidence is never brought to justice. In some communities, it is legal to shoot dogs who are “trespassing” on private property. (4)
Figure SEQ Figure \* ARABIC 7 https://www.redbubble.com/people/allsortsmarket/works/33044742-keep-calm-and-love-animals-respect-animal-rights-shirt?p=greeting-card
However, if the evidence supports that the animal is renowned as the victim then the proven guilty Person will be prosecuted and either fined or depending on the nature of the crime then jailed.
Mr Gove quoted on this link: ( https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-48766531 ), "There is no place in this country for animal cruelty. That is why I want to make sure that those who abuse animals are met with the full force of the law." He said the new law would bring in some of the toughest punishments in Europe for animal cruelty. (2)(3)
ANIMAL RIGHTS WHEN ENFORCED
No experiments on animals.
No breeding and killing animals for food, clothes or medicine.
No hunting.
No zoos or use of animals in entertainment. (6)
No experiments on animals. Experiments cause harm to living animals, also possibly curating weapons of mass destruction and making viruses that won’t kill humans but make them sick so that they have to purchase the medical drug that was made by them in the first place. Many beliefs regarding medicine originate from native remedies involving the use of animal body parts, although largely being proven wrong, many still follow these cultural traditions, for example the extinction of the northern white rhino by poachers for ivory to create medicine.
No breeding and killing animals for food, clothes or medicine. Many diseases have been proven to originate from the entrapment of densely packed animals, some of these diseases are: chicken pox, swine flu, mad cow disease and most recently the corona virus.
In the past many species were driven to extinction due to fashion, this trend has not decreased e.g. Canadian goose. Arctic foxes have even been fattened up to increase the surface area of fur. These are mostly plucked alive and then thrown back into their cages until they either die, or heal only to be skinned alive once more. What makes this even more outrageous is the fact that these animals are on the endangered list.
No hunting. Fox hunting still continues in many areas of the UK even though it is illegal.
No zoos or use of animals in entertainment. Many laws have been passed in places like Cali and Canada, prohibiting the use of animals in sea-world and circuses. (5)
LIVESTOCK AND THE KNOCK-ON NEGATIVE AFFECTS
I believe that the way life stock is developed in what is renowned as the “breeding method” is the un-natural way. It has been proven that animals can think, feel and even communicate.
Animals such as wild wolves and elephants can communicate and live side by side as a community, protecting each other when danger occurs. I stress the fact that Animals can and will feel pain like any other living thing including humans.
It is recognised in some cultures that the ways in which animals are treated and the trials they have suffered throughout their life may be passed on into the meat we consume. Therefore, if an animal has had a tough life and has lived in poor conditions, the meat it produced may contain a negative ‘energy’, therefore consuming that meat yourself would pass on those negative feelings to you.
In the years I was eating meat and the population as a whole was consuming these types of meats, I believe that this could have had negative effects to family’s and older generations. These affects and outcomes to the way these systems are operated is not only doing the general public harm in terms of their physical health, but could also have a negative impact on mental health. Anything we eat for long periods of time will affect us in some ways, even sweets have some sort of effect to one’s brain, that’s where the old school saying came from, you are what you eat. (7)
Biography
(1)https://www.worldanimalprotection.org.uk/join-us-to-end-animal-cruelty?https%3A%2F%2Fwww_worldanimalprotection_org_uk%2F=&gclid=Cj0KCQiAhojzBRC3ARIsAGtNtHW4JnOMfav9W_Z2ae1BLpJm_6ou70SC0VWDSAViOzfhnyCsOlCKrDcaArpmEALw_wcB
(2)https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-48766531
(3)https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10099486
(4)https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-48766531
(5) https://www.peta.org/about-peta/why-peta/why-animal-rights/
(6) http://www.bbc.co.uk/ethics/animals/rights/rights_1.shtml
(7) https://www.peta.org/issues/animals-used-for-food/factory-farming/