Animal Abuse

Animal Rights

Taylor Neitzke

English 091-980

Baker College

Documented Essay

UIN#106-24179

Animal Rights

Have you ever gone to the circus? Do you own anything that is made out of leather? If so, have you ever thought about the animals at the circus and what they are going through, or what leather is made out of? "Animals can communicate quite well. And they do. And generally speaking they are ignored" (Walker, 2012). I believe animals should have rights because they are being abused through entertainment, experimentation, and fashion.

First, in today's world animals are used through entertainment in more ways than one. As children we all went to the circus, zoo, or the fair, we thought that is was fun. We never thought about what the animals are going through. Animals such as elephants, tigers, and lions are expected to perform and follow demanding orders. When elephants do not perform these tasks right they will be punished with a bull hook, whip, or electric pond. Elephants are also expected to have two shackles around their feet which are very heavy and make it hard for them to move around. Tigers and lions will have similar punishment but their collars will be tightened as well. As far as circus and fair animals they travel in small crates for long periods of time. Moreover, when we go to the zoo we are going to view animals that we do not see in everyday life. Little did we know we were going to see distressed animals that are just longing to be free. Zoos are like a prison to animals they are enclosed in tiny spaces they suffer loneness and boredom. Many of the animals at the zoo suffer zoochosis, which is when they rock, sway, or pace endlessly. Another form of animal abuse through entertainment is horse racing. Many horses that race are given drugs that will control the inflammation and enhance their performance. However, they should be resting instead of getting drugs pumped into them. Horses begin training at the age of two; the skeletal muscles are still unprepared to handle the pressures of racing. Jockeys use whips during the races to force the horse to run faster due to the jockeys desire to win the money this lead to the horse suffering a great deal afterwards. In horse racing there comes a time when the horse becomes rundown and retires. Unfortunately the horse will not be going to a better life they will go to slaughterhouse in Mexico or Japan where they are made into dog food and glue. All in all animals' right through entertainment needs to be strengthened.

In addition, each day an animal is being experimented on, sitting in their small cold cages all across the country just waiting for the next painful experience they have to encounter. In the United States, 1,000 chimpanzees are experimented on each year (Peta n.d.). The animals that are experimented on are usually smaller animals such as mice, rabbits, primates, cats, and dogs. These animals are shocked, blinded, and poisoned by cruel corporations to test household cleaners and cosmetics. Rabbits have chemicals rubbed into their skin and eyes. Mice and rats are pumped with toxic fumes, dogs are force fed pesticides. Most tests are not required by the law and they often produce inaccurate or misleading