Animal Cruelty

Ever since the society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in England in 1824 was formed, there have been long running debates on the topic of animal rights. The first societies were formed to protect and maintain humane treatment of work animals, such as horses, cattle, and house hold pets. Towards the end of the nineteenth century more organizations were formed, this time to protest the use of animals in scientific experimentation. Today groups such as People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) have continued these traditional fights as well as adding new agendas. According to Robert McShea, doctor in animal science, states, "Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness; The Declaration of Independence holds these rights to be self evident and unalienable. In the eighteenth century when these words were written they were called natural rights, today we call them human rights" (McShea, 34). The issue of whether or not to grant animals rights such as those humans retain, is a greatly disputed issue. Animal rights' is an extremely intricate issue that involves the question of animal farming, animal experimentation, and animal cruelty.

The food and drug industry requires that companies conduct tests to determine the safety of pharmaceuticals, but they do not require companies to test their products safely on animals. Although there are laws to ensure that animals in experiments have adequate food, shelter, and veterinary treatment; they do no mandate cruel or inhuman experimental procedures. As Dr. Werner Hartinger explained, "There are, in fact, only two categories of doctors and scientists who are not opposed to vivisection[the practice of preforming experiments on living animals]: those who don't know enough about it, and those who make money from it" (Mason 91). Animals subjected to experiments are forced to drink toilet bowl cleaner, nail polish, and other products until 50% of the animals in that experiment have died. The United States Department of Agriculture regulates the Animal Welfare Act (AWA), which is the only federal law that regulates the treatment of animals in research. They are to conduct periodic inspections to make sure the companies are meeting the minimum requirements, sadly, the AWA does not include research on rats, mice, birds, or cold blooded animals which includes 95% of the animals used in research. Animals used in experiments do not deserve to have products shoved in their throats and eyes. Animals feel as humans do, have a nervous system, and understand pain. To be beaten down in experiments is no way for any animal to live, humans are considered animals too, and why do they always seem to prevail?

Experiments aren't the only thing that animals have to go through because of humans; they also have to endure being subjects for human entertainment. Circuses, rodeos, and cage fighting are few of many ways humans find entertainment in both wild animals and household pets. Trainers of circus animals routinely use violence, brutality, and intimidation to get animals to perform demeaning acts. They use weapons such as whips, chains, sharp hooks, electric prods and muzzles to inflict pain and force obedience on circus animals (Mason 101). The famous Ringlngs Brother Circus documents reveal that on average, elephants are chained for more than 26 hours straight and are sometimes continually chained for as many as 60 to 100 hours. According to The Washington Post, "Ricardo, an 8-month-old baby elephant, was killed in 2004 after suffering severe and irreparable fractures to both hind legs when he fell off a circus pedestal at Ringling's breeding and training compound in Florida" (Kaufman 4). Rodeos are nothing more than manipulative displays of domination over animals disguised as entertainment. In order to make captive bulls aggressive enough for a rodeo, tools such as electric prods and bucking straps are used. Bulls and horses in rodeos are subject to cowboys spurring causing open wounds, burns, and even death. Cowboys whip horses tails until they break and whip cows necks around with rope until serious neck injuries occur. Death is not uncommon.

Death is almost always the case in dogs bred for fighting. Pit bulls have the common stereotype for being aggressive dog fighters, which is only true when humans train them to be. A pit bull can be just as loving and fun spirited as a golden retriever but because they are "known" for being aggressive they are outlawed in many cities across the United States, including Detroit. Ace, an emaciated pit bull, walked into a hardware store in downtown Detroit and the owner called Animal Control. According to laws in Detroit, pit bulls found without a license will stay in animal control for four days, if no owner comes to claim the pit bull, it will be euthanized. Ace was euthanized four days after being found, despite the desperate cry of dog lovers everywhere begging the mayor of Detroit to change the laws and be allowed to transfer pit bulls (Ace) to humane societies. The mayor refused, and pit bulls still don't have a fighting chance in these cities. Participating in dog fighting is considered a felony offense in all 50 states, but it still widely used for criminal gambling. In this sport, trainers force their dogs to tread water in pools; run on a treadmill while a caged rabbit,