Animal Cruelty in the United States - Essay Example

?Aaron Tate World Literature March 24, Animal Cruelty Animal cruelty is a widespread problem. While there are many organizations combating this issue, it is hard to put a stop to. There are many different forms of animal cruelty, from chemical testing on animals to abuse by pet owners. Last year alone, there were nearly 1,000 reported cases of animal abuse in the United States. Initially, that number may seem high. However, when you consider how many different situations constitute animal abuse, it is relatively low. One can only imagine how many instances go unreported. While the focus of this paper is animal cruelty in the United States, it is important to note that it is a worldwide issue. Each form of animal cruelty simply contributes to the larger problem, the existence of the issue itself. Although animals are not cognizant like humans, their mistreatment is just as serious an issue which needs to be given the proper attention so that it can be stopped. Sadly, the history of animal cruelty dates very far back. Animal fighting, for example, has dated been dated back to the 43 A.D., when Britain was at war with the Romans. “The British, though they lost the war, delighted in the tenacity and endurance of their dogs, and began exporting them for use in pit fights against larger animals like wild boar and bulls… At this point, dog-on-dog combat became the cheaper, legal alternative and the fighting dogs, as well as the taste for the brutal blood sport was exported to other countries including the United States (Villavicencio 2007),” (Animal Cruelty). Another form of animal cruelty, factory farming, became prevalent in the 19th century. The Industrial Revolution left many family owned farms competing with large corporations to sell product. “As factory farms became the norm, so, unfortunately did the systematic and prolonged abuse of animals raised for human consumption,” (Animal Cruelty). Hunting, which is one of the more controlled forms of animal cruelty, dates back to the very beginning of time, when man depended on wild animals for nutrition. These are just three examples of the long-standing history of animal cruelty, but with each form comes it’s own history. The first form of animal cruelty it is important to discuss is scientific testing. It is a well known fact that a variety of products are tested on animals. Usually, when you think of animal testing, you think of scientists in lab coats poking and prodding at mice. However, mice aren’t the only animals subject to animal testing. Each year, hundreds of thousands of rodents, cats, dogs, birds, and primates are put through painful treatments in inhumane conditions to satisfy the curiosity of scientist who could otherwise their hypotheses. These treatments include but are not limited to being poisoned, blinded, forced to inhale toxic fumes, force-fed pesticides, and having corrosive chemicals rubbed into their eyes. The Animal Cruelty Act, passed in 1966, was created to combat complaints about the treatment of animals during scientific testing. As the Department of Agriculture website points out, “It is the only Federal law in the United States that regulates the treatment of animals in research, exhibition, transport, and by dealers,” (Animal Welfare Act). In the years since 1966, it has become clear that this act is not enough. “More than 100 million animals every year suffer and die in cruel chemical, drug, food and cosmetic tests, biology lessons, medical training exercises, and curiosity-driven medical experiments. Exact numbers aren't available because mice, rats, birds and cold-blooded animals—who make up more than 95 percent of animals used in experiments—are not covered by even the minimal protections of the Animal Welfare Act and therefore go uncounted,” (Animals Used for Experimentation). Although there are many organizations fighting against animal testing, it has yet to be stopped. Without ceasing to test on animals, it is impossible to end animal cruelty. Another factor contributing to the overall problem of animal cruelty is factory farming. Although factory farming occurs worldwide, a majority of this issue is attributed to Americans. As Americans, we consume approximately 8 ounces of meat a day per person, which amounts up to almost 200 lbs. worth of poultry, beef, and fish each year. According to the New York Times, as of 2008, Americans “At about 5 percent of the world’s population, we ‘process’ (that is, grow and kill) nearly 10 billion animals a year, more than 15 percent of the world’s total,” (Bittman). The conditions these animals are put in are deplorable, and affect not only their health, but the health of all who consume the products made from these animals. It has been found that 30-50% of US dairy cows suffer from mastitis, is a painful bacterial udder infection that produces blood and pus that often lands in the milk, due to a weakened immune system and over-milking. Additionally, 70% of pigs on factory farms have pneumonia by the time they are sent to the slaughterhouse, with 79% of pigs are raised on farms with 2,000 pigs or more (The Issues: Factory Farming). Chickens also suffer a high mortality rate due to severe respiratory disease which is the result of high levels of ammonia and toxic gases in the animal warehouses (Factory farming food facts, human health risks, and animal cruelty). The continuous, and likely increasing demand for meat only holds promise of the continuation of these conditions unless action is taken otherwise. Two percent of livestock farms now raise 40 percent of all animals in the US. vi While there are existing laws against animal cruelty, “laws addressing how animals are treated on farms are inconsistent with popular concerns. Farmed animals are excluded from most federal and state anti-cruelty laws, so animals used for food production are legally subjected to intolerable suffering,” (The Isuses). Without laws in place, it is even harder to end this form of animal cruelty. Another prevalant form of animal cruelty that often goes unnoticed is abuse by pet owners. There are two types of pet abuse that owners can commit: passive and active. Passive abuse, or acts of omission, is defined as “cases of neglect, where the crime is a lack of action rather than the action itself... Examples of neglect are starvation, dehydration, parasite infestations, allowing a collar to grow into an animal's skin, inadequate shelter in extreme weather conditions, and failure to seek veterinary care when an animal needs medical attention,” (Animal Cruelty). Active abuse, or acts of comission, “implies malicious intent, where a person has deliberately and intentionally caused harm to an animal, and is sometimes referred to as NAI (Non-Accidental Injury),” (Animal Cruelty). As of March 2011, there are 3,915 cases of animal abuse where the owners have been convicted, 6,452 alleged cases, and 2,843 open cases (Animal Abuse Crime Database). It is important to note that these are only the statistics regarding reported instances of animal cruelty. Many other incidents happen every day, and we may never truly know just how many animals are suffering behind closed doors. What we do know is that all of these instances of animal cruelty that are entirely avoidable. If not for the animals, there are other disturbing statistics that should open eyes to the severity of animal cruelty. The ASPCA has recently reported a link between domestic violence and animal cruelty, reporting “The National Coalition Against Domestic Violence conducted its own study in which 85.4 percent of women and 63.0 percent of children reported incidents of pet abuse after arriving at domestic violence shelters,” (The Connection Between Domestic Violence and Animal Cruelty). This illustrates that those violent to animals are also a risk to families. If nothing else, this should motivate people to pay more attention to instances of pet abuse. The last form of animal cruelty which is a major contributor to the existence of animal cruelty itself is hunting. Historically, hunting was a necessity for early peoples who depended on wild animals for survival. Today, this is obviously not the case. Most hunting today is done for sport. VeganPeace also points out that many hunters“will even bring their children on their hunting trips, teaching them a complete disrespect for life by needlessly killing innocent creatures,” (Hunting). Hunting for sport has seen many legal restrictions over the years, but as with many other laws, there are loopholes that allow people to get away with continuing to hunt for sport despite restrictions saying otherwise. Some hunters also kill animals for their skin and fur for the production of clothing. Animals are killed to produce fur, leather, wool, and exotic materials such as snakeskin. PETA has done extensive investigations into the conditions animals used for clothing production go through. To produce fur, “Animals on fur farms spend their entire lives confined to cramped, filthy wire cages. Fur farmers use the cheapest and cruelest killing methods available, including suffocation, electrocution, gassing, and poisoning,” (Animals Used for Clothing). For the production of leather, “…animals routinely have their throats cut and their skin ripped off while they are still conscious. In India, a PETA investigation found that cows have their tails broken and chili peppers and tobacco rubbed into their eyes so that they will walk after they collapse while traveling long distances to slaughter,” (Animals Used for Clothing). For the production of wool, “sheep undergo ‘mulesing,’ a gruesome mutilation in which large chunks of skin and flesh are cut from lambs' backsides without any painkillers,” (Animals Used for Clothing). Exotic textures are no different, as PETA explains that “Snakes and lizards are skinned alive because of the belief that live flaying makes leather more supple. Kid goats are boiled alive to make gloves, and the skins of unborn calves and lambs—some purposely aborted, others taken from slaughtered pregnant cows and ewes—are considered especially ‘luxurious,’” (Animals Used for Clothing). Nautrally, we are aware that there are alternatives to demanding these materials, and yet we continue to do so, furthering the problem at hand. Up to this point, we have touched on the contributing factors of animal cruelty. Scientific testing, factory farming, abuse by pet owners, and hunting are all contributing factors to the problem of animal cruelty. One might wonder how different forms of the issue contribute to this issue itself. This is because animal cruelty would not exist if people were not harmful to animals. The more different forms of animal cruelty that exist, and the more widespread they are, the more we are continuing the process of animal cruelty. By making it impossible for different forms of animal cruelty to exist, we are eliminating instances of animal cruelty and therefore slowly eliminating the problem itself. Many people do not see the problem with animal cruelty, mostly because they disconnect the human race from animals, seeing us as entirely different. This is not the case, however. For example, cows, which suffer great loss to animal cruelty, are actually socially complex animals. “They develop friendships over time, sometimes hold grudges against other cows who treat them badly, form social hierarchies within their herds, and choose leaders based upon intelligence. They are emotionally complex, and they even have the capacity to worry about the future,” (Animals Used for Leather). Likewise, pigs are highly intelligent. “Pigs are curious and insightful animals who are thought by animal behaviorists to have intelligence beyond that of an average 3-year-old human child. They are smarter than dogs and every bit as friendly, loyal, and affectionate,” (Animals Used for Leather). These examples illustrate higher emotional and social capacities in the animals that are frequently slaughtered for various purposes. It is important to note that although animals are not cognizant like humans their mistreatment is just as serious an issue which needs to be given the proper attention so that it can be stopped. There are many alternatives to each of the contributing factors to animal cruelty. In fact, animal cruelty is entirely preventable. There are many different approaches to preventing animal cruelty. The best is to find alternatives to obtain similar products to the ones that animals are currently tortured to make. This is especially true when it comes to factory farming and hunting for skins and furs. Hunting for skins and furs is possibly the easiest to eliminate, simply by eliminating demand for the products. Instead of buying the real products, which innocent animals are slaughtered for, there are synthetic versions of these items. With synthetics, the look and feel of the real thing is captured while sparing the lives of hundreds of animals. Synthetics also are more economical, which is an added bonus. In terms of factory farming, things are a little more complicated but still entirely possible. Factory farmers supply us mostly with meat and dairy products. These products are staples in many diets, particularly the American diet. Yet, despite the fact that many cannot fathom life without them, they are replaceable. Some do this by going vegetarian or vegan and eliminating some or all of these products from their diets. The more sensible approach to this, however, is to start small. The fact is, there is no way to get the entire country to give up meat and dairy. Everyone can make attempts to minimize their meat and dairy intake, however. For those who cannot cut meat and dairy out of their diets, they can demand higher standards of the companies that provide these products. In her article “Avoiding Factory Farm Foods: An Eater's Guide,” Nicolette Hahn Niman discusses forgoing supermarkets for paces which offer more information on the conditions the animals raised for the products were raised in. Niman suggests checking out independent grocery stores, co-ops, and farmers markets for the same products you love that were created under more humane circumstances. These sustainable farms “…still aim to profit from their labor, but that’s not their only objective. They have essentially a triple bottom line - of social, environmental and financial gain - which means they won’t sacrifice the health of the land or the quality of food simply to make a few dollars more,” (The Issues: Factory Farming). By doing more research on the products you purchase and purchasing accordingly, consumers can still get the products they want while helping animals live humane lives where they are treated as they should be. Another alternative which can help stop animal cruelty involves working with the government. Although there are laws against animal cruelty, these descriptions have clearly shown that the existing laws are not enough. Between loopholes and lack of specificity, these laws have allowed the continuous mistreatment of the animals they are supposed to be protecting. Therefore, it is important to make the voice of opposition heard. Lobbying government for changes in policy will force law enforcers to see how people truly feel about animal cruelty and how important it is to eliminate it. Also, there are many government agencies which actually support animal cruelty. Many factory farms receive funding from government agencies. The New York Times has reported that “Eliminating subsidies would also help; the United Nations estimates that they account for 31 percent of global farm income,” (Bittman). There are so many different steps which can be taken to address animal cruelty. It is hard to rank one above the other in terms of which could be most important or which would be most effective. However, there is an obvious factor that is being overlooked. In order to stop animal cruelty, people throughout the nation must be made aware of the problem. The next step in ending animal cruelty is without a doubt being a voice for the innocent creatures that cannot speak for themselves. By making it known what constitutes animal cruelty and how frequent instances of animal cruelty are, we can make the world a friendlier place for our four legged friends. Works Cited Animal Abuse Crime Database. 25 March 2011 . Animal Cruelty. 25 March 2011 . Animal Cruelty. 25 March 2011 . Animal Cruelty. 26 March 2010 . Animal Cruelty. 25 March 2011 . Animal Welfare Act. 25 March 2010 . Animals Used for Clothing. 25 March 2011 . Animals Used for Experimentation. 25 March 2011 . Animals Used for Leather. 25 March 2011 . Bittman, Mark. "Rethinking the Meat-Guzzler." The New York Times January 27 2008: WK1. Factory farming food facts, human health risks, and animal cruelty. 25 March 2011 . Hunting. 25 March 2011 . Niman, Nicoletter Hahn. "Avoiding Factory Farm Foods: An Eater's Guide." Huffington Post 11 November 2009. The Connection Between Domestic Violence and Animal Cruelty. 26 March 2011 . The Issues: Factory Farming. 26 March 2011 . The Isuses. 25 March 2011 . Read More