EL PASO, Texas — According to www.Iamscruelty.com between 2002 and early 2003, in a lab hired by cat and dog food producers, it was discovered that dogs had gone crazy because of the terrible conditions they were living in.
A donkey at El Paso Zoo looks like is in time out. (Fabián Laveaga/Borderzine.com)
Small steel cages and cement cells, sick dogs and cats did not have any veterinary attention and were left suffering. In this webpage one can see different videos of these animals being tortured. After a complaint by PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) to The U.S. Department of Agriculture, Iams reported that about 70 percent of the animals used for testing now reside with loving families.
According to Dr. Elizabeth Walsh, a professor in the UTEP Biological Science Department it is possible to work in biology without using animals.
“Biology is the study of all life forms, including microbes, fungi, plants, and none of those are in the kingdom animalia.” Studies on animals can be done in their own habitats.
Additionally, university students should learn about animal treatment, laws and regulations about how animals should be treated.
“One thing that we can do is make sure that everybody on campus is aware that animals are related to us through the evolutionary process, they undergo processes, same as we do, they feel pain, they are living beings,” Walsh says.
She also notes that animals used in labs are protected by The Animal Welfare Act of 1966; however this act only protects vertebrate animals.
“The reason for some animals being protected and others not, is how complex their neurological systems are. Can they perceive pain? Can they suffer?”
According to Valerie Hearn, Education Specialist, El Paso Zoo tries to provide a habitat as similar as possible as the animals' original, however, the life in the city make this difficult. (Fabián Laveaga/Borderzine.com)
Dr. Walsh cites the example of an octopus, an animal that is capable of learning, but it is not protected under the Animal Welfare act.
The evolution of human societies has always gone hand in hand with the evolution of the rest of the animal kingdom. Unfortunately, this evolution for most of the time has not been achieved in a friendly way, says animal rights activist Minerva Laveaga.
“We are not different species growing together, but rather one dominant animal species trying to always demonstrate supremacy over the other ones. We, as animals, have taken with us other creatures to satisfy our necessities.
Laveaga believes that the importance of other creatures is most often measured by their practical use. Thus, the problem of poor people starving is increasing as the natural products that they could be consuming are used to feed animals that will die to be consumed only by the people that can afford to consume this manufactured expensive product.
“The number of living cows has been artificially increased, and while they are taking over, other living creatures are pushed away”.
According to veganpeace.com beef cattle often do not get the necessary veterinary help and are not adequately protected against the changing weather. Before slaughter, most beef cattle are brought to feedlots where they are implanted with growth-promoting hormones and given unnaturally rich diets to fatten them up.
Animal Rights proponents argue that people have to do some thinking and take more into consideration. We must consider that animals are living beings. Consider that they feel, that they learn, and that they also get scared. Although humans currently appear to be the dominant species on this planet, we do not have the right to mistreat the other species.
Once again animal rights cult members mislead the public about what is happening in the animal world. This article is full of lies and propaganda that does not demonstrate the true nature of farming or the world. The lion who also follows his herd does not care if he eats you or a didik from his herd. As an animal species we like the lion follow our herd of food. Unlike the lion we take very good care of our herds otherwise we would have nothing to eat. The idea that omnivores can exist on plant food was debunked a long time ago by vegetarians and why this dangerous cult idea is allowed to go unchallenged in the media is anyone’s guess. Because the only thing it will do is make the public less rationale and dangerously ill. Did you know that 1 out of every 5 human beings cannot digest plant protein? Obviously not or you don’t care about human beings. Again do not follow this cult. Remember that all cults try to control what you eat so they can control you. The symptoms of lack of B12 and the essential nutrients you can only get from meat are irrational thinking and overly emotional responses to situations. Crying over humanely slaughtered cows for food is irrational and overly emotional. The lion does not care and nor should you as mother nature intended. To deny your biology is foolish and inhumane to your species.
Animal Welfare or Animal Rights?
Here are some of the differences:
As animal welfare advocates. . .
· We seek to improve the treatment and well-being of animals.
· We support the humane treatment of animals that ensures comfort and freedom from unnecessary pain and suffering.
· We believe we have the right to “own” animals — they are our property.
· We believe animal owners should provide loving care for the lifetime of their animals.
As animal rights activists. . .
· They seek to end the use and ownership of animals, including the keeping of pets.
· They believe that any use of an animal is exploitation so, not only must we stop using animals for food and clothing, but pet ownership must be outlawed as well.
· They want to obtain legal rights for animals as they believe that animals and humans are equal.
· They use false and unsubstantiated allegations of animal abuse to raise funds, attract media attention and bring supporters into the movement.
· (The Inhumane Crusade, Daniel T. Oliver – Capital Research Center)
http://www.bewareanimalrights.com
http://www.exposeanimalrights.com
It is telling that those who believe advocating the rights of animals belong to a cult. This is an old tactic used to dismiss ones opposition and label their beliefs as fringe or unrealistic. For example “Dr.” Rossets attempt to discuss nutritional intake as an argument against a vegetarian diet. I assume he is discussing vegan diets as fish and dairy products contain high levels of methylcobalamin and 5-deoxyadenosylcobalamin (the forms of vitamin B12 used by humans). Furthermore dietary supplementation with fortified cereals and some nutritional yeasts is adequate to ensure sufficient B12 intake. The problem however is that this, neither “Dr.” Rosset’s argument or my response, highlights the point. That although animals may make a fantastic food supply, we do not have the moral authority to treat them as such. I find it hard to fathom a man who is willing to put forth the statement that “we take great care of our herd” prior to sending it to slaughter and I wonder if “Dr.” Rosset would enjoy spending the days before his death is such luxurious conditions.
It is unfortunate that a discussion on such a relevant issue as it is how we treat animals, gets lost because of angry accussations by those who don’t understand the animal right’s movement or by others who focus on making distinctions among groups concerned with animal well being. The author of this article brings awareness to the idea that it is important to care about the quality of life of animals in captivity. The latest issue of Time magazine writes “Science is revealing just how smart other species can be- and raising new questions about how we treat them”.
The decisions humans are making on the treatment of animals are going to catch up with us eventually. Indiference for life, regardless of its form, can only lead to more violence.
“Compassion for animals is intimately connected with goodness of character; and it may be confidently asserted that he who is cruel to animals cannot be a good man.”
–Arthur Schopenhauer
“Nothing will benefit human health and increase chances for survival of life on Earth as much as the evolution to a vegetarian diet.”
–Albert Einstein