History Of Animal Cruelty

Increased awareness regarding animal cruelty would benefit society, pet owners, and animals themselves. When a problem is identified, it becomes easier to work out solutions. Animal cruelty is an issue on a global scale; animal torture and neglect does not only exist in the United States. Animal cruelty is the “crime of inflicting physical pain, suffering or death on an animal, usually a tame one, beyond necessity for normal discipline. It can include neglect that is so monstrous (withholding food and water) that the animal has suffered, died or been put in an imminent

Murder and abuse cases never fail to startle society. Moral codes are flouted with unmatched rigorousness by these indubitable egregious crimes. Sufferers in these cases are often people. Nonetheless, these callous obscenities should not be seen as less important when animals are the victims. Animals undergo horrendous abuse due to barbaric individuals, greed, and unnecessary lab testing.

“We need, in a special way, to work twice as hard to help people understand that the animals are fellow creatures, that we must protect them and love them as we love ourselves.” (César Chávez). Animal cruelty has been around for centuries, and it is not dying down. People are hoarding dogs, cats, and other animals. Rabbits are often tested with cosmetics (Calvin Klein, Chapstick, Clearasil, Dove, Marc Jacobs, etc.) and they become ill or infected with the products. Although the nineteenth century saw a significant transformation of society's attitude towards animals, the way animals were punished is similar to the present-day animal cruelty.

Over the centuries, animals have suffered from cruelty from humans. In the United States, animals are beaten, neglected, or forced to struggle for survival. Animals have been inflicted with pain from humans for reasons other than self-defense. They have been slaughtered for their food and fur for personal gain in profit. In a majority of cases they have even been abused for someone’s own personal amusement or out of rage filled impulses. In some cases animals are found and rescued. They are given the second chance in life to experience what life should be like compared to what they once had.

.According to the AARDAS (Animal Abuse Database Administration System) the four major causes of animal’s deaths include neglect, shooting, hoarding and fighting, followed by torture and mutation. (Evans 1) The abuse of animals is just one of the main rights that as humans we infiltrate. The ignorance of humans choosing to ignore the rights of innocent animals is drastically affecting our society. “The assumption that animals are without rights and the illusion that our treatment of them has no moral significance is a positively outrageous example of Western crudity and barbarity. Universal compassion is the only guarantee of morality.” (Author Schopenhauer). Animals have rights, and our society continues to overlook those rights by using them in research, factory farming, and holding them in captivity, and these issues must be addressed with all seriousness for the sake of the animals and our society.

2. THESIS/PURPOSE: Today we will explain the significance, and inherency due to animal cruelty, as well as several solutions which can help to prevent cases of animal abuse.

An ancient Greek philosopher and scientist Pythagoras was convinced that whoever kills an animal without any remorse can easily kill a man. Other philosophers were even more straightforward and indicated that cruelty to animals leads to wars. It leads me to believe that the attitude towards animals is not something we can merely write-off as a showcase of the innate “cruelty of man”, but an indicator of our society's ethical level. If more people become aware of the suffering and death of animals that we, as a people, have caused, and acknowledge it, it would be a small, but significant sign of moral growth.

With the act of simply rescuing an animal you are inevitably addressing the symptoms of a problem. It’s vitally important because these animals are suffering; however, our greatest job as humans is to prevent cruelty, to get at the front end of the problem before there is any distress. In order to accomplish this we tend to not cluster all the resources available to us at the back end where these animals are already suffering; but to put them at the front end so that this cruelty can be prevented. If all the resources were put into rescue, hundreds of thousands of animals could be saved.

Animal abuse is known as “…socially unacceptable behavior that inflicts pain and suffering on animals” (Girgen 2014). There is no legal definition for animal abuse because of the various laws throughout the world. Animal abuse is seen as unpleasant acts upon animals which could result in legal punishment. There are many ways for an animal to be abused whether it be physically, mentally, or emotionally. Most animal abuse cases cannot be investigated unless proven because abusers do not confess and animals have no way to respond. There should be harsher punishments for animal abuse because animals are harmless unless tempted to be otherwise, abuse is a cruel act, and too many abusers are free.

Each year, the most extreme cases of animal abuse receive media attention. Yet, the animal cruelty problem is more widespread than is reported in the media. Animal abuse and neglect is a nationwide issue, affecting thousands of animals nationwide. Cruelty to animals is defined as the infliction of physical pain, suffering or death on an animal, beyond what is necessary. There is a need to stop abusers from acting in such a horrific manner–preventing the neglect and suffering of the animals. What causes animal abusers to act in such a cruel way towards animals? How are cases of animal abuse being managed, and how should cases be handled? Finally, does the status of animals in society contribute to the rate of their abuse?

Bruised, beaten, and bleeding. You gaze into the forbidding, yet impuissant eyes of the creature before you - a whimper evades your taut throat as you know those eyes are bottomless pools of blood: each drop signifying a past hardship. Tears deluge your vision as the taste of blood floods your mouth. The taste of salty, acrid blood escalates from the recesses of your essence to the tip of your reluctant tongue as you feel the eyes of the creature scrutinizing your morals. The picture in front you is poignant - exposed ribs from a scarcity of food, obscene teeth carved into knives to impair its own kind on command, tail drooping as it falls into a submissive pose by baring its belly, raw skin from sundry lashes, and chunks of missing flesh, the remnants coated in blood. The blood forms a million words trapped within, yet the creature in front of you say numerous more. Unfortunately, this creature is no beast - it is the repercussion of a lifetime of dog fighting, Greyhound racing, and puppy mills - in other words - animal abuse. From inhumane homes to forced labor as a sport, animal cruelty takes a multitude of forms. In many cases, animal abuse is a result of zoosadism or the sensation of pleasure which is derived from inflicting harm on animals. It seems paradoxical that while we mourn petty things, animals are tortured for recreation, however, every sixty seconds, another animal is abused. The matter of animal cruelty is undebatable - it is barbaric - however, it is disputed in a legal manner. While critics may argue that rigorous animal abuse laws put people who depend on animals as their livelihood at risk: money earnt by dog racing and fighting supports countless people. Raising dogs also becomes exponentially more expensive when animal cruelty laws become more expensive which puts small shelters out of business: this, in turn, raises the price of dogs for consumers. Dogfights and racing, however, is a form of gambling on the wellbeing of dogs and should be eradicated by enforcing the laws regarding it. Laws about puppy mills should also be invigorated however, loans should be issued to humane shelter more regularly to encourage animal rights. Overall, critics defenses of animal abuse are trifling points

According to the AARDAS (Animal Abuse Database Administration System) the four major causes of animal’s deaths include neglect, shooting, hoarding and fighting, followed by torture and mutation. (Evans 1) The abuse of animals is just one of the main rights that as humans we infiltrate. The ignorance of humans choosing to ignore the rights of innocent animals is drastically affecting our society. “The assumption that animals are without rights and the illusion that our treatment of them has no moral significance is a positively outrageous example of Western crudity and barbarity. Universal compassion is the only guarantee of morality.” (Author Schopenhauer). Animals have rights, and our society continues to overlook those rights by using them in research, factory farming, and holding them in captivity, and these issues must be addressed with all seriousness for the sake of the animals and our society.

The issue of ethical treatment of animals has been a subject of discussion for many years and among many scholars. It has raised legal issues especially among the animal care specialists and bodies trying to ensure that there is a standard way of treating animals. Whether the animals are pets or are for food later on, there has been a growing need for the ethical treatment of them all. This is an issue that disturbs many Americans, me included since it is unethical to mistreat animals yet they have senses just like man does.

Over the centuries, animals have suffered from cruelty from humans. In the United States, animals are beaten, neglected, or forced to struggle for survival. Animals have been inflicted with pain from humans for reasons other than self-defense. They have been slaughtered for their food and fur for personal gain in profit. In a majority of cases they have even been abused for someone’s own personal amusement or out of rage filled impulses. In some cases animals are found and rescued. They are given the second chance in life to experience what life should be like compared to what they once had.

Modern day society is, in many aspects, capable of the overexploitation of animals; in a society that has no need for any exploitation of such living creature at all. The topic of animal exploitation goes far beyond the mistreatment of animals; consequently, I will be addressing and analyzing the factors such as: money, superiority, convenience, and tradition. Hunting and killing animals for fun is abode in modern society. Disregarding animals thoroughly, it is evident how our society throughout time treats its own people. Throughout history, people have endured many convivial iniquities and abuses. Past societies have justified slavery, sexual violence, wars, and child abuse by believing, in error, that those who are “different” don’t experience suffering and aren’t worthy of liberation. Just a century ago, human beings labeled as “different” by those straight, white men in power, often faced: torture, exploitation, and even death. We now have laws in place that prevent discrimination based on gender, race, religion, social class, age, and sexual orientation. Most of us are horrified to look back, historically, on the abuses inflicted on said “different” individuals; however, the same iniquities of animals go back centuries. It’s 2017 and we still abduct animals from their families, lock them up, force them to breed, perform, test and give up their desirable body components, all the while taking away everything natural and lawful to them for, the sake of our own curiosity,