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Home | Animal Welfare/Animal Rights Animal Welfare/Animal Rights
Many people are concerned with the treatment of animals. Animal rights and animal welfare are terms used for different philosophies on the care, use, well-being, and rights of animals. This can include a view of empathy, and not wanting to see animals hurt or an attitude that animals should have the same moral rights as humans. This page provides a short introduction to the topic but does not advocate a specific viewpoint. Readers are encouraged to research websites and other readings and reach their own conclusions on these issues. Animal Welfare and ProtectionPersons with an animal welfare viewpoint feel animal suffering should be eliminated, with many opposed to hunting or the use of lethal control to solve wildlife problems. These individuals prefer instead nonlethal techniques when control is needed (Conover 2002).
Animal RightsPersons with an animal rights viewpoint feel animals should have legal status and the same moral rights as humans. They view the suffering of animals as morally the same as the suffering of humans (Conover 2002). The landmark case of a nonhuman standing before the bar was a case brought by the Sierra Club on behalf of a Hawaiian bird called the pilia. The Sierra Club took the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources to court seeking protection against habitat loss for the pilia (Hadidian 2000). Active animal rights groups include People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and In Defense of Animals. SOURCE AND DESCRIPTIONS OF LEGAL AND POLICY PRACTICES (EXAMPLES) (information from the Animal Rights versus Animal Welfare Fact sheet by Larry S. Katz, PhD, Department of Animal Sciences Rutgers University)Federal Animal Welfare ActRegulates research facilities, animal dealers, exhibitors (including zoos, aquariums, circuses, etc.) and intermediate handlers of animals, including air and truck lines. Concerned primarily with basic animal husbandry and veterinary care. Public Health Service Policy on Humane Care and Use of Laboratory AnimalsRequires written assurances for research facilities. Commitment to animal welfare. Requires establishment of Institutional Animal Care and Use Committees responsible for review of animal facilities and the program of animal care, including review of all procedures using animals. Good Laboratory PracticesAddresses all areas of laboratory operations, including provisions relating to care and housing of test animals. Studies which require submission of data to either the Food and Drug Administration or the Environmental Protection Agency must conform to GLP rules. 1958 Humane Slaughter ActRegulates slaughter practices, requiring the rendering of animals unconscious before stunning or hoisting. State and Local LawsVaries by state and community with respect to: pound animal use, animal cruelty, regulation of research facilities, and animal use in education. Organizations developing voluntary industry guidelines:The American Association for the Accreditation of Laboratory Care, the American Veterinary Medical Association, the National Cattlemen's Association, the Pork Producer's Council, the American Veal Association, the Livestock Conservation Institute, the Fur Farm Animal Welfare Coalition, the Southeastern Poultry & Egg Association, and most national scientific organizations, etc. ResourcesNIH Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals Guide for the Care and Use of Agricultural Animals in Agricultural Research and Teaching 1993 Report of the AVMA Panel on Euthanasia (information from Animal Rights versus Animal Welfare Web sites on Animal Rights and Animal WelfareAnimal Rights versus Animal Welfare Animal Welfare Issues Compendium Animal Welfare Information Center Animal Care Humane Use of Animals in Research Center for Animal Welfare, University of California Davis Center for Animals and Public Policy, Tufts University Humane Society of the United States Farm Animal Reform Movement (FARM) The Institute for Animals and Society Northwest Animal Rights Network ReferencesCONOVER , M. 2002. Resolving human-wildlife conflicts: the science of wildlife damage management. Lewis, Boca Raton, Florida, USA. HADIDIAN, J. 2000. Relationship of animal protection interests to animal damage management: historic paths, contemporary concerns and the uncertain future. Proceedings of the Vertebrate Pest Conference. 19: 432-435. HOOPER, J.K. 1992. Animal welfarists and rightists: insights into an expanding constituency for wildlife interpreters. Legacy. (Nov/Dec. 1992), 20-25. |
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Content: Laurie Paulik Last updated:
02/05/08 |
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Hooper (1992) found that 77% of the national leaders of animal groups reported it was unacceptable for someone to hunt, fish, or trap for sport, however, 82% felt it was acceptable for native people to hunt, fish, or trap for subsistence. Animal welfare groups include the Humane Society of the United States and the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.