Should Animals Have The Same Rights As Humans?

Should Animals Have The Same Rights As Humans?

History has a tendency to repeat itself and it seems there’s always a species/ race/ 

sex that’s considered ‘inferior’ and is therefore mistreated by the rest of society.  

One reason animals are treated cruelly is because they are considered inferior to 

humans; they can be considered as less intelligent, less emotional or even incapable of 

feeling pain.  There’s a lot of evidence to suggest otherwise and people are constantly 

becoming more open to how sentient and intelligent animals are.  

Most dog owners will probably agree that dogs are able to feel happiness but some 

scientists still dispute this.  Dogs have a hormone called dopamine as humans do.  

This hormone actually increases when dogs chew.  If a dog feels anxious after an owner 

has gone out for the day, they'll chew cushions and shoes to increase their level of 

dopamine.  

Dolphins may not perform tricks purely for the sake of the fish they are given.  A lot of dolphins don't eat the fish they're given as a reward; most dolphins aren't very keen on fish unless it's completely fresh and prefer to catch the fish themselves.  Maybe they simply enjoy interacting with humans and view the tricks as a form of playing?

Rats emit high-pitched chirps during play and when it's feeding time but low-pitched chirps are associated with negative behaviour such as squabbling.

Wild and captive hyenas have been seen to store meat in water, which helps it to keep longer.

Foxes have been observed trying to catch worms which isn't as easy a task as it sounds.  Worms, when they can feel themselves being pulled up, tend to cling onto mounds of earth so they that can't be pulled up.  Foxes have been seen to use their claws to 'tickle' the worms until they let go.                            

If one buffalo gets caught by a predator the other members of the herd will come to their aid.  Lions tend to go for a buffalo's muzzle rather than their neck as they do with most prey, so the other members of the pack can't hear them cry for help.  One account told of a buffalo who had been caught by a group of lions and how the other members of her pack came to her rescue, 'a bull bawling near the victim's face seemed to boost her into fighting back.  She rolled over and struggled to her feet while the others charged.'

Lionesses have been known to adopt baby gazelles and wildebeest; unfortunately the lack of milk necessary for the babies has meant there is no success story but this was through no fault of the lioness.

Elephants produce oxytocin as do humans, when they are pregnant.  This hormone creates feelings of overwhelming love for their baby.  Elephants and their cubs form very close bonds with one another and if the mother is shot for her tusks, the cub left behind will not leave the side of his mother, even when attacked by predators and faced with starvation.  Mothers also will protect their cubs with their life.

When lions have been shot with anaesthetic darts, other lions have been seen trying to pull the dart out of their body to help them.

Dolphins and whales have been seen helping other dolphins and whales escape attacking humans and have been seen to be biting at a line holding a harpoon or net capturing another dolphin or whale.

Manatees, a close relation of the elephant, also form strong bonds between mother and calf.  Manatees are also known as 'Lamatins' , named so by Captain S.M. Scannon after he saw how lamented a mother was after seeing her baby killed. 

Young rhino and elephant babies often stop eating if their mother has been killed even if food is readily available; sometimes they even lose the will to defend themselves against predators.

Animals experimented on in laboratories are often said to suffer from 'learned helplessness' where they give up trying to escape pain as they have suffered so much that they give up completely; they usually lie in a ball and whimper; not dissimilar sounding to despair.  These animals also have similar body language to many farm animals; hunched back and shoulders, head down, no eye contact and a general loss of interest in anything; contrary to wild animal's body language.

Many animals have been known to die in captivity by simply refusing to eat and therefore starving to death; no matter how much food they were offered.

It's also important to remember just how convenient the theory of animals having limited emotions is, particularly to the people who claim it such as scientists.  If people felt the capacity of emotions in all animals was similar to that of humans, animal experiments or the treatment of farm animals could no longer be seen as moral.  There are plenty of intellectuals who have and do freely talk of animals having emotions; Francois Voltaire, Charles Darwin, Isaac Newton and John Locke to name a few. 

All living feeling beings deserve to have the right to live a happy, peaceful life no matter what their species, race or gender.

Find out more about this subject on www.animalemotions.50megs.com