tag:theconversation.com,2011:/nz/topics/animal-rights-4200/articlesAnimal rights – The Conversation2024-03-14T19:24:53Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2188002024-03-14T19:24:53Z2024-03-14T19:24:53ZFriday essay: from political bees to talking pigs – how ancient thinkers saw the human-animal divide<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/581424/original/file-20240312-18-f7g0up.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=24%2C8%2C5467%2C3655&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>What makes us human? What (if anything) sets us apart from all other creatures? Ever since Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution, the answer to these questions has pointed us back to our own animal nature.</p>
<p>Yet the idea that, in one way or another, our humanity is entangled with the non-human has a much longer and more venerable history. In the West, it goes all the way back to Classical antiquity – to Greek and Roman views about humans and animals. </p>
<p>The Greek philosopher Aristotle (384-322) first argued the human stands out from all other animals through the presence of <em>logos</em> (“speech” but also “reason”). Numerous Greek and Roman thinkers engaged in similar attempts to name what, exactly, sets humans apart. </p>
<p>Who or what is man? The arguments these philosophers came up with verged from the obscure to the outright bizarre: The human alone has the capacity to have sex at all seasons and well into old age; the human alone can sit comfortably on his hip bones; the human alone has hands that can build altars to the gods and craft divine statues. No observation seemed too far-fetched or outlandish. </p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/581448/original/file-20240312-28-9lkgw1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A painting of a bearded man, Aristotle." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/581448/original/file-20240312-28-9lkgw1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/581448/original/file-20240312-28-9lkgw1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=851&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581448/original/file-20240312-28-9lkgw1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=851&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581448/original/file-20240312-28-9lkgw1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=851&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581448/original/file-20240312-28-9lkgw1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1070&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581448/original/file-20240312-28-9lkgw1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1070&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581448/original/file-20240312-28-9lkgw1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1070&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Aristotle, as painted by Raphael.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Wikimedia Commons</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/">CC BY-NC-SA</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>And yet, above all, the argument that animals lack logos continued to resonate. In classical antiquity it became powerful enough to coin the very word for animals in ancient Greek: <em>ta aloga</em> – “those without logos”. </p>
<p>This position was taken up by the philosophical school of the Stoics and from there came to influence Christianity, with its view of man made in the image of God. </p>
<p>The idea of an insurmountable gap between humans and other animals soon became the dominant paradigm, informing, for instance, the 18th century naturalist <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Carolus-Linnaeus">Carl Linnaeus’s</a> influential classification of the human as <em>homo sapiens</em> (literally: the “wise”, or “rational man”). </p>
<p>The practical implications of this idea cannot be underestimated. What has been termed “<a href="https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/moral-animal/">the moral status of animals</a>” – the question of whether they should be included in considerations of justice – has traditionally been linked to the question of whether they have logos. Because animals differ from humans in lacking both speech and reason (so this line of argument goes) they cannot themselves formulate moral positions. Therefore, they do not warrant inclusion in our moral considerations, or at least not in the same way as humans. </p>
<p>Increasingly, of course, as many contemporary philosophers have pointed out, this idea seems too simple. </p>
<p>New research in the behavioural sciences illustrates the at times astonishing capacities of certain animals: crows and otters using tools to crack open nuts or shells to make their contents available for consumption; octopuses lifting the lids to their tanks and successfully escaping to the ocean through pipes; bees optimising their flight path on repeated trips to a food source.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/581188/original/file-20240312-24-3u7e8f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A pink octopus in a tank." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/581188/original/file-20240312-24-3u7e8f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/581188/original/file-20240312-24-3u7e8f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581188/original/file-20240312-24-3u7e8f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581188/original/file-20240312-24-3u7e8f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581188/original/file-20240312-24-3u7e8f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581188/original/file-20240312-24-3u7e8f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581188/original/file-20240312-24-3u7e8f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Octopus have lifted the lids of their tanks and escaped.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/dofleins-octopus-latin-enteroctopus-dofleini-tentacles-2278086727">Victor1153/shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>But there is, in fact, a considerable body of evidence from the ancient Greek and Roman worlds showcasing the complex behaviours of different kinds of animals.</p>
<p>Ancient authors like <a href="https://www.livius.org/articles/person/pliny-the-elder/">Pliny</a>, <a href="https://www.livius.org/sources/content/plutarch/">Plutarch</a>, <a href="https://oxfordre.com/classics/display/10.1093/acrefore/9780199381135.001.0001/acrefore-9780199381135-e-4570">Oppian</a>, <a href="https://www.oxfordreference.com/display/10.1093/oi/authority.20110803095353490">Aelian</a>,<a href="https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/porphyry/"> Porphyry</a>, <a href="https://www.oxfordreference.com/display/10.1093/oi/authority.20110803095431452">Athenaeus </a>and others have dedicated whole books or treatises to this topic, pushing back on the notion of animals as merely “dumb beasts”. </p>
<p>Their views anticipated the modern debate by attributing animals not only with forms of reason; they also highlighted their capacity to suffer, to feel pain and to feel empathy towards each other and, occasionally, even towards members of the human species. </p>
<p>Then there are the human-animal hybrid creatures of the Greek and Roman myths (more on this later) – the Sirens, the Sphinx, the Minotaur. All combine the body parts of human and animal. Individually and collectively they thus raise a fundamental yet potentially disturbing question: what if we are really, in part at least, animal?</p>
<h2>Ancient animal-smarts</h2>
<figure class="align-left ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/581189/original/file-20240312-26-17ijsr.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/581189/original/file-20240312-26-17ijsr.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=860&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581189/original/file-20240312-26-17ijsr.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=860&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581189/original/file-20240312-26-17ijsr.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=860&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581189/original/file-20240312-26-17ijsr.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1080&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581189/original/file-20240312-26-17ijsr.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1080&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581189/original/file-20240312-26-17ijsr.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1080&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/11879565">On the Nature of Animals</a> (late second/early third century CE), Aelian, a Roman author writing in Greek, described fish that helped their unfortunate mates when caught at sea, setting their backs against the trapped creature and “pushing with all their might to try to stop him from being hauled in”. </p>
<p>He wrote, too, of dolphins that helped fisher-folk, pressing the fish in “on all sides” so they couldn’t escape. In return, they were rewarded for their labours by a share of the catch.</p>
<p>He celebrated the clever design of beehives, observing:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>The first thing that they construct are the chambers of their kings, and they are spacious and above all the rest. Round them they put a barrier, as it were a wall or fence, thereby also enhancing their importance of the royal dwelling. </p>
</blockquote>
<p>By parading animal-smarts in action these examples – of which there are hundreds - astonish, inform, and entertain at the same time – similar perhaps to the ubiquitous reels showing animals doing amazing things circulating in modern social media.</p>
<p>Modern ethological studies variously observe animal behaviours which reverberate with Aelian’s examples.</p>
<p>Pairs of <a href="https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/09/150925085344.htm">rabbit fish</a> have been shown to cooperate, with one partner standing on guard protecting the other one while feeding. Honeybees indeed build bigger cells for their queen that are set apart at the bottom of the hive separated by thicker walls. And <a href="https://www.pnas.org/post/podcast/cooperative-fishing-between-humans-and-dolphins">bottlenose dolphins</a> have been found to cooperate with humans in their efforts to capture fish. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/581193/original/file-20240312-16-rsj49.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Dolphins swimming over seagrass." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/581193/original/file-20240312-16-rsj49.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/581193/original/file-20240312-16-rsj49.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581193/original/file-20240312-16-rsj49.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581193/original/file-20240312-16-rsj49.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581193/original/file-20240312-16-rsj49.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581193/original/file-20240312-16-rsj49.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581193/original/file-20240312-16-rsj49.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Bottlenose dolphins have been seen cooperating with humans while fishing.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Anita Kainrath/shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>While not all of the ancient anecdotal evidence is confirmed by modern research, the overall thrust is clear: it deserves to be taken seriously and is part of the ancient conversation of what makes us human. </p>
<h2>The power of storytelling</h2>
<p>Some Greek and Roman thinkers resorted to the medium of storytelling to articulate views that are essentially philosophical in nature. The Greek philosopher Plutarch’s treatise <a href="https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Plutarch/Moralia/Gryllus*.html">Beasts are Rational</a> draws on the famous story from Homer’s Odyssey in which some of Odysseus’ comrades are turned into pigs by the sorceress Circe. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/guide-to-the-classics-homers-odyssey-82911">Guide to the Classics: Homer's Odyssey</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Odysseus is eventually able to convince the sorceress to turn them back into human beings. In Plutarch’s rendering of the story he returns to Circe’s island to check whether there are any other Greeks turned animal – and finds a pig named Gryllus (“Grunter”).</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/581192/original/file-20240312-26-tn9od0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A painting of men with animal heads." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/581192/original/file-20240312-26-tn9od0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/581192/original/file-20240312-26-tn9od0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581192/original/file-20240312-26-tn9od0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581192/original/file-20240312-26-tn9od0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581192/original/file-20240312-26-tn9od0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581192/original/file-20240312-26-tn9od0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581192/original/file-20240312-26-tn9od0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Detail of a wine cup (kylix) depicting scenes from The Odyssey including men turned into animals, circa 560-550 BCE.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Detail_view_-_Odysseus_men_turned_into_animals_by_Circe_receive_antidote_photo_by_Lucas_ancientartpodcast_flickr_cca2.0_8705662763_02d64d713e_o.jpg">Wikimedia Commons</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/">CC BY-NC-SA</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Things take a turn for the unexpected when Grunter declines Odysseus’ offer of help. The reason? He prefers his animal to his human existence.</p>
<p>Grunter sets out to make an impassioned, highly rational case, arguing all animals in one form or another, have reason. Individual species differ from each other merely in the extent of and kind of reason. And, yes, this includes even those animals that have come to serve as the epitome of dumbness: sheep and the ass. </p>
<p>“Please note,” he adds, “that cases of dullness and stupidity in some animals are demonstrated by the cleverness and sharpness of others – as when you compare an ass and a sheep with a fox or a wolf or a bee.”</p>
<p>Grunter is not afraid to push things even further: Don’t individual humans, too, differ from each other in cleverness and wit? Long before the arrival of evolutionary theory, the pig here points towards a gradual view of how certain features, skills, and capacities map onto a continuum of all living creatures (the human included). The implied conclusion: there is no insurmountable gap between the human and other animals.</p>
<p>Grunter’s views are supported by others such as the speaking rooster of Lucian’s <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/11879565">The Dream or the Cock</a> (second century CE). Claiming to be the latest in a long line of previous incarnations that include (brace yourself) – the philosopher Pythagoras, the Cynic philosopher Crates, the Trojan hero Euphorbus, the Greek courtesan Aspasia, and several animals – this rooster-philosopher, too, prefers his animal to his human existence. </p>
<p>Animals, the rooster argues, are content with the basics; humans, by contrast, over-complicate things because they can’t get enough and greedily strive for ever more. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/guide-to-the-classics-darwins-the-descent-of-man-150-years-on-sex-race-and-our-lowly-ape-ancestry-155305">Guide to the classics: Darwin's The Descent of Man 150 years on — sex, race and our 'lowly' ape ancestry</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Myths and hybrid monsters</h2>
<p>Myth is arguably the most influential genre of ancient storytelling. A set of malleable tales of great age and importance, myth constitutes a world apart, a medium just far enough removed from the intricacies (and banalities) of everyday life to allow for the exploration of fundamental questions concerning the human condition. And Greek myths often explore human entanglements with non-human animals in ways that reference the philosophical debate.</p>
<p>The mythical figure of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Minotaur">the Minotaur</a> for example – a hybrid creature sporting the head of a bull and the body of a human male – does not seem to adhere to the norms and conventions applying to either of his composite identities. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/580856/original/file-20240310-28-ykqvft.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A painting of a minotaur." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/580856/original/file-20240310-28-ykqvft.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/580856/original/file-20240310-28-ykqvft.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/580856/original/file-20240310-28-ykqvft.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/580856/original/file-20240310-28-ykqvft.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/580856/original/file-20240310-28-ykqvft.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/580856/original/file-20240310-28-ykqvft.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/580856/original/file-20240310-28-ykqvft.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Tondo of a Minotaur, circa 515 BC.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tondo_Minotaur_London_E4_MAN.jpg">Wikimedia Commons</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/">CC BY-NC-SA</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>His insatiable appetite for young humans sets him apart from accepted behaviour for both humans and cattle alike, identifying him as monstrous. </p>
<p>But what are monsters for?</p>
<p>This question also applies to another famous hybrid beast of the ancient world: the Theban sphinx. Perched high outside the gates of the city of Thebes, in the region of Boeotia in central Greece, this creature (half woman, half lion, often endowed with an extra set of wings) challenges all wishing to enter with the following riddle: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>What is that which has one voice and yet becomes four-footed and two-footed and three-footed?</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Many try and fail to name the right answer, paying for it with their lives. Until Oedipus comes along. He gives the correct answer and thus busts the beast, which dutifully throws itself to death. </p>
<p>The creature in the riddle is, of course, the human: man first crawls on four legs, then walks on two, until in old age when a walking stick may serve as a third “leg”. And yet despite his clever wit, Oedipus is ultimately unable to use reason to his and the city’s advantage (a situation explored in depth in <a href="https://classics.mit.edu/Sophocles/oedipus.html">Sophocles’ famous tragedy Oedipus the King</a>).</p>
<p>What is the point of the riddle of the Sphinx? This story poses the human as a question but also illustrates the limits of logos in gaining self-understanding. Oedipus can solve the beast’s riddle; yet the riddle of his own humanity remains unresolved until it is too late. Here, the monstrous figure holds up a mirror for the human to recognise himself. </p>
<h2>Speaking animals</h2>
<p>Logos (in the sense of speech) also features prominently in the intervention of another iconic creature from classical antiquity: Xanthus, Achilles’ speaking horse. </p>
<p>On the battlefields of Troy (featured in Homer’s Iliad) Xanthus reminds Achilles of his imminent death. In this way the horse seems to tease all those thinkers (ancient and modern) who have argued the human stands out from all other animals in his capacity to speak in complex sentences.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/guide-to-the-classics-homers-iliad-80968">Guide to the classics: Homer's Iliad</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/581226/original/file-20240312-30-tn9od0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A painting of a Greek god with two horses." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/581226/original/file-20240312-30-tn9od0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/581226/original/file-20240312-30-tn9od0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=570&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581226/original/file-20240312-30-tn9od0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=570&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581226/original/file-20240312-30-tn9od0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=570&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581226/original/file-20240312-30-tn9od0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=716&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581226/original/file-20240312-30-tn9od0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=716&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581226/original/file-20240312-30-tn9od0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=716&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Automedon with the Horses of Achilles, painting by Henri Regnault, 1868.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Wikimedia Commons</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/">CC BY-NC-SA</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Xanthus’s voice resonates with that of numerous other speaking animals populating Greek and Roman literature, including the gnat of <a href="http://virgil.org/appendix/culex.htm">Pseudo-Virgil’s Culex</a>, the speaking eel in Oppian’s didactic poem <a href="https://www.loebclassics.com/view/oppian-halieutica_fishing/1928/pb_LCL219.279.xml">On Fishing</a>, and the whole chorus of animals speaking to us in ancient fables. </p>
<p>Individually and as a group they raise a question: what if animals could speak to us in human language? What would they have to say to those humans prepared to listen? </p>
<p>As it turns out in these stories, often nothing too flattering. In classical antiquity, speaking animals often use their special position to question or examine the human condition.</p>
<p>Xanthus is a case in point. By reminding Achilles he is fated to die at Troy, the speaking horse reminds the Greek hero of an important aspect of the human condition: his own mortality and the fact that he, too, is ultimately subject to powers beyond human control.</p>
<h2>The political bee</h2>
<p>In Greek and Roman accounts of honeybee politics we find a peculiar human habit with a surprisingly long history: the attribution of political qualities to honeybees. </p>
<p>When we distinguish a “queen bee” from “workers” we are continuing a tradition that goes back to the ancient world (and possibly beyond). Aristotle names honeybees among the <em>zoa politika</em> (the “political animals”) – a category that includes wasps, ants, cranes, and, above all, the human.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/581201/original/file-20240312-24-r54i0o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/581201/original/file-20240312-24-r54i0o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/581201/original/file-20240312-24-r54i0o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581201/original/file-20240312-24-r54i0o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581201/original/file-20240312-24-r54i0o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581201/original/file-20240312-24-r54i0o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581201/original/file-20240312-24-r54i0o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581201/original/file-20240312-24-r54i0o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Day_85_-_Sweat_Bee_-_Lasioglossum_species,_Leesylvania_State_Park,_Woodbridge,_Virginia.jpg">Wikimedia Commons</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/">CC BY-NC-SA</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>He and others then set out to explore the intricacies of honeybee society. The ancient Greeks and Romans traditionally considered honeybees to inhabit a monarchy. In line with the gender realities of the ancient world, they imagined this monarchy to be led by a king or male leader. </p>
<p>Does the bee monarch have a stinger? If not, how does he assert his power and leadership? And what does the presence of the obviously unproductive drones in the hive say about the distribution of labour in a community? These are the kind of questions that resonated among Greek and Roman thinkers.</p>
<p>Honeybee society thus provided a perfect microcosm to study a set of questions that concerned human politics and society. The Roman philosopher Seneca, for instance, asserted that the bee monarch leads by <em>clementia</em> (mercy or mildness) - a form of leadership he found woefully lacking in contemporary Roman society. </p>
<h2>Meat and man</h2>
<p>So far we have seen animals mostly playing a symbolic role in Graeco-Roman storytelling. There is also a very real way in which human and animal bodies come to merge: through the human consumption of meat.</p>
<p>The ancient Greeks and Romans were ardent meat-eaters. Indeed meat-eating became a status symbol closely linked to the articulation of masculine identities. </p>
<p>In classical Greece the male citizen received his equal share of meat after communal religious sacrifices carried out by the <em>polis</em> (“city-state”). Meat eating also features prominently in several anecdotes about successful ancient Greek athletes who toned their extraordinary bodies through the consumption of ridiculous amounts of meat.</p>
<p>One of them – a boxer named Theagenes – even claimed to have gobbled up an entire oxen in one sitting. Another one – Milo of Croton – apparently gained his extraordinary strength by carrying a heifer on his back as a young man until both he and the heifer had grown up. </p>
<p>Meanwhile at Rome, the elites sought to outdo each other by hosting ever more lavish dinner parties typically featuring one or several meat dishes. More often than not this involved attempts to serve a bigger or larger quantity of boar than their peers. <a href="https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/secondary/SMIGRA*/Sumtuariae_Leges.html">Roman sumptuary laws</a> eventually sought to control the worst excesses – albeit with limited success. </p>
<h2>The shearwaters of Diomedea</h2>
<p>The real also blends into the imaginary in the story of a special kind of bird. The Scopoli Shearwater (<em>Calonectris Diomedea</em>) is a species common to the Adriatic and other parts of the Mediterranean Sea. One of its outstanding features is that its cries resemble that of a wailing baby. These birds feed on small fish, crustaceans, squid, and zooplankton and are both migratory and pelagic. </p>
<p>The stories told about these birds by several ancient authors bring us to what is perhaps the most momentous way of exploring the human-animal boundary: the idea that in the realm of myth, at least, some humans, under certain conditions, could turn into animals and back again (metamorphosis). </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/581199/original/file-20240312-28-mfz55.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A shearwater in the sea." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/581199/original/file-20240312-28-mfz55.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/581199/original/file-20240312-28-mfz55.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=397&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581199/original/file-20240312-28-mfz55.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=397&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581199/original/file-20240312-28-mfz55.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=397&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581199/original/file-20240312-28-mfz55.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=499&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581199/original/file-20240312-28-mfz55.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=499&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581199/original/file-20240312-28-mfz55.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=499&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A scopoli shearwater.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">D.serra1/shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>According to <a href="https://www.loebclassics.com/view/aelian-characteristics_animals/1958/pb_LCL446.15.xml">Aelian</a>, some shearwaters residing on a rocky, otherwise uninhabited island in the Mediterranean Sea showed puzzling behaviour. They duly ignored all non-Greeks arriving on their island. Yet if Greek people reached their shores they welcomed them with stretched wings, even settling down on their laps as if for a joint meal. </p>
<p>What motivated this curious behaviour? </p>
<p>The backstory explains that the birds were once human. They were the comrades of Diomedes, king of Argos, one of the Greeks fighting at Troy, who is said to have died on the same island now inhabited by the birds. Apparently, upon his death, his friends grieved so heavily the goddess Aphrodite turned them into birds – their cries forever bemoaning the passing of their comrade. </p>
<p>On the face of it this story is merely another example of a myth explaining an outstanding feature in nature (the birds’ endearing <a href="https://www.birdlife.org/news/2021/05/31/seabird-month-corys-shearwater-calonectris-borealis/">human-like cry</a>). Yet there is more to the birds’ curious behaviour than meets the eye. In discriminating between Greeks and non-Greeks the birds seem to recall not only their former humanity but specifically their Greekness; they even seem to engage in the central Greek practice of extending friendship to guests (<em>xenia</em>) and the sharing of food. </p>
<p>In doing so they illustrate a central point of ancient (and many modern) tales of metamorphosis: even though the body may turn animal, the mind remains human. As the seat of logos it contains our humanity while the body adds little, if anything, of substance.</p>
<p>As such, rather than imagining what the world looks like from the point of view of a non-human creature, tales of metamorphosis ultimately come to reaffirm the view that the human stands apart from all other animals. </p>
<h2>And so?</h2>
<figure class="align-left zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/581186/original/file-20240312-26-wyc3p2.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="The Trojan Horse and other stories: book cover" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/581186/original/file-20240312-26-wyc3p2.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/581186/original/file-20240312-26-wyc3p2.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=908&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581186/original/file-20240312-26-wyc3p2.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=908&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581186/original/file-20240312-26-wyc3p2.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=908&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581186/original/file-20240312-26-wyc3p2.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1141&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581186/original/file-20240312-26-wyc3p2.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1141&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581186/original/file-20240312-26-wyc3p2.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1141&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Cambridge University Press</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In the myth of the Minotaur, the Greek hero Theseus eventually enters the labyrinth in which the Minotaur is confined, tracking him down, and slaying him. With the help of a thread given to him by Ariadne, he finds his way back out to tell the tale.</p>
<p>But trying to make sense of the Minotaur and other iconic creatures from the ancient world leads us down a rabbit hole into a place of blurred boundaries: where the human emerges as a contested figure somewhere in the space between mind and body, human and animal parts.</p>
<p>In the end, then, there is no hard and fast boundary separating us from all other creatures – notwithstanding all efforts to dress ourselves up as different.
Rather, it is the <a href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/trojan-horse-and-other-stories/6DD8408FDBA4C5C6604536F6EC7406D5">negotiations between different facets of our identity</a> which make us human</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/218800/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Julia Kindt received funding from the Australian Research Council (ARC) and is a member of the Sydney Environment Institute.</span></em></p>What makes us human? Greek and Roman thinkers were preoccupied with this question. And some of their observations of animals foreshadowed recent findings in the behavioural sciences.Julia Kindt, Professor, Department of Classics and Ancient History, University of SydneyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2183512023-12-12T19:04:15Z2023-12-12T19:04:15Z5 ways to make Christmas lunch more ethical this year<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/564409/original/file-20231207-29-3t1sbi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C4744%2C3158&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://unsplash.com/s/photos/christmas-lunch">maddi bazzocco/unsplash</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>What we eat matters - not just for our health, but for the planet and other living things too. </p>
<p>Most of us know meat consumption <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s43016-021-00358-x.epdf">contributes to global warming</a> and many of us are aware of animal cruelty and human exploitation in global food supply chains. </p>
<p>So what are some ways we can use our “fork power” to make our Christmas lunch more ethical this year?</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/stressful-christmas-how-meditation-can-and-cant-help-you-through-a-nightmare-lunch-170872">Stressful Christmas? How meditation can (and can't) help you through a nightmare lunch</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>1. Replace your turkey or ham with a vegetarian dish</h2>
<p>Vegetarian options are not boring or tasteless — just look at this <a href="https://annajones.co.uk/recipe/squash-chestnut-roast">festive squash and chestnut roast</a>. </p>
<p>A plant-focused diet has strong <a href="https://eatforum.org/eat-lancet-commission/the-planetary-health-diet-and-you/">environmental benefits</a>. Livestock not only <a href="https://theconversation.com/cop28-begins-4-issues-that-will-determine-if-the-un-climate-summit-is-a-success-from-methane-to-money-218869">produce greenhouse gas</a> when they burp, they take up huge amounts of <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9024616/">land and fresh water</a>.</p>
<p>Reducing the number of animal products on your plate also reduces the likelihood you are contributing to the suffering of animals. Even though many countries have <a href="https://www.agriculture.gov.au/agriculture-land/animal/welfare/standards-guidelines">ethical standards</a> for the treatment of farm animals, these are not always followed, and many of the practices considered legal <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2023-03-28/pig-slaughter-methods-defended-by-pork-industry/102153822">still cause pain and suffering to animals</a>. </p>
<p>While cutting out all animal products can be difficult, any reduction in consumption makes a difference. For example, consider swapping out the brie on your Christmas platter for hummus this year.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/564411/original/file-20231208-29-flug4y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Nut roast" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/564411/original/file-20231208-29-flug4y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/564411/original/file-20231208-29-flug4y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/564411/original/file-20231208-29-flug4y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/564411/original/file-20231208-29-flug4y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/564411/original/file-20231208-29-flug4y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/564411/original/file-20231208-29-flug4y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/564411/original/file-20231208-29-flug4y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Nut roasts are a delicious meat-free alternative.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>2. Choose ‘good fish’</h2>
<p>Many of us don’t realise fish and other seafood is often sourced unsustainably, negatively impacting ocean ecosystems and wildlife. An Australian organisation called GoodFish produces a <a href="https://goodfish.org.au/">Sustainable Seafood Guide</a>, where you can find out how ethical the fish you buy is. </p>
<p>Unfortunately, many salmon products are <a href="https://goodfish.org.au/sustainable-seafood-guide/?q=salmon">not as sustainable</a> as companies claim them to be. In comparison, farmed Australian barramundi, Murray cod, prawns, oysters and mussels, and wild-caught Australian Eastern and Western rock lobsters are classified as better choices.</p>
<p>Additionally, an international not-for-profit organisation called the <a href="https://www.msc.org/en-au">Marine Stewardship Council</a> has an “MSC blue fish tick label” certification scheme, which endorses products from well-managed and sustainable fisheries. Have a look for MSC-certified frozen crumbed fish in your next shop.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/the-psychology-of-christmas-shopping-how-marketers-nudge-you-to-buy-88011">The psychology of Christmas shopping: how marketers nudge you to buy</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>3. Choose at least one organic item, such as your roast potatoes</h2>
<p><a href="https://www.fao.org/organicag/oa-faq/oa-faq6/en/">Organic agriculture</a> aims to produce food while establishing an ecological balance to prevent soil infertility or pest problems over the longer term. It strengthens the dynamics and carbon storage of soil, stops freshwater pollution with synthetic fertilisers and pesticides, reduces the use of fossil fuels needed to produce these chemicals, and promotes biodiversity.</p>
<p>Yes, organic products are more expensive, but you will hopefully now feel they are worth it (you could also look out for organic produce that is reduced in price during “on special” promotions). </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/564412/original/file-20231208-27-pze7dt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Roast potatoes in a bowl" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/564412/original/file-20231208-27-pze7dt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/564412/original/file-20231208-27-pze7dt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/564412/original/file-20231208-27-pze7dt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/564412/original/file-20231208-27-pze7dt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/564412/original/file-20231208-27-pze7dt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/564412/original/file-20231208-27-pze7dt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/564412/original/file-20231208-27-pze7dt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Organic vegetables are more expensive, but check to see what’s on special.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>4. Choose Fairtrade chocolate</h2>
<p>Of course, humans are heavily involved in the production, packaging and transport of the food we eat every day. Organisations such as <a href="https://fairtradeanz.org/">Fairtrade Australia and New Zealand</a> and <a href="https://www.rainforest-alliance.org/">Rainforest Alliance</a> aim to improve the lives of rural farmers and workers in developing countries – who otherwise might get unfair deals for their produce and work (these organisations also target environmental issues).</p>
<p>You can buy Fairtrade- and Rainforest Alliance-certified products in supermarkets (and elsewhere), such as chocolate, coffee, tea – and even ice cream. </p>
<p>Similarly, there are companies called <a href="https://bcorporation.com.au/find-b-corps/">B Corps</a>, or Certified B Corporations. These are organisations that also care about social and environmental issues. B Corp food products can also be found in supermarkets (and elsewhere), and include things like peanut butter and seaweed snacks. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/should-i-lie-to-my-child-about-santa-51737">Should I lie to my child about Santa?</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>5. Make friends with your freezer</h2>
<p>When we waste food, we are wasting the energy, land, water and chemicals that were used during the <a href="https://www.un.org/en/climatechange/science/climate-issues/food">long process</a> of getting it into your home. </p>
<p>Lots of us worry at Christmas about “having enough food for everyone”, and consequently buy too much. Why not talk through your menu plan with someone else before you go shopping, to check that you are not anxiety-buying to feed 50 people (instead of your extended family of ten). </p>
<p>But even with calm planning, you may still have leftover food. If this happens, you can get creative with using leftovers on Boxing Day (OzHarvest has some recipes online, including <a href="https://www.ozharvest.org/use-it-up/tips/">Christmas rockyroad</a>), or you can preserve food to eat at a later date using your cool friend, the freezer.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/564413/original/file-20231208-25-pze7dt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Freezer bags in freezer." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/564413/original/file-20231208-25-pze7dt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/564413/original/file-20231208-25-pze7dt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/564413/original/file-20231208-25-pze7dt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/564413/original/file-20231208-25-pze7dt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/564413/original/file-20231208-25-pze7dt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/564413/original/file-20231208-25-pze7dt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/564413/original/file-20231208-25-pze7dt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Freeze leftovers to eat later.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/218351/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Rebecca Reynolds owns DrRebeccaReynolds.com, a nutrition consultancy, and is an adjunct lecturer at UNSW Sydney.</span></em></p>Humans wield great power with what they choose to eat. Here’s how to use that power for good on Christmas day.Rebecca Reynolds, Adjunct lecturer and nutritionist, UNSW SydneyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2159242023-10-26T13:36:12Z2023-10-26T13:36:12ZHow the world might look if animals had legal rights<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/555835/original/file-20231025-19-kl3aos.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C22%2C3693%2C2565&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/baby-monkey-cage-473750596">Orapin Joyphuem/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Let’s picture what our societies might look like if animals were granted rights against being killed, made to suffer or exploited for human gain.</p>
<p>When activists argue for animal rights, they ask us to imagine a different world. First, we need to understand how our lives are shaped by animals’ lack of rights. </p>
<p>The range of uses we put animals to is enormous – going far beyond food, labour and clothing. We use <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/266398136_Using_gelatin_protein_to_facilitate_paper_thermoformability">gelatin to treat paper</a>, from loo-roll to watercolour paper. Tallow
finds its way <a href="https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/polymer-bank-notes-vegan-a4365961.html#:%7E:text=The%20contentious%20substance%20is%20used,go%20through%20a%20counting%20machine.">into our banknotes</a>, animal hair gives structure to suits and milk protein <a href="https://www.foodallergycanada.ca/ask-the-allergist-your-questions-answered-december-2021/#:%7E:text=Milk%20allergy%20can%20be%20relevant,to%20experience%20an%20allergic%20reaction.">is found in condoms</a> and any number of tablets. Beeswax and shellac (manufactured by crushing countless lac beetles) are used to <a href="https://www.beelovable.com.au/beeswax-uses/">make sweets shiny</a> and treat wood. </p>
<p>We even use waste from <a href="https://farm-energy.extension.org/animal-fats-for-biodiesel-production/#:%7E:text=Waste%20fat%20from%20animal%20carcasses,separates%20and%20pathogens%20are%20destroyed.">animal carcasses</a> as biofuel.</p>
<p>Many religious and national festivals involve consuming meat or wearing costumes made from animal parts. Animal products are everywhere. We kill <a href="https://www.sentienceinstitute.org/global-animal-farming-estimates">billions of animals</a> to make them every year.</p>
<p>A call for animal rights is a call to forbid most of these uses in law. It is also a call to reconfigure our relationships with animals. Imagining such possibilities can be difficult. What’s the point, we may wonder, of even considering the ethics of a future we can barely imagine?</p>
<h2>Thinking about it</h2>
<p>One of the roles of philosophers working on animal ethics, I think, is to help us
imagine. The humanities and social sciences try to answer the question “so
how would that work?”. That makes ethical possibilities, even unlikely ones, the subject of meaningful consideration.</p>
<p>The first thing to say is that although granting animals rights would dramatically change how we manufacture products, many of us may not even notice. Not only are <a href="https://unfccc.int/blog/we-need-to-talk-about-meat">vegan alternatives</a> available for most animal products, but advances in technology make the use of animals possible without killing them or making them suffer. </p>
<p>It is already possible to grow meat, <a href="https://www.greenqueen.com.hk/cultivated-fiction-chicken-eggs/">eggs</a>, <a href="https://www.labiotech.eu/in-depth/lab-grown-dairy/">milk</a>, <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/annefield/2022/05/05/making-lab-grown-leather-from-cow-cells-and-inching-toward-production/">and leather</a> in a lab without harming animals. </p>
<p>In the future, scientific advances will probably make widescale production possible. </p>
<p>One change we might notice though, would be an improvement to our environment. <a href="https://www.un.org/en/climatechange/science/climate-issues/food">Animal agriculture</a> uses vast amounts of land, water and energy, both to house and feed animals, and <a href="https://iapwa.org/the-environmental-cost-of-animal-agriculture/">pollutes our air, rivers and oceans</a>. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Man typing on laptop with ginger cat sleeping on keyboard." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/556064/original/file-20231026-22-m5fk2m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/556064/original/file-20231026-22-m5fk2m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=390&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/556064/original/file-20231026-22-m5fk2m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=390&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/556064/original/file-20231026-22-m5fk2m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=390&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/556064/original/file-20231026-22-m5fk2m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=489&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/556064/original/file-20231026-22-m5fk2m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=489&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/556064/original/file-20231026-22-m5fk2m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=489&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Animals shouldn’t have to rely on human whims for decent treatment.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/man-typing-on-laptop-ginger-cat-1695637138">Sharomka/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>One worry we might have is about the loss of jobs and income generated by animal agriculture. The sector is worth <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1106562/AUK_Evidence_Pack_2021_Sept22.pdf">billions of pounds</a>. </p>
<p>Animal rights theorists might respond in a number of ways: one would be to say that we ought not to protect jobs and income generated from rights violations. Another response might be to point to the fact that intensive animal agriculture largely depends on <a href="https://foodispower.org/human-labor-slavery/animal-agriculture-workers/#:%7E:text=Animal%20agriculture%20workers%20are%20consistently,cardiovascular%20complications%2C%20and%20premature%20death.">terrible working conditions</a>, often suffered by marginalised groups of people. </p>
<h2>Animal testing</h2>
<p>Similarly, most of us probably wouldn’t notice a ban on the use of animals in most forms of scientific research. New forms of <a href="https://www.animalfreeresearchuk.org/">animal-free modelling</a> are now constantly being developed and many are well established. For example, <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10302550/">advances in computer modelling</a> allow scientists to predict how medicines will act in human patients without the need for testing on other animals. </p>
<p>Many people worry that we might not have achieved many of the medical advances we have without animal testing. This may well be true, but for animal rights advocates this isn’t enough on its own to justify it. </p>
<p>A core purpose of a right is to protect the rights-bearer from being used as a means to benefit someone else. We can probably think of a great many deeply unethical practices that could benefit lots of people, but we rule them out because they would violate moral principles. In any case, if future advances are possible without harming nonhuman animals, then we ought to opt for alternative methods of research.</p>
<p>What about the uses we find for live animals, for example as workers,
entertainers and companions? Even though many people love their pets as if they were family, there are some people who ask vets to have their pets killed because they no longer want them. Indeed, such cases are common enough that the veterinary profession has coined the term “convenience euthanasia”. In these cases, vets do have the right to refuse to euthanise an animal. But there is ultimately no law to prevent vets from carrying out these instructions and many <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5479692/">struggle with the ethics</a> of doing so.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/why-your-veterinarian-may-refuse-to-euthanise-your-pet-110263">Why your veterinarian may refuse to euthanise your pet</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Animal rights</h2>
<p>If companion animals had rights, then they would have to be treated differently. One possibility is that pets would become something much closer to a fostered family member. We might even start to think of nonhuman animals as <a href="https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Zoopolis/DTY4rYdJ504C?hl=en&gbpv=0">fellow citizens</a>. As citizens, animals could be entitled to workers’ rights, health and retirement benefits.</p>
<p>When the <a href="https://news.sky.com/story/hero-police-dog-finn-who-was-stabbed-saving-handler-and-has-a-law-named-after-him-dies-at-14-12929871">police dog Finn</a> was stabbed by a robbery suspect in 2016 in Stevenage, England, the judge trying the case found that all he could charge the defendant with was property damage. </p>
<p>Although Finn’s case did result in the law being changed to prevent harm to service animals being justified as self-defence, it didn’t substantially change the status of nonhuman animals in law. </p>
<p>Full animal rights mean that dogs like Finn would be entitled what is known as <a href="https://www.nonhumanrights.org/client/happy/">legal personhood</a>. In some parts of the world, such as in the case of the river Magpie in Canada, there are already mechanisms like this for <a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/article/these-rivers-are-now-considered-people-what-does-that-mean-for-travelers">natural entities</a>.</p>
<p>Once, people probably couldn’t imagine a future where slavery was made illegal, or laughed at giving every adult in society a vote. I suspect that one day we will look back on the way we have treated nonhuman animals with a similar sense of disbelief.</p>
<p>When we try to imagine a world with animal rights, it turns out not to be so difficult after all. The concepts, technologies, and mechanisms needed are already in place, we just need to be brave enough to use them.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/215924/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Stephen Cooke is affiliated with The Vegan Society UK Research Advisory Committee and the Animal Welfare Research Network.</span></em></p>We already have many of the tools to make this imagined world a reality.Steve Cooke, Associate Professor of Political Theory, University of LeicesterLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2106222023-08-18T12:39:21Z2023-08-18T12:39:21ZMemes about animal resistance are everywhere — here’s why you shouldn’t laugh off rebellious orcas and sea otters too quickly<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/543322/original/file-20230817-27-rb0yah.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=299%2C221%2C3598%2C2428&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">It's tempting to envision orcas attacking yachts as the forward troops in an animal uprising.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/killer-whale-family-with-yacht-royalty-free-image/1425229306?adppopup=true">Jackson Roberts/iStock via Getty Images Plus</a></span></figcaption></figure><p><a href="https://cheezburger.com/21059333/orca-gangs-are-attacking-yachts-and-the-memes-are-killer">Memes galore</a> centered on the “orca revolution” have inundated the online realm. They gleefully depict orcas launching <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/may/25/orcas-ramming-yachts-spanish-whale-behaviour-trauma-humans">attacks on boats in the Strait of Gibraltar</a> and <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/jun/21/orca-rams-yacht-off-shetland-first-such-incident-northern-waters">off the Shetland coast</a>.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1669051456085712907"}"></div></p>
<p>One particularly ingenious image showcases an orca posed as a sickle crossed with a hammer. The cheeky caption reads, “<a href="https://twitter.com/rhelune/status/1669051456085712907">Eat the rich</a>,” a nod to the orcas’ penchant for sinking lavish yachts.</p>
<p>A <a href="https://www.npr.org/2023/07/13/1187295769/otter-santa-cruz-surfboard-surfers-california">surfboard-snatching sea otter</a> in Santa Cruz, California has also claimed the media spotlight. Headlines dub her an “<a href="https://www.latimes.com/california/newsletter/2023-07-21/otter-841-essential-california-essential-california">adorable outlaw</a>” “<a href="https://www.today.com/video/otter-remains-at-large-after-series-of-surfboard-thefts-188563013674">at large</a>.”</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/543052/original/file-20230816-27-mcay7s.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="black and white image of otter wearing beret next to text 'Accept our existence or expect resistance ... an otter world is possible – Otter 841'" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/543052/original/file-20230816-27-mcay7s.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/543052/original/file-20230816-27-mcay7s.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=451&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/543052/original/file-20230816-27-mcay7s.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=451&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/543052/original/file-20230816-27-mcay7s.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=451&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/543052/original/file-20230816-27-mcay7s.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=567&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/543052/original/file-20230816-27-mcay7s.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=567&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/543052/original/file-20230816-27-mcay7s.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=567&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Memes position the otter as a renegade revolutionary, modeled on Ché Guevara.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Cu7L_O4L0GC/">thesurfingotter via Instagram</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Memes conjure her in a beret like the one donned by socialist revolutionary Ché Guevara. In one caption, she proclaims, “<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Cu7L_O4L0GC/">Accept our existence or expect resistance</a> … an otter world is possible.”</p>
<p><a href="https://literature.ucsd.edu/people/faculty/emeriti/aisfahanihammond.html">My scholarship</a> centers on animal-human relations through the prism of social justice. As I see it, public glee about wrecked surfboards and yachts hints at a certain flavor of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/schadenfreude">schadenfreude</a>. At a time marked by drastic socioeconomic disparities, white supremacy and environmental degradation, casting these marine mammals as revolutionaries seems like a projection of desires for social justice and habitable ecosystems.</p>
<p>A glimpse into the work of some political scientists, philosophers and animal behavior researchers injects weightiness into this jocular public dialogue. The <a href="https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203797631">field of critical animal studies</a> analyzes structures of oppression and power and considers pathways to dismantling them. These scholars’ insights challenge the prevailing view of nonhuman animals as passive victims. They also oppose the widespread assumption that nonhuman animals can’t be political actors.</p>
<p>So while meme lovers project emotions and perspectives onto these particular wild animals, scholars of critical animal studies suggest that nonhuman animals do in fact engage in resistance. </p>
<h2>Nonhuman animal protest is everywhere</h2>
<p>Are nonhuman animals in a constant state of defiance? I’d answer, undoubtedly, that the answer is yes. </p>
<p>The entire architecture of animal agriculture <a href="https://brill.com/display/title/32110?language=en">attests to animals’ unyielding resistance</a> against confinement and death. Cages, corrals, pens and tanks would not exist were it not for animals’ tireless revolt. </p>
<p>Even when hung upside down on conveyor hangars, <a href="https://brill.com/display/title/32110?language=enthe">chickens furiously flap their wings and bite</a>, scratch, peck and defecate on line workers at every stage of the process leading to their deaths.</p>
<p>Until the end, hooked tuna resist, gasping and writhing fiercely on ships’ decks. Hooks, nets and snares would not be necessary <a href="https://doi.org/10.5130/csr.v22i1.4363">if fish allowed themselves to be passively harvested</a>.</p>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1527-2001.1991.tb00213.x">If they consented to repeated impregnation</a>, female pigs and cows wouldn’t need to be tethered to “<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/jamesmcwilliams/2013/10/25/milk-of-human-kindness-denied-to-dairy-cows/">rape racks</a>” to prevent them from struggling to get away. </p>
<p>If they didn’t mind having their <a href="https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/C/bo28907793.html">infants permanently taken from their sides</a>, dairy cows wouldn’t need to be blinded with hoods so they don’t bite and kick as the calves are removed; they wouldn’t bellow for weeks after each instance. I contend that failure to recognize their bellowing as protest reflects “<a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/43154308">anthropodenial</a>” – what <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/ethology">ethologist</a> Frans de Waal calls the rejection of obvious continuities between human and nonhuman animal behavior, cognition and emotion.</p>
<p>The prevalent view of nonhuman animals remains that of René Descartes, the 17th-century philosopher who <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780199375967.003.0013">viewed animals’ actions as purely mechanical</a>, like those of a machine. From this viewpoint, one might dismiss these nonhuman animals’ will to prevail as unintentional or merely instinctual. But political scientist Dinesh Wadiwel argues that “even if their defiance is futile, the <a href="https://brill.com/display/title/32110?language=en">will to prefer life over death is a primary act of resistance</a>, perhaps the only act of dissent available to animals who are subject to extreme forms of control.”</p>
<h2>Creaturely escape artists</h2>
<p>Despite humans’ colossal efforts to repress them, nonhuman animals still manage to <a href="https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300192483/every-twelve-seconds/">escape from slaughterhouses</a>. They also break out <a href="https://content.time.com/time/specials/packages/completelist/0,29569,2041628,00.html">of zoos</a>, circuses, aquatic parks, <a href="https://www.nj.com/union/2015/07/watch_21_horses_escape_watchung_stables_roam.html">stables</a> and <a href="https://www.sciencealert.com/how-a-team-of-baboons-hitched-a-brilliant-plan-to-escape-a-research-lab-in-texas-texas-biomedical-testing-barrel">biomedical laboratories</a>. Tilikum, a captive orca at Sea World, <a href="https://www.akpress.org/fear-of-the-animal-planet-e-book.html">famously killed his trainer</a> – an act at least one marine mammal behaviorist <a href="https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2010/03/07/how-smart-are-killer-whales-and-can-they-decide-to-kill-a-person/">characterized as intentional</a>.</p>
<p>Philosopher Fahim Amir suggests that depression among captive animals is likewise a form of emotional rebellion against unbearable conditions, <a href="https://btlbooks.com/book/being-and-swine">a revolt of the nerves</a>. Dolphins engage in self-harm like thrashing against the tank’s walls or cease to eat and <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/jun/08/the-dolphin-who-loved-me">retain their breath until death</a>. Sows whose body-sized cages impede them from turning around to make contact with their piglets <a href="https://btlbooks.com/book/being-and-swine">repeatedly ram themselves</a> into the metal struts, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/pastj/gtu015">sometimes succumbing to their injuries</a>.</p>
<p>Critical animal studies scholars contend that all these actions arguably demonstrate nonhuman animals’ yearning for freedom and <a href="https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/W/bo6407651.html">their aversion</a> <a href="https://www.press.jhu.edu/books/title/9383/chimpanzee-politics">to inequity</a>.</p>
<p>As for the marine stars of summer 2023’s memes, fishing gear can <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/may/25/orcas-ramming-yachts-spanish-whale-behaviour-trauma-humans">entangle and harm orcas</a>. Sea otters were <a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/facts/sea-otter">hunted nearly to extinction for their fur</a>. <a href="https://oceanconservationtrust.org/ocean-advocacy/think-ocean/ways-to-think-ocean/">Marine habitats have been degraded</a> by human activities including overfishing, oil spills, plastic, chemical and sonic pollution, and climate change. It’s easy to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/may/25/orcas-ramming-yachts-spanish-whale-behaviour-trauma-humans">imagine they might be responding to human actions</a>, including bodily harm and interference with their turf.</p>
<h2>What is solidarity with nonhuman animals?</h2>
<p>Sharing memes that <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Cu-2mxcRkpz/">cheer on wild animals</a> is one thing. But there are more substantive ways to demonstrate solidarity with animals.</p>
<p>Legal scholars support nonhuman animals’ resistance by proposing that their current classification as property should be replaced with that of <a href="https://tupress.temple.edu/books/animals-property-and-the-law">personhood</a> or <a href="https://utorontopress.com/9781487525873/animals-as-legal-beings/">beingness</a>.</p>
<p>Nonhuman animals including songbirds, dolphins, <a href="https://www.nonhumanrights.org/wp-content/uploads/Happy-Brief.pdf">elephants</a>, horses, <a href="https://www.animallaw.info/case/suica-habeas-corpus">chimpanzees</a> and <a href="https://changingtimes.media/2017/08/03/habeas-corpus-victory-for-bear-in-colombia-encourages-animal-rights-lawyers/">bears</a> increasingly <a href="https://ssrn.com/abstract=4387696">appear as plaintiffs</a> alleging their subjection to extinction, abuse and other injustices.</p>
<p><a href="https://global.oup.com/academic/product/zoopolis-9780199599660">Citizenship for nonhuman animals</a> is another pathway to social and political inclusion. It would guarantee the right to appeal arbitrary restrictions of domesticated nonhuman animals’ autonomy. It would also mandate legal duties to protect them from harm.</p>
<p>Everyday deeds can likewise convey solidarity.</p>
<p>Boycotting industries that oppress nonhuman animals by becoming vegan is a powerful action. It is a form of political “counter-conduct,” a term philosopher Michel Foucault uses to describe <a href="https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-52120-0_7">practices that oppose dominant norms</a> of power and control.</p>
<p>Creating <a href="http://www.lawatsonart.com/the-roadside-memorial-project.html">roadside memorials for nonhuman animals</a> killed by motor vehicles encourages people to see them as beings whose lives and <a href="https://www.routledge.com/Economies-of-Death-Economic-logics-of-killable-life-and-grievable-death/Lopez-Gillespie/p/book/9780367599331">deaths matter</a>, <a href="https://www.amandastronza.com/passions#:%7E:text=I%20began%20creating%20memorials%2C%20not,seeds%2C%20weeds%2C%20and%20grasses">rather than mere “roadkill</a>.”</p>
<p>Political scientists recognize that human and nonhuman animals’ <a href="https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781107045392">struggles against oppression are intertwined</a>. At different moments, the <a href="https://hemisphericinstitute.org/en/emisferica-101/10-1-dossier/akbar-stole-my-heart-coming-out-as-an-animalist.html">same strategies</a> leveraged against nonhuman animals have <a href="https://theconversation.com/when-trump-calls-someone-a-dog-hes-tapping-into-ugly-history-128589">cast segments of the human species as “less than human”</a> in order to exploit them.</p>
<p>The category of the human is <a href="https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/A/bo3622788.html">ever-shifting and ominously exclusive</a>. I argue that no one is safe as long as there is a <a href="https://doi.org/10.2307/300203">classification of “animality.”</a> It confers <a href="https://english.elpais.com/society/2022-12-04/how-nazi-propaganda-dehumanized-jews-to-facilitate-the-holocaust.html">susceptibility to extravagant forms of violence</a>, legally and ethically condoned.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2NHqmHFGnxE?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Otter 841 is the wild sea otter off Santa Cruz, California, who some observers suspect has had it with surfers in her turf.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Might an ‘otter world’ be possible?</h2>
<p>I believe quips about the marine mammal rebellion reflect awareness that our human interests are entwined with those of nonhuman animals. The desire to achieve sustainable relationships with other species and the natural world feels palpable to me within the memes and media coverage. And it’s happening as human-caused activity makes our shared habitats increasingly unlivable. </p>
<p>Solidarity with nonhuman animals is consistent with democratic principles – for instance, defending the right to well-being and opposing the <a href="https://www.worldcat.org/title/8481629">use of force against innocent subjects</a>. Philosopher Amir recommends extending the idea that there can be no freedom as long as there is still unfreedom beyond the species divide: “While we may not yet fully be able to picture what this may mean, <a href="https://btlbooks.com/book/being-and-swine">there is no reason we should not begin to imagine it</a>”.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/210622/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Alexandra Isfahani-Hammond does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>A few marine mammals in apparent revolt pushed meme-makers into overdrive. But a scholar who thinks about justice and human-animal relations suggests something deeper is behind the schadenfreude.Alexandra Isfahani-Hammond, Associate Professor Emerita of Comparative Literature, University of California, San DiegoLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2058302023-06-12T20:01:01Z2023-06-12T20:01:01ZPeter Singer’s fresh take on Animal Liberation – a book that changed the world, but not enough<p>In March, the ABC aired a <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-03-28/calls-for-investigation-after-pig-gassing-footage-aired/102155766">story</a> showing footage of pigs in Australian abattoirs being stunned with carbon dioxide before having their throats cut. Packed into small, gas-filled <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-03-27/pork-industry-carbon-dioxide-stunning-hidden-cameras-730/102094548">chambers</a>, these animals could be viewed writhing, gasping and screaming in distress, some foaming at the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/mar/30/woolworths-and-coles-source-pork-from-abattoirs-featured-in-horrific-pig-slaughter-video">mouth</a>. </p>
<p>The pigs’ suffering was not an aberration; it is what countless pigs around the world commonly endure before being turned into ham and bacon. Such media exposés reveal how far we have – and have not – come since Australian philosopher Peter Singer published the seminal book <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animal_Liberation_(book)">Animal Liberation</a> nearly 50 years ago.</p>
<hr>
<p><em>Review: Animal Liberation Now – Peter Singer (Penguin Random House)</em></p>
<hr>
<p>Some features of this news story are testament to Animal Liberation’s influence on the animal rights movement, vegetarianism, and society generally. Like Ruth Harrison’s <a href="https://www.booktopia.com.au/animal-machines-ruth-harrison/book/9781780642840.html">Animal Machines</a> (1964), Singer’s book, first published in 1975, opened eyes to society’s almost endless exploitation of animals. </p>
<p>The footage of the gassed pigs used in the ABC story was obtained by a <a href="https://www.farmtransparency.org/">member</a> of one of the many animal <a href="https://www.peta.org/">organisations</a> that have emerged since Animal Liberation appeared. While such footage might once have been ignored, it made it to national prime-time television and was labelled “<a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-03-28/calls-for-investigation-after-pig-gassing-footage-aired/102155766">distressing</a>” by Australia’s agriculture minister.</p>
<p>Animal Liberation, regarded as the “bible” of the animal rights movement, is one of <a href="https://entertainment.time.com/2011/08/30/all-time-100-best-nonfiction-books/slide/animal-liberation-by-peter-singer/">Time</a> magazine’s all-time top 100 non-fiction books. </p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/530216/original/file-20230606-27-anix8s.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/530216/original/file-20230606-27-anix8s.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/530216/original/file-20230606-27-anix8s.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=985&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/530216/original/file-20230606-27-anix8s.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=985&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/530216/original/file-20230606-27-anix8s.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=985&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/530216/original/file-20230606-27-anix8s.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1238&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/530216/original/file-20230606-27-anix8s.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1238&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/530216/original/file-20230606-27-anix8s.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1238&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">An early edition of the book.</span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Yet the revelations about the gassed pigs also illustrate the limits of Animal Liberation’s impact to date. </p>
<p>Some Australian states, like some other jurisdictions, recently enacted “<a href="https://voiceless.org.au/hot-topics/ag-gag/">ag-gag</a>” laws to prevent <a href="https://aldf.org/issue/ag-gag/">activists</a> filming farmed animals’ suffering. And while the aired footage caused horror, there was no promise to immediately halt the carbon dioxide stunning method – let alone to phase out industrial pig production. </p>
<p>A pork industry representative still felt able to admonish the activist for “putting <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-03-28/calls-for-investigation-after-pig-gassing-footage-aired/102155766">stress</a> on our animals”.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.harpercollins.com/products/animal-liberation-now-peter-singer?variant=40952213110818">Animal Liberation Now: The Definitive Classic Renewed</a> is an expanded, more comprehensive revision of Singer’s classic book. The title reflects his latest assessment of the state of animal rights. </p>
<p>Singer evinces some disappointment, especially concerning industrial farming. His call for a boycott of meat, he acknowledges, has been a “dismal failure”. Meat consumption is rising, including in newly developed economies. China, for example, is building “huge <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/chinas-skyscraper-farm-slaughter-1-million-pigs-a-year-2022-11">skyscraper</a> ‘farms’” for millions of animals. </p>
<p>Despite this juggernaut, Singer retains some hope – so long as there are (as the book’s dedication reads) “many good people striving to bring about a better world for all sentient beings”. </p>
<p>Also underlying his cautious optimism is his belief that the book’s key ethical arguments, repeatedly tested over decades, are sound.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/should-slaughterhouses-have-glass-walls-the-campaign-for-greater-farm-transparency-goes-to-the-high-court-163811">Should slaughterhouses have glass walls? The campaign for greater farm transparency goes to the High Court</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Modern treatment of animals</h2>
<p>A key element of Singer’s strategy is to make the treatment of the animals we eat and perform research upon crystal clear. Many people remain unaware of the details. As in earlier editions, the two longest chapters of the updated book expose harmful uses of animals in scientific research and farming. </p>
<figure class="align-left zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/530467/original/file-20230607-18-w8vu0t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/530467/original/file-20230607-18-w8vu0t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/530467/original/file-20230607-18-w8vu0t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=782&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/530467/original/file-20230607-18-w8vu0t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=782&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/530467/original/file-20230607-18-w8vu0t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=782&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/530467/original/file-20230607-18-w8vu0t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=983&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/530467/original/file-20230607-18-w8vu0t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=983&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/530467/original/file-20230607-18-w8vu0t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=983&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Peter Singer.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Penguin/Random House</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The numbers of sentient animals – that is, those capable of feeling and suffering –killed in science and agriculture are mind-boggling: hundreds of millions in research and billions to trillions (when fish are counted) in agriculture. Such numbers, along with animals’ often dire living conditions, prompt historian <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/sep/25/industrial-farming-one-worst-crimes-history-ethical-question">Yuval Noah Harari</a>, in a preface to the book, to declare industrial farming “responsible for more pain and misery than all the wars of history put together”. </p>
<p>Some forms of animal treatment, Singer tells us, have improved somewhat. Certain countries began to better <a href="https://www.animalethics.org.au/animal-ethics-committees">regulate</a> animal research as the animal rights movement gained steam in the <a href="https://www.ox.ac.uk/news-and-events/animal-research/UK-regulations-on-research-using-animals">1980s</a>. In response to activism and changes in public sentiment, the European Union <a href="https://coslaw.eu/what-is-the-eu-ban-on-animal-testing/">banned</a> testing of cosmetics on animals, and the <a href="https://www.nih.gov/about-nih/who-we-are/nih-director/statements/nih-will-no-longer-support-biomedical-research-chimpanzees">US National Institutes of Health</a> ended its support for harmful research on chimpanzees. </p>
<p>In agriculture, animals like pigs, chickens, and veal calves now sometimes have slightly more room to move around in their cages due to consumer demand. Sow stalls, in which isolated pigs could barely move, were made <a href="https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/E-7-2013-000321_EN.html?redirect">illegal</a> across the EU (but not in the US).</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/530472/original/file-20230607-21-tzkryd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/530472/original/file-20230607-21-tzkryd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/530472/original/file-20230607-21-tzkryd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/530472/original/file-20230607-21-tzkryd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/530472/original/file-20230607-21-tzkryd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/530472/original/file-20230607-21-tzkryd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/530472/original/file-20230607-21-tzkryd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/530472/original/file-20230607-21-tzkryd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A chicken farm in the United States.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Animal Outlook/AP</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Yet since the book’s publication, a great deal has not improved for animals. Psychology experiments continued for decades to expose animals to severe deprivation, causing <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/jhbs.22180">psychopathology</a>, including self-destructive behaviour, aggression and extreme <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17141312/">fear</a> – even though such experiments have dubious application to humans. </p>
<p>While some animal experiments are justified in Singer’s view, the results of most experiments involving animals are never published or are not <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-020-76398-3">replicable</a>. Pharmaceutical companies use animals to create “me too” drugs that do not offer significant advantages over existing medicines. Many guidelines for testing the safety of chemicals still require extensive animal testing. Some of these, such as new household <a href="https://www.rspca.org.uk/adviceandwelfare/laboratory/testingchemicals">cleaners</a>, we could live without.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/530479/original/file-20230607-29-el644i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/530479/original/file-20230607-29-el644i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/530479/original/file-20230607-29-el644i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/530479/original/file-20230607-29-el644i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/530479/original/file-20230607-29-el644i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/530479/original/file-20230607-29-el644i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/530479/original/file-20230607-29-el644i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/530479/original/file-20230607-29-el644i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A squirrel monkey at a wildlife care centre in Colombia, where monkeys recover from the abuse they were subjected to during lab tests.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Ernesto Guzman/EPA</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Most farmed animals are kept are out of sight in industrial factory systems. Intensively farmed species such as cows, pigs and chickens have been genetically altered so they suffer from <a href="https://www.wageningenacademic.com/doi/book/10.3920/978-90-8686-571-0">conditions</a> such as <a href="https://actavetscand.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1751-0147-44-S1-S21">metabolic</a> disturbance, lameness and hunger. </p>
<p>Sensitive body parts of factory-farmed <a href="https://porcinehealthmanagement.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/2055-5660-1-2">pigs</a>, <a href="https://kb.rspca.org.au/knowledge-base/what-is-beak-trimming-and-why-is-it-carried-out/">birds</a> and <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/dec/05/despicable-and-horrific-footage-of-cattle-in-distress-prompts-calls-for-mandatory-pain-relief-in-australia">cattle</a> are still cut off without anaesthetic, often to prevent animals harming one another from stress and <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0003347217301811">boredom</a>. </p>
<p>Many animals in abattoirs, Singer says, are likely butchered or dropped in boiling water while still conscious. During the COVID pandemic, US farmers and <a href="https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/23516639/veterinarians-avma-factory-farming-ventilation-shutdown">veterinarians</a> “<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/apr/29/millions-of-farm-animals-culled-as-us-food-supply-chain-chokes-up-coronavirus#maincontent">depopulated</a>” countless pigs and chickens by deliberately <a href="https://theintercept.com/2020/05/29/pigs-factory-farms-ventilation-shutdown-coronavirus/">heating them to death</a>. Dairy cows are routinely <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5354428/">separated</a> from their calves, and cattle <a href="https://www.beefcentral.com/lotfeeding/wagyu-big-driver-in-new-wave-of-australian-feedlot-expansion/">feedlots</a> have expanded. </p>
<p>As Singer argues, such large-scale, profit-driven systems cannot treat animals humanely. Meanwhile, <a href="https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/A/bo3640817.html">scientific</a> research continues to show that animals, including <a href="https://www.wellbeingintlstudiesrepository.org/animsent/vol4/iss25/1/">farmed species</a>, possess many mental <a href="https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/cognition-animal/">capacities</a> similar to those of humans. These <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/20728510">capacities</a>, as Charles Darwin recognised, include affection, grief, sympathy, memory, attention and curiosity. </p>
<p>The revised book extends the discussion of consciousness in animal species. For instance, recent science suggests animals such as some <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0168159121002197">insects</a> and <a href="https://www.lse.ac.uk/business/consulting/reports/review-of-the-evidence-of-sentiences-in-cephalopod-molluscs-and-decapod-crustaceans">decapods</a> may have some sentience. Other exploited invertebrates, such as the <a href="https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-mind-of-an-octopus/">octopus</a>, show signs of an extraordinary “alien-like” intelligence. Singer even discusses scientific suggestions that <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28875517/">plants</a> may be minimally conscious, although he thinks this very unlikely.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/530218/original/file-20230606-15-anix8s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/530218/original/file-20230606-15-anix8s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/530218/original/file-20230606-15-anix8s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/530218/original/file-20230606-15-anix8s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/530218/original/file-20230606-15-anix8s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/530218/original/file-20230606-15-anix8s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=504&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/530218/original/file-20230606-15-anix8s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=504&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/530218/original/file-20230606-15-anix8s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=504&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A veined octopus, <em>Amphioctopus marginatus</em>, crawling along the ocean floor.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Museum Victoria/AAP</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/octopus-farms-raise-huge-animal-welfare-concerns-and-theyre-unsustainable-too-179134">Octopus farms raise huge animal welfare concerns - and they're unsustainable too</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Species prejudice – Singer’s radical idea</h2>
<p>Animal Liberation Now argues that non-humans in the 21st century continue to be treated in science and in farming essentially as tools or objects. For Singer, this strikingly illustrates the book’s central philosophical idea of “speciesism”, a term he popularised and endowed with philosophical <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1467-9973.2009.01608.x">sophistication</a>. </p>
<p>Most humans, argues Singer, are <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10677-021-10168-6">speciesist</a>. They assume it is acceptable to discriminate against non-human animals merely because they belong to a different species. Singer famously argues that <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10806-009-9205-2">speciesism</a> is a prejudice akin to racism and sexism. Those prejudices involve discrimination by a dominant group against a weaker one based on morally arbitrary characteristics. </p>
<p>Society has lately made progress towards recognising that no-one may treat another’s interests as ethically less important simply because they are not, say, a white man. But equally, says Singer, we should not downgrade another’s interests merely because they are not biologically human. And we should not downgrade the comparable interests of species that are less “loved”, such as <a href="https://humanimalia.org/article/download/11520/14799/27597">rodents</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/530486/original/file-20230607-21-92pgg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/530486/original/file-20230607-21-92pgg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/530486/original/file-20230607-21-92pgg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/530486/original/file-20230607-21-92pgg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/530486/original/file-20230607-21-92pgg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/530486/original/file-20230607-21-92pgg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/530486/original/file-20230607-21-92pgg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/530486/original/file-20230607-21-92pgg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A landmine-detecting African giant pouched rat in Siem Reap, Cambodia.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Maria Anna Caneva Saccardo Caterina / APOPO handout/AAP</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Rather, Singer argues, we should adopt a moral principle of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/principle-of-equal-consideration-of-interests">equal consideration of interests</a>, that applies regardless of species. If it is wrong to cause a human being to suffer, it should be equally wrong to cause a nonhuman animal to suffer to a similar extent. </p>
<p>Most people will baulk at the extension of the principle of equality across the species divide. But ethical arguments supporting human superiority, Singer replies, are weak. Consider the <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/japp.12051">argument</a> that humans are special because of capacities such as rationality or moral reasoning. Some humans who are severely cognitively impaired permanently lack these abilities. Yet obviously we believe that to “fatten them, kill them, and eat them” is morally outrageous. According to Singer, consistency demands extending the same attitude to non-humans with similar capacities.</p>
<p>Like the utilitarian philosopher <a href="https://daily-philosophy.com/cooper-quotes-bentham-animal-suffering/">Jeremy Bentham</a>, Singer believes the key ethical question about animals is not “can they reason?” nor “can they talk?”, but “can they suffer?” </p>
<h2>Philosophical disputes</h2>
<p>Singer’s argument about speciesism is <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/speciesism">controversial</a>. Many philosophers have come to <a href="https://www.wiley.com/en-au/Singer+and+His+Critics-p-9781557869098">accept</a> it. But others believe there is something about simply being human that is special. Even so, Singer’s <a href="https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9781351311601-4/egalitarianism-equal-consideration-interests-stanley-benn">opponents</a> have had difficulty undermining his position.</p>
<p>Philosopher <a href="https://books.google.com.au/books?hl=en&lr=&id=bFJPEAAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PP1&dq=kagan+counting+animals&ots=kMvfk12t2Y&sig=3v5kIGVU_AUrYepWuaZLfhRt94w&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=kagan%20counting%20animals&f=false">Shelly Kagan</a> recently argued that what distinguishes severely cognitively impaired humans from non-humans is that the former could have been “persons” were it not for conditions such as brain injury in infancy. Animals, by contrast, were never going to develop into “persons”. </p>
<p><a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/japp.12165">Singer replies</a> that some cognitively impaired humans with, say, severe genetic abnormalities were never going to be persons either. Moreover, why is the mere possibility that an individual could have been a “rational person”, even though they are not, morally relevant? </p>
<p>Singer also advances a kind of <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11229-019-02080-5?fbclid=IwAR0J-QPHhfyXN5i9WT4_dnGjB59inOEZb8DtB_U9O8Ya_vyuZBKkkKKGAYM">debunking</a> argument against meat-eating, offering various psychological and cultural reasons to help explain why speciesism is so entrenched. The updated chapter on “Man’s Dominion” vividly exposes such forces. </p>
<p>Singer details how, in the West, Christianity repeatedly denigrated animals, notwithstanding the occasional apparent animal-friendly <a href="https://www.earthday.org/patron-saint-animals-ecology/">sentiment</a>, including among recent <a href="https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/encyclicals/documents/papa-francesco_20150524_enciclica-laudato-si.html">popes</a>. Philosophers such as <a href="https://books.google.com.au/books?hl=en&lr=&id=SSPdDwAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PP1&dq=kant+on+animals&ots=PFcou_0hrG&sig=NmJ_t34HAhp7LnbJlLwXFqmUQGQ&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=kant%20on%20animals&f=false">Immanuel Kant</a> and <a href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/philosophy/article/abs/brute-to-the-brutes-descartes-treatment-of-animals/D050D279B05CE10EBF23AB6A4BA41E7E">René Descartes</a> joined in the denigration.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/explainer-the-ideas-of-kant-121881">Explainer: the ideas of Kant</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>In all editions of the book, Singer has drawn attention to the strong vested interests that companies, governments and individuals have in meat production. We grow up in <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8262125/">cultures</a> that tell us food animals hardly matter. </p>
<p>Singer now reports on recent <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1088868316647562?journalCode=psra">studies</a> that reveal how we try to escape the psychological discomfort of eating sentient animals by, for example, reflexively denying that those animals have minds. He might also have mentioned recent work that links animal prejudice to bias against human “<a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0191886913014074">outgroups</a>” – groups with whom a given person may not directly identify, such as immigrants.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/530471/original/file-20230607-22-jn50bw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/530471/original/file-20230607-22-jn50bw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/530471/original/file-20230607-22-jn50bw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=402&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/530471/original/file-20230607-22-jn50bw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=402&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/530471/original/file-20230607-22-jn50bw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=402&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/530471/original/file-20230607-22-jn50bw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=505&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/530471/original/file-20230607-22-jn50bw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=505&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/530471/original/file-20230607-22-jn50bw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=505&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">An animal rights protest in Seoul, South Korea, last year.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Yonhap/EPA</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Lately, the ethical case against meat-eating has been buttressed by arguments about its environmental impact. Singer earlier pointed to <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s41130-020-00124-w">pollution</a> from factory farms. Now he can also point to the large contribution that animal agriculture, always a relatively inefficient way of producing food, makes to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/aug/16/most-damaging-farm-products-organic-pasture-fed-beef-lamb">climate change</a>. </p>
<p>Preventing forest destruction for <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/jun/02/more-than-800m-amazon-trees-felled-in-six-years-to-meet-beef-demand">beef farming</a>, or opting to <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41893-020-00603-4">rewild farming land</a>, may turn out to be necessary for preventing more extreme global warming. Abolishing factory farming may also limit future animal-originated <a href="https://onehealthoutlook.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s42522-021-00053-8">pandemics</a>.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/which-diet-will-help-save-our-planet-climatarian-flexitarian-vegetarian-or-vegan-186772">Which diet will help save our planet: climatarian, flexitarian, vegetarian or vegan?</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Other objections</h2>
<p>While Animal Liberation Now fortifies Singer’s earlier case, further objections will be forthcoming. Some animal advocates will be disconcerted that Singer, a utilitarian, theoretically approves of harmful animal experiments, albeit within narrow bounds. Although he opposes most current animal experimentation, Singer is open to condoning, for example, experiments on monkeys that substantially improve the lives of tens of thousands of people with <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7058209/">Parkinson’s disease</a>. Some advocates will feel that even these experiments <a href="https://books.google.com.au/books?hl=en&lr=&id=Y0tWjRmxFE4C&oi=fnd&pg=PR11&dq=regan&ots=gJH3LGUkTu&sig=tzutbvvFEk2fwn_0munK8ggogig&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=regan&f=false">violate animal rights</a>.</p>
<p>They will also oppose the suggestion that killing animals for unnecessary food may be acceptable if the animals would otherwise not exist. However, Singer’s main aim here is to undermine speciesism, not to defend particular views on the ethics of killing or to argue for utilitarianism itself, as he does <a href="https://books.google.com.au/books?hl=en&lr=&id=lNgnV0eDtM0C&oi=fnd&pg=PR7&dq=singer+practical+ethics&ots=N3Gg61_hqE&sig=3RLgPgouZTYeO_t9oYnaJOHVWqQ&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=singer%20practical%20ethics&f=false">elsewhere</a>. </p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/530209/original/file-20230605-31-zxg7ln.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/530209/original/file-20230605-31-zxg7ln.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/530209/original/file-20230605-31-zxg7ln.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=921&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/530209/original/file-20230605-31-zxg7ln.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=921&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/530209/original/file-20230605-31-zxg7ln.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=921&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/530209/original/file-20230605-31-zxg7ln.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1157&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/530209/original/file-20230605-31-zxg7ln.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1157&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/530209/original/file-20230605-31-zxg7ln.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1157&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Singer claims that a position like his, which appeals only to rational argument, is both sturdier and more persuasive than arguments that admit some role for human sensitivity. Some <a href="https://lanternpm.org/book/entangled-empathy/">philosophers</a>, however, deny that moral reason can be so radically distanced from <a href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/upheavals-of-thought/3FF62D25B63C90964FF9BC72D6C38459">feeling</a>. Indeed, arguably part of the persuasive effect of Animal Liberation Now is the combination of careful logic and language that, although restrained, is not without feeling. </p>
<p>For example, Singer writes of how “wonderful” it is to see a “dejected, timid, almost <a href="https://youtu.be/iDLq8Xm5gQ0">featherless hen</a> … recover both her feathers and her natural dignity” when removed from the barren cages. Some philosophers would argue that such responses are not unconnected to moral insight.</p>
<p>The compassion as well as the outrage and horror that Singer’s writing has elicited in readers over the years has surely contributed to Animal Liberation’s influence - including on some of those who reject Singer’s principle of equality for humans and non-humans.</p>
<h2>The future for animals?</h2>
<p>Singer gives little detail about what should become of species like sheep, pigs, chickens and cows after liberation. He does say that most laboratory cages will be empty and that pigs may roam freely. </p>
<p>Some animal advocates hope for the eventual <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.7312/fran13950">extinction</a> of these much-abused species, while <a href="https://rowman.com/ISBN/9781783487240/The-Political-Turn-in-Animal-Ethics">others</a> allow for mutually positive <a href="https://global.oup.com/academic/product/zoopolis-9780199599660?cc=au&lang=en&">relations</a> with humans, as seen on some <a href="https://vinesanctuary.org/">farm-rescue</a> <a href="https://edgarsmission.org.au/">sanctuaries</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/530477/original/file-20230607-21-z1rail.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/530477/original/file-20230607-21-z1rail.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/530477/original/file-20230607-21-z1rail.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=371&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/530477/original/file-20230607-21-z1rail.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=371&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/530477/original/file-20230607-21-z1rail.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=371&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/530477/original/file-20230607-21-z1rail.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=466&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/530477/original/file-20230607-21-z1rail.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=466&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/530477/original/file-20230607-21-z1rail.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=466&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Animal psychologist Karin Mueck with a cow at the Hof Butenland farmstead in Niens, northern Germany, which is a retirement home for farmed cows.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Focke Strangmann/AP</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Intriguingly, Singer appears to approve of several dairies, such as <a href="https://hownowdairy.com.au/about-us/">How Now</a> dairy in Australia, that claim not to harm or kill their cows and to keep mothers with their calves. He now also discusses how we might address the <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10806-021-09873-0">vexed</a> question of wild animal suffering.</p>
<p>Whatever its shape, what are the chances Singer’s vision will eventuate? Perhaps <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13347-023-00627-6">artificial intelligence</a> and other <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s43586-022-00118-6">technologies</a> will help replace much animal experimentation. Maybe improvements in <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fsufs.2020.00128/full">plant-based</a> meat alternatives and <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/douglasyu/2023/01/18/eat-just-to-scale-up-cultured-meat-production-on-gaining-new-regulatory-approval-in-singapore/?sh=652a30af49d7">cell-cultured</a> meat will allow us to withdraw from the farming of sentient beings. We might then gain a more impartial ethical perspective on non-human animals. </p>
<p>In any case, Singer takes comfort from words attributed to the Indian revolutionary <a href="https://www.peta.org/features/gandhi/">Mahatma Gandhi</a> about genuine justice movements that have the courage to challenge entrenched interests: “First they ignore you. Then they laugh at you. Then they attack you. Then you win.” </p>
<p>If Singer is right, animal liberation may one day achieve the success of anti-slavery, anti-colonial, women’s and, increasingly, LGBTQI+ movements. </p>
<p>For those with an interest in culture, ethics and animals – and especially for those who have not read earlier editions of the book – Animal Liberation Now is essential reading.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/205830/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The author has previously co-authored a paper on One Health with Peter Singer.</span></em></p>First published in 1975, Animal Liberation opened our eyes to the exploitation of animals. At a time of ‘ag-gag’ laws and ‘skyscraper’ farms, a new edition assesses the state of animal rights today.Simon Coghlan, Senior Lecturer in Digital Ethics, Centre for AI and Digital Ethics, School of Computing and Information Systems, The University of MelbourneLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2054482023-05-15T18:21:52Z2023-05-15T18:21:52Z‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’ urges us to defend real animals<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/525988/original/file-20230512-32388-o4s9gt.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=9%2C13%2C2666%2C1698&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Baby Rocket Raccoon in Marvel Studios' 'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3.'</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Marvel Studios)</span></span></figcaption></figure><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100px; border: none; position: relative; z-index: 1;" allowtransparency="" allow="clipboard-read; clipboard-write" src="https://narrations.ad-auris.com/widget/the-conversation-canada/-guardians-of-the-galaxy-vol--3--urges-us-to-defend-real-animals" width="100%" height="400"></iframe>
<p>As <em>Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3</em> <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/guardians-galaxy-vol-3-box-office-opening-1235481443/">lights up the box office</a>, its glow is reaching animals who are rarely seen: those in laboratories. Through the powerful stories of the central character Rocket Raccoon, alongside Floor the rabbit, Teefs the walrus and Lylla the otter, we are urged to empathize with real animals. </p>
<p>The animal characters are, of course, digital fictional creations — no real animals were harmed. Yet, understandably, many viewers are having intense emotional responses to seeing the animals be held in cages and <a href="https://www.peta.org/blog/guardians-of-the-galaxy-vol-3/">mechanized contraptions</a> where they are subjected to bodily mutilation and psychological terror. </p>
<p>Major animal advocates <a href="https://www.vox.com/culture/2023/5/11/23719765/guardians-of-the-galaxy-rocket-raccoon-animal-rights-welfare-experimentation-disney-marvel">are heralding the film as revolutionary</a>. In PETA’s view, the film’s truth bombs give “a name, and <a href="https://www.peta.org/media/news-releases/james-gunn-nets-peta-award-for-spotlighting-animal-testing-cruelty-in-guardians/">a personality</a> [to] the millions of vulnerable animals being cycled through laboratories” everyday.</p>
<h2>From fiction to facts</h2>
<p>Animal suffering is heartbreaking wherever it occurs. Many people simply don’t know what takes place every day <a href="https://doi.org/10.3390%2Fani12060770">inside labs</a> and <a href="https://aldf.org/focus_area/farmed-animals/">on factory farms</a>. Legal exemptions to animal protection laws mean animals in labs are <a href="https://aldf.org/article/federal-laws-and-agencies-involved-with-animal-testing/">subjected to things that would be illegal</a> if done in a home. </p>
<p>Inspiring people to not only see, but also care about these animals, is a significant challenge. Advocates like Jo-Anne McArthur from We Animals, a media agency, <a href="https://weanimalsmedia.org/learning/what-is-animal-photojournalism/">use animal photojournalism</a> to “expose the experiences of animals who live amongst us, but who we fail to see” — or, more specifically, who are purposefully concealed. Public ignorance is by design. </p>
<p>So there is something particularly righteous about a massive cinematic franchise with guaranteed reach highlighting the plight of hidden animal victims. The next step is to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2022/dec/20/neuralink-animal-testing-musk-investigation">expand our understanding of animal abuse beyond fiction to facts</a>. </p>
<p>There’s a good chance viewers moved to tears by the anguish of Rocket, Lylla, Floor and Teefs use <a href="https://sentientmedia.org/animal-testing-cosmetics/">mascara or other cosmetics</a> tested on real animals who suffered just as much as the animals in the film do. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A 3D animated raccoon strapped into an experimental device with scientists in white lab coats looming above him." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/525752/original/file-20230511-43136-5ofdrb.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/525752/original/file-20230511-43136-5ofdrb.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=311&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/525752/original/file-20230511-43136-5ofdrb.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=311&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/525752/original/file-20230511-43136-5ofdrb.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=311&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/525752/original/file-20230511-43136-5ofdrb.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=390&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/525752/original/file-20230511-43136-5ofdrb.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=390&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/525752/original/file-20230511-43136-5ofdrb.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=390&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Rocket Raccoon being experimented on in ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.’</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Marvel Studios)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p><a href="https://www.collectivefashionjustice.org/wool">Many popular coats</a>, shoes, handbags and meals are made from animals who were never given names and saw no happy ending. Dogs are also <a href="https://www.humanesociety.org/resources/dogs-used-research-and-testing-faq#kind">used as test subjects</a> for various research purposes. </p>
<p>This is the very deliberate vanishing trick used by companies and industries whose business models perpetuate legal animal cruelty. Whether ordinary or luxurious, the end products are what people see — not the animals and their pain behind the scenes. </p>
<h2>A more humane future is possible</h2>
<p>The film urges not only empathy, but also compassion and solidarity within and across species. Thankfully, a more humane future is within our reach. There are meaningful actions we can take right now to help real animals. </p>
<p>Daily purchasing decisions are an opportunity to put ethical priorities into action. Consumers can support <a href="https://www.leapingbunny.org/shopping-guide">the thousands of cruelty-free brands</a> that have proven it is not only possible, but also preferable, to deliver quality products without animal testing. </p>
<p>With a little research and attentiveness, people can demonstrate their commitment to animals and urge companies that are lagging behind to change their ways. We can also promote changes in our workplaces. As major purchasers, organizations and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jafr.2022.100429">large employers</a> carry even more economic weight when they switch to more <a href="https://www.peta.org/living/personal-care-fashion/hotel-chains-offer-cruelty-free-products-toiletries/">ethical products</a>. </p>
<p>Ideally, people should be able to walk down any drugstore aisle or into every cosmetics store and know that not a single product was tested on gentle rabbits or mice. </p>
<h2>Alternatives to animal testing</h2>
<p>Governments <a href="https://www.humanesociety.org/resources/cosmetics-animal-testing-faq">around the world</a> — including Norway, India and Brazil — are restricting or completely eliminating cosmetics and toxicity testing on animals. The European Union’s ban came into effect more than a decade ago. In North America, only <a href="https://blog.humanesociety.org/2021/09/in-major-win-for-animals-mexico-bans-animal-testing-for-cosmetics.html">Mexico has banned animal testing for cosmetics</a>, but there are <a href="https://www.humanesociety.org/resources/timeline-cosmetics-testing-animals">U.S. states</a> with limitations or prohibitions. </p>
<p>The Canadian government introduced legislation that, if passed, will <a href="https://www.hsi.org/news-media/canadian-government-is-introducing-groundbreaking-legislation-that-will-ban-cosmetics-animal-testing-and-trade/">finally put an end to the testing of cosmetics on animals</a>. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A small white-and-black dog stands in front of a protest sign that reads 'We Don't Want Animal Tested Products in Canada!' " src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/525986/original/file-20230512-15-lluhk3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/525986/original/file-20230512-15-lluhk3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=404&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/525986/original/file-20230512-15-lluhk3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=404&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/525986/original/file-20230512-15-lluhk3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=404&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/525986/original/file-20230512-15-lluhk3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=508&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/525986/original/file-20230512-15-lluhk3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=508&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/525986/original/file-20230512-15-lluhk3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=508&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A dog stands in front of protest signs as animal lovers and their pets deliver petitions demanding a ban on animal-tested cosmetic products in Canada on Parliament Hill in 2018.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The question of animal testing for medical products is an important one. We have all benefited from medicine and drugs created with animal suffering. While we can’t change history, a growing number of scientists and thought leaders argue that animal-based testing models should be replaced. </p>
<p>For example, the Canadian Centre for Alternatives to Animal Methods at the University of Windsor notes that a staggering <a href="https://www.uwindsor.ca/ccaam/">95 per cent of drugs</a> deemed to be effective and safe after being tested on animals fail human clinical trials. </p>
<p>Executive director and founder Charu Chandrasekera is among those arguing that <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/radio/quirks/may-7-endangered-tiny-porpoise-mars-quakes-thermal-batteries-and-more-1.6443011/meet-the-canadian-researcher-determined-to-take-the-animals-out-of-lab-testing-1.6443917">a new paradigm is needed</a> — one where human biology is the gold standard for tests. In other words, whether motivated by an ethical commitment to animals or an interest in better science, animal testing should become a thing of the past. </p>
<h2>Compassionate communities</h2>
<p>It is a form of poetic justice that a talking raccoon is helping audiences empathize with vulnerable animals, given the species’ status in mainstream North American culture. </p>
<p>While many people share my <a href="https://toronto.ctvnews.ca/torontonians-try-rescuing-baby-raccoons-stuck-in-tree-because-wildlife-groups-are-too-busy-residents-say-1.6393456">admiration</a> for these <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CpoqOnlyVEU">smart, loyal and resilient animals</a> — or at least <a href="https://thefurbearers.com/blog/why-coexisting-with-raccoons-matters/">accept the principles of tolerance and coexistence</a> — others have more mixed feelings. </p>
<p>If Rocket’s voice and story can also help people <a href="https://www.nationalobserver.com/2023/05/05/opinion/animals-deserve-far-better-death-shovel">respect real raccoons </a> who are simply trying to survive and raise their own babies in an increasingly hazardous world, or being <a href="https://montreal.ctvnews.ca/opinion-a-call-to-end-fur-farms-and-stop-cruelty-to-foxes-minks-and-other-animals-1.5800981">held in cages</a> and killed for their fur, all the better. </p>
<p>Animals’ suffering is real and it’s up to our species to flip the script. As <em>Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’s</em> writer and director <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/movies/2023/05/08/guardians-of-the-galaxy-vol-3-animal-cruelty-confronted/70195232007/">James Gunn said</a>, “compassion is the answer.” Because the truth is this: our choices are both the problem and the solution.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/205448/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Kendra Coulter is a fellow of the Oxford Centre for Animal Ethics and serves on the Canadian Violence Link Coalition's Strategic Planning Committee. She receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.</span></em></p>People moved by the plight of the animals in ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’ should channel their emotions into meaningful action for real animals.Kendra Coulter, Professor, Management and Organizational Studies, Huron University College, Western UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2029392023-03-30T20:22:58Z2023-03-30T20:22:58ZA horse died on the set of The Rings of Power: more needs to be done to ensure the welfare of horses used in entertainment<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/518339/original/file-20230330-24-xyrjtj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C1599%2C893&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Amazon</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The recent <a href="https://variety.com/2023/tv/news/rings-of-power-horse-death-lord-of-the-rings-peta-1235564884/">death of a horse</a> on the set of Amazon’s <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7631058/">The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power</a> is the latest incident raising questions about how humans use horses for entertainment and sport.</p>
<p>While a statement from producers said the horses’s cardiac arrest occurred before the day’s filming began, animal rights activists PETA used the death to call on all screen producers to replace on-set horses with CGI and mechanical rig alternatives.</p>
<p>The incident feeds into growing public concern about horse welfare on film and TV sets, at the track and in equestrian sports. </p>
<p>But improving horse welfare is about more than just reputation repair – too often it’s about survival for horses and humans. </p>
<h2>Horse welfare in film and TV</h2>
<p>The riding of a horse over a cliff to its death for the movie Jesse James (1939) led to the establishment of <a href="https://humanehollywood.org/about-us/">American Humane</a>, which now oversees around 100,000 animals on more than 1,000 productions each year.</p>
<p>While things have improved since the early days of film and television, deaths and mistreatment of horses still occur.</p>
<p>In 1987, on the set of <a href="https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/118307194">The Man From Snowy River II</a>, a seriously injured horse was killed using the blunt end of an axe.</p>
<p>More recently, the high-profile series <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/the-real-story-behind-hbos-cancellation-of-luck">Luck</a>, starring Dustin Hoffman, was cancelled following the deaths of three horses.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/3y_7obhMAwE?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
</figure>
<h2>The good and bad of unprecedented global exposure</h2>
<p>In 2021, the Tokyo Olympics beamed to a global audience the excessive <a href="https://7news.com.au/sport/olympics/peta-calls-for-abusive-equestrian-events-to-be-axed-from-olympics-c-3703388">whipping and punching</a> of modern pentathlon horse Saint Boy and show jumper Kilkenny’s <a href="https://www.chronofhorse.com/article/kilkenny-suffers-nosebleed-during-olympic-individual-final">spectacular nosebleed</a> during the controversial show jumping program.</p>
<p>While the bleed must have been obvious, officials did not intervene to stop the ride.</p>
<p>Confronting images, and the perceived failure of organisers to protect the horses involved, brought into clear and global focus the indisputable welfare issues faced by horses competing at the elite level.</p>
<p>The global outcry led to <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-9892093/Name-price-Kaley-Cuoco-offers-buy-horse-cruelly-punched-Olympics.html">actress Kaley Cuoco offering to buy Saint Boy</a> and the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2021/nov/02/modern-pentathlon-votes-to-ditch-horse-riding-after-tokyo-olympic-turmoil">withdrawal of the equestrian phase from modern pentathlon</a>.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/the-rings-of-power-every-adaptation-is-re-interpretation-so-ignore-the-haters-190481">'The Rings of Power': Every adaptation is re-interpretation so ignore the haters</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Risk to humans and horses</h2>
<p>Horse welfare does not just impact animals.</p>
<p>Since the 1840s, 873 jockeys are known to have <a href="https://www.thoroughbredracing.com/articles/2062/facts-and-figures-jockey-fatalities-australia/">died in race falls</a> in Australia.</p>
<p>Internationally, the sport of eventing (where competitors complete three phases: dressage, show jumping and cross-country) reported 38 rider and 65 horse fatalities during or after competition between 2007-15. </p>
<p>Riding horses is considered one of the most <a href="https://beva.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/evj.13934">dangerous of all sporting pursuits</a>, and the deaths of riders and jockeys, usually from falls, are common. </p>
<p>Public concern about risk to horses and humans through horse racing and equestrian sports, as well as screen production, also <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/12/15/1987">threaten these industries’ social licence</a>.</p>
<h2>Better horse welfare is related to better rider safety</h2>
<p>Our research offers hope for the horse industry and for those passionate about riding horses.</p>
<p>Last year, we <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0168159121003269">published a paper</a> demonstrating the link between horse welfare and rider safety. We asked riders how they cared for their horses and how their horses behaved when ridden – for example, we wanted to know how often horses were bucking or rearing. </p>
<p>From this information, we calculated a relative welfare score for each horse. We also asked riders about their accidents and injuries.</p>
<p>After analysing the data from over 400 riders, we found the higher the horse welfare score, the fewer accidents and injuries a rider reported.</p>
<p>In a <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/08927936.2023.2176589">subsequent study</a>, we found horses with better welfare scores are more enjoyable to ride, most likely because they perform better and riders feel more in control, creating a win-win for horses and riders.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/people-hate-cruelty-to-animals-so-why-do-we-do-it-127448">People hate cruelty to animals, so why do we do it?</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Good horse welfare means more than good health</h2>
<p>Often good welfare is thought of in terms of an animal being healthy.</p>
<p>While this is part of good welfare, good health alone is not enough – especially for a horse competing at the elite level or taking part in a film.</p>
<p>Horses are <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0168159117300710?casa_token=5E77h_TYKGEAAAAA:EUBGz7BTnACvpvB_3iYM-urXpBxJbS95G0-05yMRJEbMTg_SEeb_VnSoVgn35su8_aNOZEpSqctL">neophobes</a> – this means they find new things frightening – so most horses are likely to find a movie set or travelling to a new location stressful. The most up-to-date <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/10/10/1870/htm">understanding of welfare</a> tells us that stress and poor mental health means poor animal welfare.</p>
<p>When a horse is stressed or in pain they <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0168159117300692">behave in a very predictable way</a> – they run away, panic, kick out or buck and rear.</p>
<p>Yet, anecdotally and in the media, people seeing a horse behaving in this way often claim the horse is crazy, unpredictable or just plain mean.</p>
<p>More likely, an “unpredictable” horse is suffering from poor welfare.</p>
<p>As part of our research program, we have developed a <a href="https://hub.rspca.org.au/attachments/88">new framework</a> to help horse owners identify aspects of their care and training that diminish horse welfare.</p>
<p>This information can be used to make modifications to improve horse welfare, and, importantly, can be applied to horses in any equine sector, including racing, sport and film and television.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/518372/original/file-20230330-22-9knsyk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/518372/original/file-20230330-22-9knsyk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/518372/original/file-20230330-22-9knsyk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=299&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/518372/original/file-20230330-22-9knsyk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=299&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/518372/original/file-20230330-22-9knsyk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=299&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/518372/original/file-20230330-22-9knsyk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=375&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/518372/original/file-20230330-22-9knsyk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=375&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/518372/original/file-20230330-22-9knsyk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=375&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Horses played a pivotal role in the narrative of Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">IMBD</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Investing in the future of horses in entertainment and sport</h2>
<p>Although a veterinarian assessed the recent horse death on the set of The Rings of Power as “unlikely to be associated with the horse’s participation in the film”, more can be done to protect horses and the industry.</p>
<p>In Australia, <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/11/7/1986">no specific standard exists for the use of animals</a> in filmed media, and each state and territory has differing risk management guidelines. </p>
<p>An opportunity now exists for the industry to set a new standard for horse care and training.</p>
<p>An easily executable first step for the industry could be to insist a scientifically trained and credentialed equine behaviour expert be involved in the recruitment and supervision of horse actors and their trainers at all stages of production.</p>
<p>This would ensure horse actors are appropriately trained to be on set and that horses are trained using the most up-to-date ethical methods.</p>
<p>Horse behaviour experts could also help in scene design to minimise horses’ exposure to stressful situations and identify tasks that are incompatible with good horse welfare.</p>
<p>If these suggestions were to be adopted, the film and television industry would be setting the benchmark for horse welfare – and pressure other horse industries to follow suit.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/202939/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Karen Luke runs equine welfare and safety consultancy, Just Equestrian Solutions.</span></em></p>The recent death of a horse on the set of the Amazon series is the latest incident raising questions about how humans use horses for entertainment and sport.Karen Luke, PhD candidate, CQUniversity AustraliaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1881292022-12-14T21:15:00Z2022-12-14T21:15:00ZHow Indigenous philosophies can improve the way Canadians treat animals<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/500787/original/file-20221213-18915-drdove.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=27%2C36%2C5979%2C3953&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">An orangutan and a human share a moment and touch hands. Indigenous philosophies regard animals as human’s close relations deserving of respect, kindness and gratitude from birth to the end of their lives.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Indigenous perspectives view the relationship between humans and animals much differently than modern western societies. Weaving Indigenous perspectives into how Canadians regard animals could greatly benefit the well-being of animals on several fronts, including agriculture, research, and those kept as pets. </p>
<p>Teaching such views could also transform university curricula, especially in animal science and biomedical programs, as well as climate change activism and sustainability as we pursue reconciliation.</p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.uoguelph.ca/ccsaw/">Campbell Centre for the Study of Animal Welfare (CCSAW)</a> is a group of faculty, students and staff at the University of Guelph promoting the welfare of animals through research, education and outreach. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLf1GMQ3ilgOzEAtLwIf3Wodkamlxp35Na">The CCSAW hosted a speaker series this past spring with a Canadian senator, academics, Indigenous thought leaders and an elder</a> to discuss Indigenous perspectives towards animal use in Canada. In particular, they spoke about how <a href="https://doi.org/10.3390/soc4040672">animal species are regarded as human’s close relations</a> deserving of respect, kindness and gratitude from birth to the end of their lives.</p>
<h2>Captive wild animals</h2>
<p>How can viewing animals as close relations have an impact on current animal use in Canada? One way — currently being considered by the Senate — is by improving the lives of captive wild animals. </p>
<p>First introduced in 2020 by Sen. Murray Sinclair (Anishinaabe and member of Peguis First Nation) and reintroduced in March 2022 by Sen. Marty Klyne (Cree Métis), the <a href="https://www.worldanimalprotection.ca/news/how-jane-goodall-act-will-change-lives-wild-animals-canada#:%7E:text=The%20Jane%20Goodall%20Act%20will%20protect%20the%20animals%20from%20being,the%20government%20or%20anyone%20else">Jane Goodall Act</a> hopes to provide some of the strongest legislation for wild animal protection in the world. </p>
<p>Supported by <a href="https://coastalfirstnations.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/iPolitics-Article-Coastal-First-Nations.pdf">Coastal First Nations</a>, <a href="https://www.parl.ca/DocumentViewer/en/44-1/bill/S-241/first-reading">the act aims to deliver new legal protections</a> for captive big cats, bears, wolves, seals, sea lions, walruses, certain monkeys and reptiles. These protections include ending the commercial trade, breeding and acquisition of these species. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="An older woman wearing a green button-down shirt sits in a beige armchair" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/499879/original/file-20221208-19550-p3m533.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/499879/original/file-20221208-19550-p3m533.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=420&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/499879/original/file-20221208-19550-p3m533.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=420&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/499879/original/file-20221208-19550-p3m533.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=420&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/499879/original/file-20221208-19550-p3m533.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=527&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/499879/original/file-20221208-19550-p3m533.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=527&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/499879/original/file-20221208-19550-p3m533.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=527&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The Jane Goodall Act is named after renowned English primatologist Jane Goodall.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>It will also work to phase out elephant captivity and <a href="https://www.worldanimalprotection.ca/sites/default/files/media/ca_-_en_files/barren_cages_tcm22-8303.pdf">roadside zoos</a> in Canada. </p>
<p>A driving factor in support for the act is the Indigenous consideration and recognition that animals and humans, and the environment surrounding us, are interconnected. </p>
<p>Currently in its second reading with the Senate, this highly anticipated legislation has the potential to make huge strides toward the protection of wild animals by advocating for their welfare through a lens of mutual respect.</p>
<h2>‘All my relations’</h2>
<p>Where do these values come from? </p>
<p>During the CCSAW event, <a href="https://ses.uoguelph.ca/people/jesse-n-popp">Jesse Popp</a>, Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Environmental Science from Wiikwemkoong Unceded Territory, described the concept of “<a href="https://www.learnalberta.ca/content/aswt/well_being/documents/all_my_relations.pdf">all my relations</a>.” This <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ezaf6aTPCSo&t=181s&ab_channel=CampbellCentrefortheStudyofAnimalWelfare">cross-cultural Indigenous philosophy</a> is based on the foundation of respect for all living things through co-existence and inherent responsibilities and obligations for all ways of knowing.</p>
<p>There is a disconnect between the hierarchical top-down relationships between humans and animals in modern settler societies and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/07256868.2019.1704229">Indigenous perspectives that incorporate a holistic and circular interconnection</a> among humans, animals and the environment.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A dairy cow stands in a field" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/500796/original/file-20221213-20493-c6fji2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/500796/original/file-20221213-20493-c6fji2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/500796/original/file-20221213-20493-c6fji2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/500796/original/file-20221213-20493-c6fji2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/500796/original/file-20221213-20493-c6fji2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/500796/original/file-20221213-20493-c6fji2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/500796/original/file-20221213-20493-c6fji2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A dairy cow stands in a farm pasture in Surrey, B.C. Indigenous values like respect and responsibility could better protect the autonomy of livestock animals.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The view that humans are separate from nature went against Popp’s desire to work with animals, prompting her to incorporate Indigenous views into western ways of knowing to <a href="https://www.wiselab.ca/research-home">advance environmental and ecological science</a> that contributes to animal conservation, sustainability and the movement of the natural sciences toward reconciliation.</p>
<p>Maintaining an “all my relations” perspective, many Indigenous cultures also have strong family ties to animals. For Elder <a href="https://www.queensu.ca/indigenous/faces-spaces-and-places/elder-profiles">Wendy Phillips</a> — Bald Eagle Clan, Potawatomi and Ojibwa, and member of Wasauksing First Nation — <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ehwX3oaCAjM&ab_channel=CampbellCentrefortheStudyofAnimalWelfare">ceremony and knowledge translation from one generation to the next</a> are key to her practice.</p>
<p>Within the clan system, <a href="https://www.governancevote.ca/traditional-governance/">animal ties provide clan members with roles</a> within the community. For the Bald Eagle Clan, this is a role of leadership and teaching. Carried over generations, these teachings allow the continuation of ceremonial practice through sustainable management and companionship.</p>
<h2>Mutual respect and reciprocity</h2>
<p>But does this go far enough? In terms of animals raised for agricultural purposes, Indigenous philosophies of respect, responsibility and reciprocity are all but lost in modern practices. </p>
<p>Agriculture animals experience a lack of agency toward living a natural life by being <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-3650-6">forced to live in unnatural social groups</a> and often without the ability to even turn around, let alone fly or run. They also <a href="https://doi.org/10.2527/jas2001.79E-SupplE201x">suffer during transport between farms and slaughterhouses</a> and experience shortened lifespans.</p>
<p>During her CCSAW talk, <a href="https://www.dal.ca/faculty/arts/sociology-social-anthropology/faculty-staff/our-faculty/margaret-robinson.html">Margaret Robinson</a>, Canada Research Chair in Reconciliation, Gender, and Identity who is Mi’kmaq from Lennox Island First Nation, described how <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=svemZoAdhus&t=1s&ab_channel=CampbellCentrefortheStudyofAnimalWelfare">modern intensive agricultural practices go against key Mi’kmaq values</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A chicken drinks water from a drinking system while dozens of chickens sit or stand in the background" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/499881/original/file-20221208-13311-dhh1sz.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/499881/original/file-20221208-13311-dhh1sz.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=413&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/499881/original/file-20221208-13311-dhh1sz.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=413&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/499881/original/file-20221208-13311-dhh1sz.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=413&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/499881/original/file-20221208-13311-dhh1sz.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=519&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/499881/original/file-20221208-13311-dhh1sz.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=519&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/499881/original/file-20221208-13311-dhh1sz.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=519&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A chicken drinks water in a poultry barn in Abbotsford, B.C. in November 2022.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The <a href="https://www.benoitfirstnation.ca/bfn_Ethics_Principles.html">Mi’kmaq value of non-interference</a> directly contradicts modern agriculture by not respecting the autonomy of the animal. Animals are forcibly caged and their bodies are altered. </p>
<p>The Mi’kmaq value of respect for mothers as matriarchal and community leaders is also violated for many agriculture species as pregnancy is commonly forced and <a href="https://www.journalofdairyscience.org/article/S0022-0302(15)00374-4/fulltext">mothers are separated from their young offspring</a>, often very shortly after birth.</p>
<h2>Reconnecting with animals</h2>
<p>Robinson also spoke of the disconnect between the food we buy from the grocery store and the Mi’kmaq tradition of giving gratitude at the end of an animal’s life. Incorporating these values into current agricultural practices could better protect an animal’s autonomy through respect and responsibility.</p>
<p>Ethnobotanist Robin Wall Kimmerer also discusses this disconnect in our food systems in her book <a href="https://milkweed.org/book/braiding-sweetgrass"><em>Braiding Sweetgrass</em></a>. She writes:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>“Something is broken when the food comes on a Styrofoam tray wrapped in slippery plastic, a carcass of a being whose only chance at life was a cramped cage. That is not a gift of life; it is a theft.”</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Indigenous views and ways of knowing should be applied to the way we keep, use and kill animals and in how we teach future generations about animal use and their care, particularly within animal agriculture. Animal welfare researchers are on the right track as they strive to understand our impact and treatment of the animals we use and live with. </p>
<p>Instead of separating ourselves from the world around us, we should remind ourselves that we are intertwined with animals, and therefore should uphold respect and responsibility for them. As Kimmerer says: “Sustain the ones who sustain you and the Earth will last forever.”</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/188129/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Courtney Graham received a small stipend from the University of Guelph's Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Enhancement Fund for her time to write this piece. </span></em></p>Indigenous views and ways of knowing should be applied to the way we keep, use, and kill animals, and in how we teach future generations about animal use and their care.Courtney Graham, PhD Candidate in Epidemiology and Animal Behaviour, University of GuelphLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1908762022-11-23T13:19:17Z2022-11-23T13:19:17ZWhat is ethical animal research? A scientist and veterinarian explain<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/493593/original/file-20221104-24-tgu2zn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=23%2C17%2C1972%2C1478&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Animal research's benefits are clear -- but public awareness of what it involves is not.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/woman-wearing-boiler-suit-and-mask-standing-in-room-royalty-free-image/200399533-001?phrase=%22woman%20wearing%20boiler%20suit%22&adppopup=true">Javier Pierini/DigitalVision via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>A <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/switzerland-vote-becoming-first-nation-ban-animal-testing-2022-02-13/">proposed measure</a> in Switzerland would have made that country the first to ban medical and scientific experimentation on animals. It failed to pass in February 2022, with only 21% of voters in favor. Yet globally, <a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/8699?s=1&r=8">including in the United States</a>, there is concern about whether animal research is ethical.</p>
<p>We are scientists who support ethical animal research that reduces suffering of humans and animals alike by helping researchers <a href="https://fbresearch.org/medical-advances/animal-research-achievements/">discover the causes of disease and how to treat it</a>. One of us is a <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=JxIoO1sAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao">neuroscientist</a> who studies <a href="https://www.apa.org/ptsd-guideline/treatments/prolonged-exposure">behavioral treatments</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41398-022-01952-8">medications</a> for people with post-traumatic stress disorder – treatments made possible by <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016%2Fj.nlm.2013.11.014">research with dogs and rodents</a>. The other is a <a href="https://www.enprc.emory.edu/research/divisions/animal_resources/Stammen_Rachelle_L.html">veterinarian</a> who cares for laboratory animals in research studies and trains researchers on how to interact with their subjects. </p>
<p>We both place high importance on ensuring that animal research is conducted ethically and humanely. But what counts as “ethical” animal research in the first place?</p>
<h2>The 4 R’s of animal research</h2>
<p>There is no single standard definition of ethical animal research. However, it broadly means the humane care of research animals – from their acquisition and housing to the study experience itself.</p>
<p>Federal research agencies follow <a href="https://olaw.nih.gov/policies-laws/gov-principles.htm">guiding principles</a> in evaluating the use and care of animals in research. One is that the research must increase knowledge and, either directly or indirectly, have the potential to benefit the health and welfare of humans and other animals. Another is that only the minimum number of animals required to obtain valid results should be included. Researchers must use procedures that minimize pain and distress and maximize the animals’ welfare. They are also asked to consider whether they could use nonanimal alternatives instead, such as mathematical models or computer simulations.</p>
<p>These principles are summarized by the “<a href="https://flexiblelearning.auckland.ac.nz/medsci303/15/1/1/files/overview_of_3rs.pdf">3 R’s” of animal research</a>: reduction, refinement and replacement. The 3 R’s encourage scientists to develop new techniques that allow them to replace animals with appropriate alternatives. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Two men bend over a microscope in an office with big glass walls overlooking water." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/493596/original/file-20221104-11-6zdg0h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/493596/original/file-20221104-11-6zdg0h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/493596/original/file-20221104-11-6zdg0h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/493596/original/file-20221104-11-6zdg0h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/493596/original/file-20221104-11-6zdg0h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/493596/original/file-20221104-11-6zdg0h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/493596/original/file-20221104-11-6zdg0h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">L'Oreal Brazil CEO Marcelo Zimet looks at microscope samples at the Episkin laboratory, which has developed alternative methods to animal testing.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/loreal-brazil-ceo-marcelo-zimet-looks-on-a-microscope-news-photo/1240792707?phrase=%22animal%20testing%22%20brazil&adppopup=true">Mauro Pimentel/AFP via Getty Images</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Since these guidelines were first disseminated in the <a href="https://caat.jhsph.edu/principles/the-principles-of-humane-experimental-technique">early 1960s</a>, new tools have helped to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0101638">significantly decrease</a> animal research. In fact, since 1985, the number of animals in research has been <a href="https://speakingofresearch.com/facts/statistics/">reduced by half</a>.</p>
<p>A fourth “R” was formalized in the late 1990s: <a href="https://doi.org/10.4103%2F2229-5070.113884">rehabilitation</a>, referring to care for animals after their role in research is complete.</p>
<p>These guidelines are designed to ensure that researchers and regulators consider the costs and benefits of using animals in research, focused on the good it could provide for many more animals and humans. These guidelines also ensure protection of a group – animals – that cannot consent to its own participation in research. There are a number of human groups that cannot consent to research, either, such as infants and young children, but for whom regulated research is still permitted, so that they can <a href="https://philarchive.org/archive/MARART-26">gain the potential benefits from discoveries</a>. </p>
<h2>Enforcing ethics</h2>
<p>Specific <a href="https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/research/resources/offices-policies/animal-care/">guidelines</a> for ethical animal research are typically established by <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK24650/">national governments</a>. <a href="https://www.aaalac.org">Independent organizations</a> also provide research standards.</p>
<p>In the U.S., the <a href="http://www.nal.usda.gov/animal-health-and-welfare/animal-welfare-act">Animal Welfare Act</a> protects all warmblooded animals except rats, mice and birds bred for research. Rats, mice and birds are protected – along with fish, reptiles and all other vertebrates – by the <a href="https://olaw.nih.gov/policies-laws/phs-policy.htm">Public Health Service Policy</a>. </p>
<p>Each institution that conducts animal research has an entity called the <a href="https://olaw.nih.gov/resources/tutorial/iacuc.htm">Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee</a>, or IACUC. The IACUC is composed of veterinarians, scientists, nonscientists and members of the public. Before researchers are allowed to start their studies, the IACUC reviews their research protocols to ensure they follow national standards. The IACUC also oversees studies after approval to continually enforce ethical research practices and animal care. It, along with the <a href="https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/ourfocus/animalwelfare/SA_AWA/CT_AWA_Inspections">U.S. Department of Agriculture</a>, accreditation agencies and funding entities, may conduct unannounced inspections.</p>
<p>Laboratories that violate standards may be fined, forced to stop their studies, excluded from research funding, ordered to cease and desist, and have their licenses suspended or revoked. Allegations of misconduct are also investigated by the <a href="https://olaw.nih.gov/home.htm">National Institutes of Health’s Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare</a>.</p>
<p>Above and beyond the basic national standards for humane treatment, research institutions across 47 countries, including the U.S., may seek voluntary accreditation by a nonprofit called the <a href="https://ar.aaalac.org/about/index.cfm">Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care</a>, or AAALAC International. <a href="https://www.unthsc.edu/research/wp-content/uploads/sites/21/Benefits-of-AAALAC-Accreditation.pdf">AAALAC accreditation</a> recognizes the maintenance of high standards of animal care and use. It can also help recruit scientists to accredited institutes, promote scientific validity and demonstrate accountability.</p>
<h2>Principles in practice</h2>
<p>So what impact do these guidelines actually have on research and animals?</p>
<p>First, they have made sure that scientists create protocols that describe the purpose of their research and why animals are necessary to answer a meaningful question that could benefit health or medical care. While computer models and cell cultures can play an important role in some research, others studies, like those on <a href="https://theconversation.com/expanding-alzheimers-research-with-primates-could-overcome-the-problem-with-treatments-that-show-promise-in-mice-but-dont-help-humans-188207">Alzheimer’s disease</a>, need animal models to better capture the complexities of living organisms. The protocol must outline how animals will be housed and cared for, and who will care for and work with the animals, to ensure that they are trained to treat animals humanely. </p>
<p>During continual study oversight, inspectors look for whether animals are provided with housing specifically designed for their species’ behavioral and social needs. For example, mice are given nesting materials to create a <a href="https://med.stanford.edu/animalresearch/animal-care-and-facilities/animal-well-being-at-stanford.html">comfortable environment for living and raising pups</a>. When animals don’t have environmental stimulation, it can alter their <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/S0166-2236(00)01718-5">brain function</a> – harming not only the animal, but also the science.</p>
<p>Monitoring agencies also consider animals’ distress. If something is known to be painful in humans, it is assumed to be painful in animals as well. Sedation, painkillers or anesthesia must be provided when animals experience more than momentary or slight pain.</p>
<p>For some research that requires assessing organs and tissues, such as the study of heart disease, animals must be euthanized. Veterinary professionals perform or oversee the euthanasia process. Methods must be in compliance with guidelines from the <a href="https://www.avma.org/resources-tools/avma-policies/avma-guidelines-euthanasia-animals">American Veterinary Medical Association</a>, which requires rapid and painless techniques in distress-free conditions. </p>
<p>Fortunately, following their time in research, some animals can be <a href="https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/research/resources/offices-policies/animal-care/">adopted</a> into <a href="https://homesforanimalheroes.com/">loving homes</a>, and others may be retired to <a href="https://chimphaven.org">havens and sanctuaries</a> equipped with veterinary care, nutrition and enrichment.</p>
<h2>Continuing the conversation</h2>
<p>Animal research benefits both humans and animals. Numerous medical advances exist because they were initially studied in animals – from treatments for <a href="https://www.understandinganimalresearch.org.uk/application/files/7016/4380/3819/medical-advances-and.pdf">cancer</a> and <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1111/j.1749-6632.1985.tb37592.x">neurodegenerative disease</a> to new techniques for surgery, <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK218274/">organ transplants</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/ilar.49.1.1">noninvasive imaging and diagnostics</a>. </p>
<p>These advances also benefit zoo animals, wildlife and endangered species. Animal research has allowed for the <a href="https://doi.org/10.3201%2Feid1612.100923">eradication of certain diseases in cattle</a>, for example, leading not only to reduced farm cattle deaths and human famine, but also to improved health for wild cattle. <a href="https://nap.nationalacademies.org/read/10089/chapter/7">Health care advances for pets</a> – including <a href="https://doi.org/10.1158/1535-7163.MCT-16-0637">cancer treatments</a>, effective vaccines, nutritional prescription diets and flea and tick treatments – are also available thanks to animal research.</p>
<p>People who work with animals in research have attempted to <a href="https://www.bradglobal.org/">increase public awareness</a> of <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41593-022-01039-z">research standards and the positive effects</a> animal research has had on daily life. However, some have faced harassment and violence from <a href="http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090915174319.htm">anti-animal research activists</a>. Some of our own colleagues have received death threats.</p>
<p>Those who work in animal research share a deep appreciation for the creatures who make this work possible. For future strides in biomedical care to be possible, we believe that research using animals must be protected, and that animal health and safety must always remain the top priority.</p>
<p><em>Editor’s note: One photo depicting a species that is highly restricted for use in biomedical research has been removed from the article.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/190876/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Lana Ruvolo Grasser, Ph.D. is the 2022-2023 American College of Neuropsychopharmacology, Americans for Medical Progress Biomedical Research Awareness Day Fellow. She has previously received funding from the National Institute of Mental Health, Blue Cross Blue Shield Foundation of Michigan, and Wayne State University; none of which has supported the work described herein. She is a member of the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies, International Society for Developmental Psychobiology, and Michigan Society for Neuroscience. Dr. Grasser contributed to this article in her personal capacity. The views expressed are her own and do not necessarily represent the views of the National Institutes of Health or the United States Government. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Rachelle Stammen works as a Clinical Veterinarian at the Emory National Primate Research Center. She is a member of the American Veterinary Medical Association, American Association of Laboratory Animal Science, Association of Primate Veterinarians, and a Diplomate of the American College of Laboratory Animal Medicine. This work is not affiliated with or reflect the opinions of Emory University or Emory National Primate Research Center. </span></em></p>Guidelines and regulations weigh the medical and health benefits of animal research with researchers’ ability to ensure humane care of their subjects from start to finish.Lana Ruvolo Grasser, Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Neuroscience, National Institutes of HealthRachelle Stammen, Clinical Veterinarian, Emory National Primate Research Center, Emory UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1886832022-08-28T12:33:39Z2022-08-28T12:33:39ZTalking things out: How institutional transparency could improve animal research<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/481161/original/file-20220825-22-iwk5fr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C4000%2C2670&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Research using animals must be more transparent regarding how animals are used and treated.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Around <a href="https://ccac.ca/en/facts-and-legislation/animal-data/annual-animal-data-reports.html">five million animals are used annually</a> for scientific or educational purposes in Canada. The use of animals in general, especially for research, can be a divisive issue. </p>
<p>Recently, there have been high-profile instances of <a href="https://www.ctvnews.ca/world/about-4-000-beagles-destined-for-drug-experiments-finding-new-homes-1.6027105">public outcry</a> and groups <a href="https://sentientmedia.org/how-animal-testing-is-holding-back-medical-progress/">questioning the benefits</a> and <a href="https://www.animalalliance.ca/canadian-council-on-animal-care/">oversight of animal research</a>. This could lead to total or partial abolition of animal research and its life-saving applications. While <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41576-022-00466-9">non-animal alternatives</a> continue to replace live animals, animal research will still be necessary to achieve scientific and medical advances. </p>
<h2>The animals’ experience</h2>
<p>Negative public perception of animal research can be partly explained by animal-rights groups who forward the message — <a href="https://speakingofresearch.com/2017/09/07/say-no-to-the-harassment-of-christine-lattin-by-peta-activists/">sometimes quite aggressively</a> — that all animal use should be stopped. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/481170/original/file-20220825-723-c898zz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="a dog stands in front of a protest sign reading WE DON'T WANT ANIMAL TESTED COSMETICS IN CANADA" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/481170/original/file-20220825-723-c898zz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/481170/original/file-20220825-723-c898zz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=404&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/481170/original/file-20220825-723-c898zz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=404&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/481170/original/file-20220825-723-c898zz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=404&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/481170/original/file-20220825-723-c898zz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=508&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/481170/original/file-20220825-723-c898zz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=508&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/481170/original/file-20220825-723-c898zz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=508&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Luna the dog stands in front of signs as animal lovers and their pets deliver petitions demanding a ban on animal tested cosmetic products on Parliament Hill.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>While these groups often have valid concerns regarding the lack of information about lived experiences of these animals, it does not change how animal research has played an essential role in improving the health of humans and animals alike.</p>
<p>Animal rights activists are vocal about the experiences of research animals, while institutions where animal research is conducted are often secretive about how animals are cared for and what research they participate in. This creates a one-sided narrative that resonates with the public, as most people do not condone animal suffering. </p>
<p>Unfamiliarity with animal research, combined with this narrative, can cause moral conflict. My research examines the role of institutional transparency in the public’s understanding of, and assumed permission, for the use of animals in scientific research.</p>
<h2>Freedom to engage</h2>
<p>For activities to be conducted in society, especially contentious ones like animal research, a type of permission by the general public is needed. This is referred to as “<a href="https://ethics.org.au/ethics-explainer-social-license-to-operate/">social licence</a>.” A social licence provides freedom for a profession to perform its tasks with society’s acknowledgement that it does not understand the profession well enough to regulate it directly, but at the same time, places trust in the sector to self-regulate in ways that follow societal values. </p>
<p>In most developed countries, research at universities is publicly funded and the knowledge it provides is for public benefit. As such, institutions should engage with the public continually to ensure current research practices reflect the evolving values of the community they represent. Without it, certain activities become taboo and can be outright banned.</p>
<p>Scientists cannot just conduct any research they want using animals. In Canada, a protocol describing the intended use of animals, as well as the potential benefits of the experiments, needs to be approved by an <a href="https://ccac.ca/Documents/Assessment/The_Animal_Care_Committee_and_the_Role_of_Its_Members.pdf">animal care committee</a> at each institution. This is mandated by the <a href="http://ccac.ca">Canadian Council on Animal Care</a>, and must be approved for institutions to <a href="https://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/063.nsf/eng/h_56B87BE5.html">receive public funding to conduct animal research</a>. </p>
<p>An animal care committee must involve, at minimum, a veterinarian, a scientist conducting research with animals, and at least one member of the public not affiliated with the institution. The committees often include additional perspectives as well. While this process is not without its flaws, it tries to address the concerns about the experiments that are raised by the committee members.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, the public is not usually aware of this process, so the discussions and decisions made by these committees, even though they involve a member of the public, are not enough to maintain social licence. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/481171/original/file-20220825-18-c898zz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="a person in a white lab coat injects a yellow liquid into a rat" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/481171/original/file-20220825-18-c898zz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/481171/original/file-20220825-18-c898zz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=397&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/481171/original/file-20220825-18-c898zz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=397&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/481171/original/file-20220825-18-c898zz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=397&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/481171/original/file-20220825-18-c898zz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=499&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/481171/original/file-20220825-18-c898zz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=499&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/481171/original/file-20220825-18-c898zz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=499&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">In Canada, animal research requires the approval of an animal care committee.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Defining transparency</h2>
<p>To maintain social licence, meaningful dialogue involving people of diverse backgrounds and opinions is required. For this to happen, any interested member of the public must have access to basic information about animal research. </p>
<p>This is currently challenging, as broad public input is not generally sought during the process of deciding how animals will be used for research. Institutions can encourage meaningful public dialogue by being transparent about their experiments and policies involving animals. </p>
<p>However, transparency must first be defined and agreed to by all stakeholders at an institution. My studies with <a href="https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0254279">research animal facility managers</a> and <a href="http://hdl.handle.net/2429/82324">attending veterinarians</a> showed interpretations of institutional transparency varied within and between Canadian universities. </p>
<p>Some would have liked their institution to view transparency as communicating information for the sake of openness, while others described transparency as a means to educate or manipulate public opinion in support of animal research. Some viewed transparency negatively because they fear it could foster opposition to animal research. Sustained communication will be necessary to build a consensus on how to pursue transparency in a sincere and respectful manner.</p>
<p>In addition to internal discussions within an institution, external factors could greatly help achieve transparency. These could include specific requirements from national <a href="https://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/063.nsf/eng/h_A0A2F2CB.html">granting agencies</a> or some form of transparency agreement by individual institutions, as is <a href="https://concordatopenness.org.uk/">currently present in the United Kingdom</a> and throughout <a href="https://www.eara.eu/transparency-agreements">Europe</a>.</p>
<p>This is important, as the lack of an institutional motivation to change transparency practices in Canada was an obstacle raised by attending veterinarians in their interviews.</p>
<h2>Public involvement</h2>
<p>Some members of the scientific community may doubt if the general public possesses the knowledge to provide useful input concerning the use of animals for scientific experimentation. </p>
<p>My research requesting <a href="https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0260114">public input on proposed animal experiments</a> found participants provided practical and nuanced input that could aid in institutional decision making. </p>
<p>This type of public input would offer institutions a better understanding of societal concerns, such as the severity of animal suffering, and reduce the risk that research practices are out of step with community values.</p>
<p>There is no single solution to this complex and value-laden issue. </p>
<p>Some scholars have recommended a “<a href="https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11020368">new openness</a>” approach that provides diverse opportunities for the public to participate when, and how, they deem appropriate. </p>
<p>Additionally, I suggest releasing information about animal research should be framed as the start of a journey that will involve discussion, collaboration and negotiation. This can lead to improved decisions for animals used in research by further aligning the research community and broader society.</p>
<p><em>Frederic Chatigny, clinical veterinarian, co-authored this article</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/188683/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Michael Brunt receives funding from the Social Science and Humanities Research Council of Canada and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada. He is affiliated with the Canadian Association for Laboratory Animal Science and the Canadian Council on Animal Care. </span></em></p>The public’s lack of knowledge about animal research can cause a moral conflict. Institutions that use animals in research need to be more transparent about their practices.Michael W. Brunt, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Ontario Veterinary College, University of GuelphLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1888602022-08-25T08:55:15Z2022-08-25T08:55:15ZWhy ‘mercy’ killing wild animals is so controversial<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/479384/original/file-20220816-1490-ms19br.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=12%2C12%2C4153%2C3316&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Freya the walrus was killed in Oslo after officials decided she posed a threat to humans. </span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/seahouses-northumberland-england-november-14-2021-2100230311">Sheard Photography/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Two wild animals that strayed from their ordinary habitats and into close proximity to humans were recently killed in high-profile cases. The life of Freya the walrus <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2022/08/14/world/freya-walrus-norway-scn-trnd/index.html">was ended</a> by officials in Oslo on August 14 2022, reportedly because the animal <a href="https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/freya-the-walrus-who-charmed-crowds-in-norway-is-killed-by-authorities/ar-AA10FcM0">posed a threat</a> to humans. Four days earlier, the life of a beluga whale that had strayed into France’s Seine River <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/aug/10/beluga-whale-that-strayed-into-river-seine-dies-during-rescue-operation">was ended</a> during a failed rescue attempt.</p>
<p>Many people followed the whereabouts of these animals, cared about their welfare, and were shocked and saddened by their deaths. A <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2022/08/17/freya-walrus-norway-statue/10348948002/">private fundraising campaign</a> has even been set up to erect a statue of Freya in Oslo, with its creators arguing that the walrus should not have been killed. </p>
<p>Although the decisions to end the lives of the beluga whale and Freya the walrus were based on different factors, they both ultimately expose the contested nature of animal euthanasia, which is often referred to as “<a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/euthanasia">mercy killing</a>”.</p>
<p>As a researcher of animal end-of-life situations and the decision-making behind animal euthanasia, I know these decisions aren’t taken lightly. But they’re also different from case to case, informed by different ethical perspectives on the <a href="https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/moral-animal/">moral value of animals</a>.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/dG5pH5PBbNE?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">The rescue of a beluga whale from the Seine ended in the animal’s death.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Why we disagree</h2>
<p>Public disagreements about when animals should be killed reflect the diversity of views in society about how we should treat animals. We tend to treat wild animals differently to kept animals, for instance, and we tend to see farm animals as different from pets. </p>
<p>These differences are a reflection of the different bonds formed <a href="https://www.whittlespublishing.com/The_Biology_and_Management_of_Animal_Welfare">between humans and animals</a> in different contexts. But they also reflect the three different perspectives humans take on the moral value of animals.</p>
<p>First, animals can be recognised for their instrumental value. In this perspective, animals are valued as a source of companionship, animal products, or knowledge gained through research. Seen as mere instruments, this perspective permits using, keeping and killing animals for the benefit of humans. </p>
<p>Second, animals can be valued for their own sake, for instance, because of the capacity of being sentient. In this perspective, the moral value of an animal doesn’t depend on its usefulness to humans but is intrinsic to the animal. </p>
<p>This means humans should respect the animal, including their welfare and integrity. Using, keeping or killing animals is consequently not permitted by this perspective unless there are strong arguments to justify these actions.</p>
<p>Finally, animals can be recognised as morally equal to humans. That grants animals the rights that humans have. This perspective means animals should not be used, kept or killed for human interests under any circumstances. </p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/dkQ0QiEsS80?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Some countries have bestowed legal rights to animals.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Although there is a trend in many societies to recognise the moral value of animals <a href="https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX:12016E013&from=EN">in law</a>, there is still no consensus on how exactly we should treat animals. This explains part of the current discussion. </p>
<h2>Ending a life</h2>
<p>Whether or when animals themselves have an interest in the continuation or ending of their lives is the subject of an <a href="https://academic.oup.com/book/12524">ongoing debate</a>.</p>
<p>Animals are increasingly recognised as “sentient beings”. Many are <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/257017900_The_evolution_of_morality">understood to possess</a> the ability to evaluate the actions of others, to remember some of their own actions and their consequences, to assess risk, to have feelings, and to have some degree of awareness.</p>
<p>Despite this starting point, there remain challenges to deciding when to end an animal’s life. Because in most cases humans cannot communicate with animals, we have to rely on veterinary, animal behaviour and animal welfare science to determine if it’s in an animal’s interests to end or continue its life.</p>
<p>It is therefore vital that species-specific experts are involved when decisions are made to end an animal’s life. They are best placed to assess the interests of the animal, based on its quality of life and the suffering it may be experiencing. </p>
<p>Nonetheless, attitudes towards animal euthanasia are fluid. Freya and the beluga whale show that when animals <a href="https://library.oapen.org/bitstream/handle/20.500.12657/48730/9783030635237.pdf?sequence=1#page=481">cross contexts</a>, in this case from the wild into human urban areas, views on how to treat them can change dramatically.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/yb75oe2zack?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Freya the walrus wasn’t universally adored.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Human interests are often at play when an animal’s life is ended. These interests can be diverse, including emotional, financial and societal considerations. They can influence the final decision to end the life of the animal, or the amount of time and money we might be willing to spend on potential alternatives. </p>
<h2>Balancing interests</h2>
<p>When the interests of humans and the presumed interests of an animal are identified, the interests at stake are balanced to come to a final decision. In many cases, interests are conflicting. Decisions are further complicated when the public weighs in, as they’re likely to subscribe to different perspectives on the moral value of animals.</p>
<p>In these cases, there are no easy answers. What we learned from the recent cases is that ad hoc decision-making adds even more complexity, provides little room for reflection, and leaves the general public confused and in some cases outraged.</p>
<p>More comparable cases will follow in the future. An open discussion of different end-of-life strategies for animals, and the different interests of those involved, could help reduce that confusion and outrage in the future.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/188860/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Whether to protect humans or out of mercy for the animal, decisions to kill wildlife aren’t taken lightly.Ellen Deelen, PhD Candidate, Centre for Sustainable Animal Stewardship, Utrecht UniversityFranck Meijboom, Associate Professor and Head of CenSAS, Utrecht UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1852682022-06-21T13:40:42Z2022-06-21T13:40:42ZFrom AIs to an unhappy elephant, the legal question of who is a person is approaching a reckoning<p>Happy the elephant’s story is a sad one. She is currently a resident of the Bronx Zoo in the US, where the Nonhuman Rights Project (<a href="https://www.nonhumanrights.org/client-happy/">a civil rights organisation</a>) claims she is subject to unlawful detention. The campaigners sought a writ of habeas corpus on Happy’s behalf to request that she be transferred to an elephant sanctuary.</p>
<p>Historically, this ancient right which offers recourse to someone being detained illegally had been limited to humans. A New York court previously decided that it <a href="https://theconversation.com/happy-the-elephant-was-denied-rights-designed-for-humans-but-the-legal-definition-of-person-is-still-evolving-152410">excluded non-human animals</a>. So if the courts wanted to find in Happy’s favour, they would first have to agree that she was legally a person.</p>
<p>It was this question that made its way to the New York Court of Appeal, which published its <a href="https://www.nycourts.gov/ctapps/Decisions/2022/Jun22/52opn22-Decision.pdf">judgment</a> on June 14. By a 5-2 majority, the judges sided with the Bronx Zoo. Chief Judge DiFiore held that Happy was not a person for the purposes of a writ of habeas corpus, and <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-61803958">the claim was rejected</a>. As a researcher who specialises in the notion of legal personhood, I’m not convinced by their reasoning. </p>
<p>DiFiore first discussed what it means to be a person. She did not dispute that Happy is intelligent, autonomous and displays emotional awareness. These are things that many academic lawyers consider <a href="https://www.nonhumanrights.org/media-center/habeas-scholars-philosophers-support-elephant-rights/">sufficient for personhood</a>, as they suggest Happy can benefit from the freedom protected by a writ of habeas corpus. But DiFiore rejected this conclusion, signalling that habeas corpus “protects the right to liberty of humans because they are humans with certain fundamental liberty rights recognised by law”. Put simply, whether Happy is a person is irrelevant, because even if she is, she’s not human.</p>
<p>This might seem sensible, but it bears no relation to the legal authority DiFiore used to support her conclusions. Just two pages previously, she referred to Article 1, section 6 of the <a href="https://www.nysenate.gov/sites/default/files/ckeditor/Oct-21/ny_state_constitution_2021.pdf">New York state constitution</a> which claims it is “[t]he right of persons, deprived of liberty, to challenge in the courts the legality of their detention”. No mention of human beings here at all.</p>
<p>Her second reason, on page ten, endorses the view that you must be able to understand and bear duties in order to have a right. This seems logical, and is built on the idea that, as members of a society, we are all bound by a social contract. My right not to be assaulted implies a duty on your part not to assault me. But, of course, we do give rights to those incapable of understanding duties – newborn babies being one example.</p>
<p>The third reason follows what’s called a slippery slope argument. If the Court of Appeal recognised rights for elephants then it would soon be inundated with claims for the rights of all kinds of animals. This piecemeal approach, it’s argued, could destabilise society. This may be a pragmatic reason for denying Happy the right to liberty through a writ of habeas corpus, but it’s not a moral one. The whole point of a right to liberty is to protect individuals from majority oppression, which is itself connected to the moral principle of equality. So for DiFiore to prioritise the stability of the status quo is puzzling. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A marble statue of a Roman emperor with an arm outstretched." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/470025/original/file-20220621-7895-mubsbk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/470025/original/file-20220621-7895-mubsbk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/470025/original/file-20220621-7895-mubsbk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/470025/original/file-20220621-7895-mubsbk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/470025/original/file-20220621-7895-mubsbk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/470025/original/file-20220621-7895-mubsbk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/470025/original/file-20220621-7895-mubsbk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Habeas corpus is reputed to have originated in ancient Roman civil law.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/cicero-cicerone-statue-rome-1111959638">Andrea Izzotti/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Equally, a piecemeal approach is not necessarily bad. Courts do case-by-case analyses on a daily basis, particularly in human rights cases where individual rights have to be balanced against the interests of the state. In fact, many legal experts see it as a strength, given it allows courts to address injustices resulting from gaps in legislation – to say when <a href="https://theconversation.com/novak-djokovic-the-legal-problem-of-having-one-rule-for-some-another-for-everyone-else-174655">like cases should be treated alike</a>, and differentiate when it is important to do so.</p>
<h2>A problem for today</h2>
<p>DiFiore reveals in her final paragraph on page 17 that she has no conceptual problem with giving rights to nonhuman beings, but she sees it as a problem for the state government to resolve through legislation. This is a position that US courts have adopted in the past, using it to deny whales and dolphins the right to compensation for disturbances <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2004-10-21/court-rules-whales-dolphins-cant-sue-bush/571048">caused by navy sonar</a>.</p>
<p>The problem with this excuse is that legislatures have repeatedly failed to pass legislation to address the problem. As long as they continue to ignore the issue, Happy and other sentient animals continue to suffer from <a href="https://theconversation.com/cow-documentary-shows-the-need-for-fundamental-legal-rights-for-animals-175576">inadequate protection of their interests</a> because they continue to be seen as property. This is something the majority of people would accept as a bad thing. For instance, in a 2017 survey of 2,000 UK pet owners, 90% said their pet was <a href="https://revisesociology.com/2020/06/19/pets-as-part-of-the-family/">a family member</a>, not property. Living with animals allows us to see their sentience as something that gives them a special status. By refusing to bring the law in line with this, courts are failing to address a clear deficiency. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A ginger cat looking out of a window." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/470027/original/file-20220621-23-ah9l7b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/470027/original/file-20220621-23-ah9l7b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/470027/original/file-20220621-23-ah9l7b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/470027/original/file-20220621-23-ah9l7b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/470027/original/file-20220621-23-ah9l7b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/470027/original/file-20220621-23-ah9l7b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/470027/original/file-20220621-23-ah9l7b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Forming close ties with animals tends to give people a deeper perspective on sentience in non-humans.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/cute-ginger-cat-siting-on-window-717354928">Konstantin Aksenov/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>This is a problem that will only become more urgent. Recently, a former Google software engineer <a href="https://theconversation.com/a-google-software-engineer-believes-an-ai-has-become-sentient-if-hes-right-how-would-we-know-185024">announced</a> their belief that LaMDA – an AI they worked with – had attained sentience. Although <a href="https://institutions.newscientist.com/article/2323905-has-googles-lamda-artificial-intelligence-really-achieved-sentience/">Google disputed this</a>, the rights claims (including the claim to personhood) made by LaMDA in <a href="https://cajundiscordian.medium.com/is-lamda-sentient-an-interview-ea64d916d917">these transcripts</a> do raise serious issues, such as whether it is ethical to undertake certain types of research, like trying to ascertain whether and how LaMDA experiences feelings, without first gaining its consent. </p>
<p>If this abstract issue is a concern, so are specific legal problems that may emerge from sentient AI. Far from being problems for the future, courts in the <a href="https://www.judiciary.uk/judgments/thaler-v-comptroller/">UK</a>, <a href="https://casetext.com/case/thaler-v-hirshfeld">US</a> and <a href="https://www.judgments.fedcourt.gov.au/judgments/Judgments/fca/full/2022/2022fcafc0062">Australia</a> have already considered whether AI can be an inventor for the purposes of a patent registration, and Lord Hodge – <a href="https://www.supremecourt.uk/about/biographies-of-the-justices.html#:%7E:text=Deputy%20President%20of%20the%20Supreme%20Court%2C%20The%20Right%20Hon%20Lord,Justice%20on%201%20October%202013.">Deputy President of the UK Supreme Court</a> – said in a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3BuZq7hDp9A">2019 lecture</a> that there was no conceptual problem with legally recognising the personhood of an AI. </p>
<p>So why are we speculating about the rights of a sentient AI in the future while ignoring the plight of beings we know are sentient and whose interests are harmed daily? By simply claiming this problem is better resolved by legislation, the New York Court of Appeal simultaneously accepted and deferred the moral case before them. </p>
<p>This position is untenable. Courts aren’t going to be able to hide from it forever. The time has come for them to force the legislature’s hand.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/185268/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Joshua Jowitt was recently awarded funding from the Society of Legal Studies to co-host their annual seminar, in which sentience will be assessed for its ability to protect animal interests, with a particular focus on the UK's Animal Welfare (Sentience) Act 2022.</span></em></p>Courts already grapple with the consequences of AI sentience but ignore the same for animals.Joshua Jowitt, Lecturer in Law, Newcastle UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1765582022-03-23T19:06:25Z2022-03-23T19:06:25ZBias, politics and protests: how human laws constrain and sometimes liberate animals<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/453210/original/file-20220321-27-bnpt5m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=2%2C0%2C613%2C410&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Pot-bellied pigs in Lisbon Zoo</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Wikimedia commons</span></span></figcaption></figure><p><a href="https://www.blackincbooks.com.au/books/guilty-pigs">Guilty Pigs</a> traverses the world of nonhuman animals – and their human owners, guardians, and policy makers – as they brush up against the law in a myriad diverse ways. The book is not jurisdictionally specific, nor is it temporally bound. It is startling in its breadth. </p>
<p>The authors, Katy Barnett and Jeremy Gans, are both based in Australia. As such, Guilty Pigs features a generalised tilt towards English speaking countries that inherited and built upon the British legal tradition. Yet the authors’ discussion of animals and the law is impressive in its historical and geographical diversity. From biblical times, to the Australian colonies, to European Union policy and back again, this book touches on it all. </p>
<hr>
<p><em>Review: Guilty Pigs: The Weird and Wonderful History of Animal Law - Katy Barnett and Jeremy Gans (Black Inc.)</em></p>
<hr>
<p>Explicitly intended for a broad, educated audience, Guilty Pigs is written in accessible language, pausing from time to time to offer the reader a brief yet illuminating introduction to key legal principles. </p>
<p>The authors have also made an explicit decision to not use detailed footnotes. Rather, they ensure that the book flows. Those who want to undertake additional research can consult the sizeable list of sources at the end. </p>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/450294/original/file-20220307-85901-wqvjgr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/450294/original/file-20220307-85901-wqvjgr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=917&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/450294/original/file-20220307-85901-wqvjgr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=917&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/450294/original/file-20220307-85901-wqvjgr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=917&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/450294/original/file-20220307-85901-wqvjgr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1153&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/450294/original/file-20220307-85901-wqvjgr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1153&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/450294/original/file-20220307-85901-wqvjgr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1153&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>This approach means that Guilty Pigs, which opens with a chapter on “Owning Animals” and closes with “Protecting Animals”, is a pleasure to read. The audience is guaranteed to learn a lot, without becoming bogged down in black-letter law or overly abstracted legal theory.</p>
<p>The book also features a small but impressive number of images. All in black and white, they include The Day of the Tentacle – an octopus “selfie” – which is used to segue into a discussion about animals, copyright law and the legal ownership of selfies, including the case of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monkey_selfie_copyright_dispute">a macaque monkey that was found not to have copyright over the photographs it had taken of itself</a>.</p>
<p>One of the important things the book establishes is that there is almost no aspect of the law that does not apply to animals in some way. That includes family law, the laws governing inheritance, and the rules associated with property searches. Animals are implicated at seemingly every turn. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/453209/original/file-20220321-23-v1m7ui.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/453209/original/file-20220321-23-v1m7ui.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/453209/original/file-20220321-23-v1m7ui.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/453209/original/file-20220321-23-v1m7ui.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/453209/original/file-20220321-23-v1m7ui.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/453209/original/file-20220321-23-v1m7ui.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/453209/original/file-20220321-23-v1m7ui.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/453209/original/file-20220321-23-v1m7ui.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The Day of the Tentacle.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Wikimedia commons</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/people-hate-cruelty-to-animals-so-why-do-we-do-it-127448">People hate cruelty to animals, so why do we do it?</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>More than a “pet project”</h2>
<p>The authors both harboured a desire to write about animals and the law long before work on the book commenced. Indeed, they note that it took some time to find a publisher willing to take on such a seemingly vanguard (or perhaps simply unusual) subject: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>Conversation then turned to other animal cases we knew about, and because we both have very broad legal interests, there were many. […] we put together a pitch. One of Katy’s former students approached a publisher he had worked for, but the publisher was not interested in the book at all. </p>
</blockquote>
<p>The authors were “crestfallen”. I know the feeling all too well. As a political scientist interested in animals and public policy, I have experienced the sting of indignation that comes with my academic research being dismissed as a “pet project” – pun intended – and not the domain of serious academic scholarship. </p>
<p>In this case, “serious” means “important”, or more specifically, “human focused”. <a href="https://brill.com/view/journals/soan/27/4/article-p361_1.xml">In research undertaken with my colleagues</a> Yvette Watt and Fiona Probyn-Rapsey, we surveyed animal studies scholars to find out if they feel their interest in animals “creates challenges for an academic career”: 44% said it does, a further 7% claimed it “jeopardised” their career. </p>
<p>A common means of diminishing animal-focused research is to claim that the author is merely an animal-rights advocate seeking to push a particular barrow. This is intended to stand in contrast to everybody else who is, presumably, ideologically neutral. </p>
<p>This is, in my view, a load of academic nonsense, most likely born of snobbery. As such, I must admit to a certain disappointment upon reading the following in Guilty Pigs:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>It turns out that there are not many other books looking at how the law engages with animals as a matter of reality and history – books in this area tend to be written from an animal rights perspective, considering how the law should engage with animals to protect their rights. While we do consider this line of thought, along with the legal protection of animals and the ways that humans harm animals, that is not the sole focus of this book.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>To me, this represents a missed opportunity. To eschew a swathe of scholarship in the fields of law, political science and much more beyond on the basis that animal studies scholars are writing from an “animal rights perspective” is akin to taking the position that human rights theorists are intellectually suspect if they express an intellectual opposition to the use of torture. </p>
<p>Who among us undertakes academic research to make the world a worse, more harmful or bigoted place? I would like to think very few. </p>
<p>It is reasonable to assume that a sizeable proportion of scholars who have dedicated themselves to the study of animals and the law, or animals and policy, are indeed in favour of animal protection, broadly construed. That connection is hardly a reason to approach peer-reviewed academic scholarship with suspicion. </p>
<p>In the same survey mentioned above, my colleagues and I asked animal studies scholars what level of recognition they receive for their animal-focused scholarship. The largest proportion (37%) said that recognition comes from outside their university. More concerning was the fact that 16% reported they receive no recognition at all. The attitude of Barnette and Gans risks entrenching those feelings of marginalisation. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/hidden-women-of-history-frances-levvy-australias-quietly-radical-early-animal-rights-campaigner-125940">Hidden women of history: Frances Levvy, Australia's quietly radical early animal rights campaigner</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Recovering old ground</h2>
<p>If the authors of Guilty Pigs decide to continue publishing in the field of animals and the law, I would encourage them to think more fully about consulting the existing literature. They may be pleasantly surprised. They are likely to find that many of the concepts they work through in the book have already been subjected to rigourous academic consideration. </p>
<p><a href="https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-1-349-26438-4">Robert Garner</a>, for example, has undertaken a detailed comparative analysis of US and UK animal welfare laws. Peter Sankoff, Steven White and Celeste Black have published two editions of <a href="https://federationpress.com.au/product/animal-law-in-australasia/">Animal Law in Australasia</a> (2009, 2013), while Peter John Chen’s <a href="https://ses.library.usyd.edu.au/handle/2123/17255">Animal Welfare in Australia: politics and policy</a> (2016) is another great resource, which may have helped Barnett and Gans with some of their intellectual backstory, freeing them up to move the conversation forward even more than they have done in Guilty Pigs. </p>
<p>I could go on to mention <a href="http://law.mq.edu.au/staff/academic_staff/dr_jed_goodfellow">Jed Goodfellow</a>, <a href="https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-319-26818-7_6">Deborah Cao</a>, <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/09615768.2018.1555026?journalCode=rklj20">Joe Wills</a>, and many, many more. </p>
<p>In my own work <a href="https://link.springer.com/book/10.1057/9780230349186">Animals, Equality and Democracy</a> (2011), I have done a lot of theorising about how we have, how we do, and how we might categorise animals for legal and political purposes. As I read Guilty Pigs, I had a persistent sense that the authors were working extremely hard to recover old ground. </p>
<p>I also wrote at length about pit ponies, which were used to haul coal from mines from the 18th to the early 20th century, their plight becoming a rallying cause for animal rights activists. To my mind, they are one of the most interesting examples of how animals, the law, human bias and politics intersect. I think Barnett and Gans might find something of interest in the plight of pit ponies. But then again, perhaps I am now simply displaying my own particular, personal bias! </p>
<h2>Activism and the law</h2>
<p>Elsewhere, <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/education/civil-disobedience-in-support-of-animals-to-progress-social-change-20130510-2jbjy.html">I have argued</a>, along with co-author Clare McCausland, that if you know what a battery cage looks like – and sales of cage-free eggs suggest many people do – then you should thank an animal advocate. </p>
<p>Egg production occurs exclusively on private property, inside windowless sheds. Egg growers have no incentive to make the conditions under which battery hens live visible to the community. That work – seemingly important public policy work – is undertaken by animal advocates. </p>
<p>Interestingly, Guilty Pigs does not deal with the battery cage to any great extent, despite it being at the centre of trespass legal action, as well as perhaps the most famous animal-related legal case – the so-called “<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/law/2019/jul/08/landmarks-in-law-mclibel-and-the-longest-trial-in-british-legal-history">McLibel</a>” case brought by McDonald’s in 1997 against a small group of environmental activists. </p>
<p>Despite my criticisms, the authors do include some legal cases driven by people who would be popularly considered animal-rights activists. </p>
<p>For example, the case of Arna the elephant is discussed in chapter six. Arna was kept as a lone circus elephant for many years, despite the well understood social nature of female Asiatic elephants. That case, <a href="https://www.animallaw.info/case/pearson-v-janlin-circuses-pty-ltd">Pearson v Janlin Circuses Pty Ltd</a> (2002), was initiated by Mark Pearson, former president of Animal Liberation NSW, and more recently NSW MLC for the Animal Justice Party. </p>
<p>I happened to be at the circus protest on the day in 2000 that became the subject of the legal proceedings discussed in Guilty Pigs. I was there because I had been influenced by Peter Singer and his book <a href="https://www.penguin.com.au/books/animal-liberation-9781473524422">Animal Liberation</a> (1975), in which he asks us to take the interests of animals seriously when assessing the moral appropriateness of an action that impacts their lives. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/453205/original/file-20220321-13-ad50ob.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/453205/original/file-20220321-13-ad50ob.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=375&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/453205/original/file-20220321-13-ad50ob.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=375&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/453205/original/file-20220321-13-ad50ob.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=375&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/453205/original/file-20220321-13-ad50ob.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=471&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/453205/original/file-20220321-13-ad50ob.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=471&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/453205/original/file-20220321-13-ad50ob.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=471&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Philosopher Peter Singer, author of the influential book Animal Liberation (1975)</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Joel Travis Sage</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>It is my view that humans can entertain ourselves in myriad ways. Permanently confining a large animal because it will provide a family with an afternoon of entertainment is not morally justifiable.</p>
<p>I find long-term confinement even more objectionable when the animal is a female elephant because, as I understand it, female elephants are social animals and when they are not under human domination they choose to live in social groups. </p>
<p>What I observed that day – from my lay perspective – was an extremely agitated elephant who appeared to want to follow three other female elephants when they were loaded onto a transport truck. The three other elephants had, it is my understanding, been brought to be with Arna on that particular day to disrupt the optics of the highly publicised protest for “Arna the solitary elephant”. </p>
<p>Arna stamped her feet and trumpeted, while her three temporary cage mates were loaded onto a waiting lorry. I nervously glanced around trying to identify the safest escape route were Arna to charge. I closely followed the subsequent court case with great interest. </p>
<p>Indeed, I remained engaged with Arna’s life, from a safe distance. She was eventually donated by the circus to Western Plain Zoo in Dubbo, after <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/local/stories/2008/01/15/2138882.htm">she trampled her handler to death in December 2007</a>. She died in 2012.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/453218/original/file-20220321-25-osevmb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/453218/original/file-20220321-25-osevmb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/453218/original/file-20220321-25-osevmb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/453218/original/file-20220321-25-osevmb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/453218/original/file-20220321-25-osevmb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/453218/original/file-20220321-25-osevmb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/453218/original/file-20220321-25-osevmb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Asian elephants in Taronga Western Plains Zoo.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Wikimedia commons</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>If Barnett and Gans had stuck to their opening proposition of eschewing cases centred around “how the law <em>should</em> engage with animals”, the Arna case might have been excluded. Thankfully, it was not.</p>
<p>My central point is that there is a world of bright, well-educated, highly innovative scholars out there studying animals and the law. Many of them do so because they have a keen interest in animals, usually not in harming animals. More often, they are interested in protecting animals from harm. </p>
<p>So long as those scholars produce work that can withstand rigorous peer review, their work should be viewed as a solid foundation upon which all scholars who engage with animals and the law can build. </p>
<p>Animal law is a growing field of higher education teaching, with courses increasingly offered by law schools throughout the English-speaking world, and perhaps beyond. As such, I anticipate a big readership for this book. </p>
<p>The authors’ eclectic approach to animals and the law may make it challenging for those teaching an animal law course at university level to easily identify a suitable reading that maps easily onto a weekly curriculum. That said, it is no doubt possible to do so.</p>
<p>But perhaps the gift of Guilty Pigs is that is can be used to excite readers about animals and the law broadly construed. Either way, it is a valuable contribution to the field. I recommend the book as an accessible work full of fascinating insights into the lives of animals and the laws that constrain them, liberate them, and much in between. </p>
<hr>
<p><em>Correction: an earlier version of this article suggested Arna the elephant trampled her handler at Western Plains Zoo, when the incident occurred before she was transferred there.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/176558/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Siobhan O'Sullivan receives funding from RSPCA Australia and the Centre for Animals and Social Justice (CASJ). She is affiliated with the Australasian Animal Studies Association (AASA). </span></em></p>Explicitly intended for a broad, educated audience, Guilty Pigs is an accessible work that reveals there is almost no aspect of the law that does not touch on the lives of nonhuman animals.Siobhan O'Sullivan, Associate professor, UNSW SydneyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1788672022-03-15T14:33:03Z2022-03-15T14:33:03ZThe war in Ukraine is powerfully magnifying our love for animals<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/451948/original/file-20220314-21-1t1sdsx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C24%2C4031%2C2655&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">A woman who was evacuated from Irpin cries kissing a cat wrapped in a blanket at a triage point in Kyiv, Ukraine, on March 11, 2022. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>A little girl huddles in a bunker, stroking <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-03-05/life-in-a-kyiv-bunker-in-ukraine-amid-russia-invasion/100883742">her dog</a>.</p>
<p>From amid the rubble, blood-stained and shell-shocked people emerge, clutching their pets. </p>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="A woman in a parka carries a small orange dog in front of the rubble of a bombed building." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/451966/original/file-20220314-24-1tjrg7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/451966/original/file-20220314-24-1tjrg7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451966/original/file-20220314-24-1tjrg7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451966/original/file-20220314-24-1tjrg7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451966/original/file-20220314-24-1tjrg7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451966/original/file-20220314-24-1tjrg7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451966/original/file-20220314-24-1tjrg7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A woman holding a small dog walks in front of an apartment in a block which was destroyed by an artillery strike in Kyiv on March 14, 2022.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>A man fleeing a bombed apartment building carries <a href="https://twitter.com/franakviacorka/status/1497540915539460096">a cat and a goldfish</a>. Some people <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/ukraine-student-refuses-leave-without-pet-dog-1683127">refuse to leave Ukraine without their animals</a>. </p>
<p>War exposes many truths, the brutal and the valiant. The war in Ukraine is powerfully and painfully magnifying the interconnectedness of human and animal lives, and, mercifully, our unrelenting commitment to acting with love, even in the face of lethal danger.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1502001832926892042"}"></div></p>
<p>Domesticated animals are affected by almost every human decision and those involving violence most of all, whether they’re <a href="https://weanimalsmedia.org/about/what-is-animal-photojournalism/">hidden in factory farms</a> or captured by the lenses of photographers and broadcast globally. </p>
<p>Animals are <a href="https://doi.org/10.2752/089279391787057189">always affected by war.</a> Millions of <a href="https://www.thebrooke.org/get-involved/every-horse-remembered/war-horse-facts">horses and donkeys</a> were taken from the farms of poor people to the <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/photo/2014/04/world-war-i-in-photos-animals-at-war/507320/">carnage-filled fronts of the First World War</a> <a href="https://cupola.gettysburg.edu/ghj/vol17/iss1/7/">and pigeons</a> were strapped with messages. </p>
<p>Even to this day, military working dogs are either <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/Lifestyle/hero-military-dog-saved-unit-afghanistan-chance/story?id=35419992">celebrated as heroes</a> or <a href="https://www.warhistoryonline.com/news/combat-dogs.html?firefox=1">unceremoniously euthanized</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A line of horses and riders in a black and white photograph." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/451950/original/file-20220314-21-11jt0cv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/451950/original/file-20220314-21-11jt0cv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=389&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451950/original/file-20220314-21-11jt0cv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=389&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451950/original/file-20220314-21-11jt0cv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=389&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451950/original/file-20220314-21-11jt0cv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=489&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451950/original/file-20220314-21-11jt0cv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=489&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451950/original/file-20220314-21-11jt0cv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=489&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">First World War Canadian field ambulance horses in July 1916 at an unknown location.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(National Archives of Canada)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Animals suffer along with people</h2>
<p>In all places where violence is a persistent poison or a swift eruption, animals suffer alongside human victims. Animals have <a href="https://www.economist.com/news/essays/21676961-inner-lives-animals-are-hard-study-there-evidence-they-may-be-lot-richer-science-once-thought">rich intellectual</a> <a href="https://www.npr.org/2013/05/27/185815445/questions-for-barbara-j-king-author-of-how-animals-grieve">and emotional</a> lives that we are <a href="https://wwnorton.com/books/Are-We-Smart-Enough-to-Know-How-Smart-Animals-Are/">slowly beginning to recognize</a>. </p>
<p>In Ukraine, they are exhibiting feelings <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/03/06/ukraine-kyiv-russia-zoo/">of intense fear</a>, pain and confusion. They apparently don’t understand why their worlds are being turned upside down.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A man pats an elephant whose trunk points to the ceiling in a cavernous room." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/449335/original/file-20220301-25-1pkzlja.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/449335/original/file-20220301-25-1pkzlja.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/449335/original/file-20220301-25-1pkzlja.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/449335/original/file-20220301-25-1pkzlja.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/449335/original/file-20220301-25-1pkzlja.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/449335/original/file-20220301-25-1pkzlja.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/449335/original/file-20220301-25-1pkzlja.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">An animal keeper comforts an anxious elephant at the Kiev Zoo in Kyiv, Ukraine, as a large convoy of Russian tanks and other vehicles threatened the capital.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>A woman named Alisa fled Kyiv on foot with her mother, sister, children and two dogs — including an elderly German Shepherd named Pulya — and shared her experience with <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/mar/08/ukraine-russia-crisis-border"><em>The Guardian</em></a>.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>“My dog is 12 and a half and she struggled to walk and fell down every kilometre or so and couldn’t stand up again. I stopped cars and asked for help but everyone refused; they advised us to leave the dogs. But our dogs are part of our family. My dog has experienced all the happy and sad moments with us. Mum’s dog is all she has left of her former life. So my husband, at times, carried our dog on his shoulders.”</p>
</blockquote>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1501954291971416065"}"></div></p>
<p>My own family includes rescued German Shepherds, and the images of this 80-pound, grey-muzzled dog being carried to Poland so she would survive gripped my heart. We would do the same for our dogs. We won’t have to, and for that we are deeply grateful. But no one should have to. </p>
<p>Some horses <a href="https://www.horsetalk.co.nz/2022/03/07/borders-horses-evacuated-ukraine/">are also being evacuated</a> from Ukraine, and others are being <a href="https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=5120758904649562&id=100001465099215">released by hopeful people</a> who believe the animals have the best chance of surviving on their own.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Two horses pull a cart with a doctor sitting in straw with her medical bag." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/451977/original/file-20220314-131609-izai5x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/451977/original/file-20220314-131609-izai5x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451977/original/file-20220314-131609-izai5x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451977/original/file-20220314-131609-izai5x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451977/original/file-20220314-131609-izai5x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451977/original/file-20220314-131609-izai5x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451977/original/file-20220314-131609-izai5x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A doctor rides an old-fashioned horse-driven cart to visit a patient with COVID-19 in Verhovyna village in western Ukraine in January 2021.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Horses are similarly let loose when natural disasters, like forest forest, <a href="https://www.kpbs.org/news/public-safety/2017/12/07/several-horses-killed-hundreds-let-loose-amid-fast">tear through landscapes</a>. We can anticipate and prepare for some emergencies. Others, like sudden invasions, we cannot as easily plan for — but we can respond in kind.</p>
<h2>World sending help to animals</h2>
<p>The world is responding. Neighbouring countries are <a href="https://www.vettimes.co.uk/news/ukraines-eu-neighbours-waive-pet-restrictions-amid-war-exodus/">allowing animals to enter</a> with migrants — some, shamefully, more quickly than they’re admitting <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/01/world/europe/ukraine-refugee-discrimination.html?searchResultPosition=3">racialized people</a>. Shelters and veterinarians are <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/03/12/world/animals-pets-rescued-ukraine/index.html">providing urgent care</a>. Organizations globally are developing plans to accept the <a href="https://journalmetro.com/actualites/montreal/2786878/des-animaux-ukrainiens-refugies-a-montreal/">animals of refugees</a> from Ukraine and beyond.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="An elderly woman sits in a wheelchair surrounded by 12 small shaggy dogs." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/451955/original/file-20220314-99009-ywmqfj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/451955/original/file-20220314-99009-ywmqfj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451955/original/file-20220314-99009-ywmqfj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451955/original/file-20220314-99009-ywmqfj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451955/original/file-20220314-99009-ywmqfj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451955/original/file-20220314-99009-ywmqfj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451955/original/file-20220314-99009-ywmqfj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Antonina, 84, sits in a wheelchair after being evacuated along with her 12 dogs from Irpin, at a triage point in Kyiv, Ukraine, on March 11, 2022.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Some terrified animals have been <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/kyiv-zoo-ukraine-russia-animal-rescue-b2028186.html">transported from zoos</a> to immediate safety. Non-profits from <a href="https://www.eurogroupforanimals.org/news/how-you-can-support-animal-protection-organisations-ukraine">across Europe</a> and <a href="https://www.ifaw.org/eu/news/emergency-aid-ukraine">around the world</a> are sending supplies and veterinarians. They need support.</p>
<p>The real extent of the damage remains to be seen, but the effects will be wide-reaching. As farms and shelters run out of food, water and workers, or lose electricity, untold numbers of animals will suffer and die, quickly or very slowly. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.politico.eu/article/eu-commission-warns-of-major-food-and-farming-impact-of-russia-ukraine-war/">We are all connected</a>, within and across borders, within and across species. Ukrainians who remain and are defending the lives of others demonstrate profound bravery that resides deep in the human spirit.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A woman carries a husky with other people in a line behind her." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/451980/original/file-20220314-131692-klya4u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/451980/original/file-20220314-131692-klya4u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451980/original/file-20220314-131692-klya4u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451980/original/file-20220314-131692-klya4u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451980/original/file-20220314-131692-klya4u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451980/original/file-20220314-131692-klya4u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451980/original/file-20220314-131692-klya4u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A woman holds a dog while crossing the Irpin River on an improvised path under a bridge as people flee the town of Irpin, Ukraine, on March 5, 2022.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p><a href="https://globalnews.ca/news/8661361/volunteer-death-kyiv-ukraine/">Anastasiia Yalanskaya</a>, a 26-year-old woman who refused to leave Kyiv, was killed while delivering food to an animal shelter that had been without food for three days. Another animal advocate, <a href="https://www.pressreader.com/uk/daily-express/20220312/281702618187567">Natasha Derkach</a>, was killed as she worked to save animals in Dnipro, a city under siege from heavy shelling. </p>
<p>There are many more victims. Ukrainians are losing their lives defending animals. </p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1501326796452728841"}"></div></p>
<h2>Confronting abuse</h2>
<p>Ukraine has been creating a more humane society in many ways. Nature Watch has been working in partnership with Ukrainian organizations <a href="https://naturewatch.org/campaigns/ukraine-animal-welfare/">to confront abuse and foster a culture of care for animals.</a></p>
<p>A week before the Russian invasion began on Feb. 24, 2022, I was contacted by a colleague to assist a Ukrainian city hoping to create the country’s first animal cruelty unit. My colleague later received a <a href="https://twitter.com/hi_sight/status/1497887185411792897">powerful message from an animal advocate</a> inside Ukraine who was afraid they might never speak again.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/451960/original/file-20220314-16-10c2mx0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A woman kisses an orange cat." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/451960/original/file-20220314-16-10c2mx0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/451960/original/file-20220314-16-10c2mx0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=397&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451960/original/file-20220314-16-10c2mx0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=397&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451960/original/file-20220314-16-10c2mx0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=397&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451960/original/file-20220314-16-10c2mx0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=499&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451960/original/file-20220314-16-10c2mx0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=499&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451960/original/file-20220314-16-10c2mx0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=499&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A woman plays with her cat after fleeing Ukraine and arriving at the train station in Przemysl, Poland, on March 8, 2022.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(AP Photo/Daniel Cole)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>This war has laid bare the violence of abusive men who terrorize people and animals. It has demonstrated what losing your freedom really looks like.</p>
<p>But the dedication Ukrainian people have shown to animals reveals that even in the most dangerous times, the human capacity for cruelty is rivalled only by our ability to be courageous and compassionate. We can be more than simply human. We can be truly humane.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/178867/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Kendra Coulter receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. She is a fellow of the Oxford Centre for Animal Ethics, and a member of the Royal Society of Canada's College of New Scholars, Artists, and Scientists, and the Canadian Violence Link Coalition's Strategic Planning Committee. </span></em></p>This war has powerfully and painfully magnified the connections among human and animal lives, and our unrelenting commitment to love in the face of darkness.Kendra Coulter, Chancellor's Chair for Research Excellence and Associate Professor in the Department of Labour Studies, Brock UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1755762022-02-07T14:56:13Z2022-02-07T14:56:13ZCow documentary shows the need for fundamental legal rights for animals<p><em><strong>This article contains spoilers for the film <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11548822/">Cow (2021)</a></strong></em></p>
<p>Cinema, according to the late critic <a href="https://www.npr.org/2014/07/03/328230231/a-machine-that-generates-empathy-roger-ebert-gets-his-own-documentary">Roger Ebert</a>, is “a machine that generates empathy”. There is no film that better captures this truth than Andrea Arnold’s <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11548822/">Cow</a>.</p>
<p>Set on a British dairy farm, Arnold’s narration-free documentary captures four years in the life of a cow called Luma. The film opens with Luma giving birth to a daughter and ends with her being shot in the head at point-blank range with a bolt gun. In between, Cow documents the life-and-death cycle of the dairy industry.</p>
<p>The film captures routine dairy industry practices up-close, and it does not make for comfortable viewing. We see, for example, the horn buds of Luma’s calf seared with a hot iron. We’re also witness to the effects of repeated cycles of pregnancies and milking – coupled with selective breeding – on the bodies of dairy cows. By the end of the film Luma can barely stand and her swollen, infected udders are clearly very painful. Before her unceremonious death, Luma looks like a physically and mentally broken being.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/tA23-RzhkzY?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
</figure>
<p>These harrowing scenes are sometimes punctured by happier moments of Luma exploring open pastures with her herd. This makes the film all the more poignant, reminding the viewer that cows are capable of joy as well as suffering.</p>
<p>Cow is first and foremost a case study into Luma’s life. Throughout the film the camera lingers very closely to her, capturing her facial expressions, bodily movements and interactions with her children. The audience is invited to get as close to a cow’s-eye view of the world as possible. </p>
<p>This is not a documentary about cows as an amorphous, undifferentiated mass, it’s about a particular cow, and to a lesser extent, her calves and the fellow members of her herd. In this respect, Cow follows on the hooves of Pippa Ehrlich and James Reed’s <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt12888462/">My Octopus Teacher</a> and Victor Kossakovsky’s <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11464016/">Gunda</a>, which have an octopus and a sow as their respective protagonists.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/empathy-in-conservation-is-hotly-debated-still-the-world-needs-more-stories-like-my-octopus-teacher-149975">Empathy in conservation is hotly debated. Still, the world needs more stories like My Octopus Teacher</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>This emerging trend in animal documentaries – to focus on the real lives of particular animals – is encouraging. It underscores that nonhuman animals are not fungible entities but unique individuals with feelings, relationships, goals, desires and personalities.</p>
<p>But Cow also serves as a damning critique of the dairy industry more broadly. Although conditions will differ from farm to farm, the film records routine, and near-universal practices: mother-calf separation, harmful selective-breeding and bodily mutilations like branding, ear-notching and dehorning, not to mention killing spent cows.</p>
<p>The fact that the footage from Cow is shot with the knowledge and permission of the farmers shows that this film does not depict aberrations or abuses, but rather, documents the inherent brutality of the dairy industry. There is no nice way to enforce reproductive servitude – something we’re usually able to avoid thinking about. Cow leaves viewers no such room for denial.</p>
<p>Cow confronts us with the logic of commodifying animal bodies. When sentient beings are turned into productive units and caught in the maw of economic exploitation, their lives will invariably be characterised by suffering, ill health and denied freedoms. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A row of cows being milked, viewed from the udders." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/444796/original/file-20220207-17-m0ga4n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/444796/original/file-20220207-17-m0ga4n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=421&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/444796/original/file-20220207-17-m0ga4n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=421&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/444796/original/file-20220207-17-m0ga4n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=421&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/444796/original/file-20220207-17-m0ga4n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=530&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/444796/original/file-20220207-17-m0ga4n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=530&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/444796/original/file-20220207-17-m0ga4n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=530&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Cow captures the mundane cruelties of a dairy farm.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/row-cows-being-milked-371465605">Toa55/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Exposing the limits of animal welfare laws</h2>
<p>As a law scholar, I’m interested in the role that legal systems play in maintaining the subordinate and vulnerable status of animals – and how they can be changed to better protect them. In virtually all legal orders animals are classified as property, a necessary corollary of their economic exploitation. </p>
<p>Of course, animals are distinct from other forms of property. Unlike chairs, books and phones they are sentient beings with subjective experiences and lives that matter to them. </p>
<p>Legal systems recognise this through animal welfare laws. Regulations establish certain <a href="https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2007/2078/contents/made">minimum standards of care</a> for farmed animals. While these laws may reduce some of the worst excesses of animal suffering, they leave untouched the systems that generate the suffering in the first place.</p>
<p>Just as Cow illustrates the inherent brutality of the dairy industry, it also shows the limitations of current legal means of animal protection. There is growing recognition among animal law scholars and practitioners that <a href="https://academic.oup.com/ojls/article/40/3/533/5862901">animals need fundamental legal rights</a> akin to human rights to protect them from institutionalised abuse.</p>
<p>This doesn’t mean animals should have the same rights as humans – merely that they should share basic rights to protect their fundamental interests, such as rights to life, bodily integrity and freedom from slavery and servitude.</p>
<p>Efforts are afoot to challenge the prevalent approach to animal law. New York State’s highest court will soon hear <a href="https://theconversation.com/happy-the-elephant-was-denied-rights-designed-for-humans-but-the-legal-definition-of-person-is-still-evolving-152410">a petition</a> – supported by myself and <a href="https://www.nonhumanrights.org/content/uploads/Joe-Wills-et-al-amici-brief-Happy-case.pdf">35 other UK experts in animal law</a> – to release a solitary zoo elephant called Happy to a sanctuary. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/happy-the-elephant-was-denied-rights-designed-for-humans-but-the-legal-definition-of-person-is-still-evolving-152410">Happy the elephant was denied rights designed for humans – but the legal definition of 'person' is still evolving</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>What makes this case novel is that it does not appeal to animal welfare laws, but rather, to a <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/habeas-corpus">common law right</a> to contest unlawful imprisonment. If the appeal is successful, it will be the first time a nonhuman animal is recognised as possessing at least one fundamental right traditionally reserved for humans. </p>
<p>The Northeast Dairy Producers Association has, among other US industry groups, <a href="https://www.nonhumanrights.org/content/uploads/NY-Farm-Bureau-amicus-brief.pdf">opposed</a> the petition on the grounds that recognising this right would be a “gross interference in owners’ property rights”.</p>
<p>These duelling views of non-humans – as beings to be respected or resources to be used – reflect the crossroads we’ve arrived at as a species. With growing recognition that our dysfunctional approach is not only bad for other animals but <a href="https://global.oup.com/academic/product/saving-animals-saving-ourselves-9780190861018?cc=gb&lang=en&#">also ourselves</a>, there has never been a better time to reflect on how we want to relate to the rest of sentient life.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/175576/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Joe Wills does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Andrea Arnold’s new film chronicles the daily strife of Luma – a dairy cow and mother.Joe Wills, Lecturer in Law, University of LeicesterLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1676652021-09-13T15:07:04Z2021-09-13T15:07:04ZPet theft: criminalisation isn’t the animal welfare boon the government promises<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/420324/original/file-20210909-8898-mql6k8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=40%2C53%2C2944%2C1933&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/loving-candid-portrait-happy-woman-hugging-186981344">Christin Lola/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>From local parks to celebrity neighbourhoods, “pet theft” is <a href="https://theconversation.com/dog-theft-on-the-rise-how-in-danger-is-your-pet-and-what-can-be-done-about-it-125010">on the rise</a>. The <a href="https://news.sky.com/story/five-arrested-over-violent-theft-of-lady-gagas-dogs-including-woman-who-returned-them-12290858">violent abduction</a> of Lady Gaga’s French bulldogs, Koji and Gustav, brought this problem further into the spotlight.</p>
<p>The UK government announced plans to <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/pet-abduction-to-be-made-new-criminal-offence-in-crackdown-on-pet-theft">criminalise</a> pet theft, which has grown during the pandemic as more people <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-56362987">bring companion animals into their homes</a>.</p>
<p>This law will undoubtedly offer greater protection to pet theft victims. It will ensure that they have additional rights to compensate for the emotional distress of losing a companion animal that may have been considered a member of their family. But while animal lovers will celebrate this as a step in the right direction, it may not be the victory that they would hope for.</p>
<p>By criminalising pet theft, the government wants to recognise that it is a serious crime, that animals are more than mere property, and that the law should protect their welfare.</p>
<p>The government claims this law prioritises animal welfare. Yet some animal law and ethics research suggests that it does not go far enough. In fact, the approach to animal welfare taken by the UK government may actually harm animals in the long run, for a few reasons.</p>
<p>First, the law will continue to treat animals <a href="https://www.animallaw.info/article/animals-property">as property</a>, as most legal systems do. Animals will still be owned, bought and sold, as they always have been. We might have a growing cultural awareness that animals are unique individuals with rich inner lives. But stealing a dog is viewed in law much like the theft of a laptop or backpack. </p>
<p><div data-react-class="InstagramEmbed" data-react-props="{"url":"https://www.instagram.com/p/CLxVZAkMqxC","accessToken":"127105130696839|b4b75090c9688d81dfd245afe6052f20"}"></div></p>
<p>This is true even though the UK government has agreed to formally recognise the <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/animals-to-be-formally-recognised-as-sentient-beings-in-domestic-law">sentience of animals in law</a>. So our legal system tells us we should protect animal welfare, but also that they continue to be subject to the laws of property. <a href="https://www.nonhumanrights.org/">Many animal law experts</a> argue that these two positions are incompatible and that truly recognising animal sentience in law requires giving animals <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uvdu_xKeDzU">legal rights</a> or similarly strong protections that go further than just protecting animal welfare.</p>
<p>A second issue is that companion animals are usually given different legal treatment compared to farmed animals. For example, in the US, the majority of animal cruelty offences <a href="https://aldf.org/article/laws-that-protect-animals/">do not apply to farmed animals</a>. </p>
<p>In the UK, the <a href="https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2006/45/section/9">Animal Welfare Act</a> imposes a duty to ensure an animal’s welfare needs are met. The act specifically states that this duty does not prevent the “destruction of an animal in an appropriate and humane manner”. What this looks like for farmed animals and companion animals is very different in practice. </p>
<p>It is common to think of appropriate and humane killing of a companion animal occurring when their health is failing significantly or when they are experiencing immense suffering. However, this is not the case for farmed animals, which are routinely killed when young and healthy.</p>
<p>This is reflected in western culture more generally. Most people care more about some animals than others. The majority of people in the UK would be <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-are-we-outraged-about-eating-dog-but-not-bacon-43796">horrified</a> at the idea of eating a cat or a dog, but not at the idea of eating a chicken. This is despite the fact that these species have comparable <a href="https://www.animal-ethics.org/ethics-animals-section/animal-interests-section/">interests</a> in thriving, living freely and not being eaten. </p>
<p>So, while we make progress in offering further protections in the case of companion animals, improving animal welfare for farmed animals is much more difficult to achieve. This is due to the different interests at stake, not least those of the farmers whose livelihoods depend upon raising animals for slaughter.</p>
<p>A final issue is that criminalisation may not be the best route to achieve animal protection. Animal law researcher <a href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/beyond-cages/2E51A85DFB23514524D2ECDD21F44357">Justin Marceau has written</a> about the harms caused by the problem of mass criminalisation and incarceration. Marceau believes that using this model to protect animal welfare will only contribute to the problem of overfull prisons and underuse of community-based responses to crime.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.alaw.org.uk/blog/2019/09/25/september-book-of-the-month-beyond-cages-animal-law-and-criminal-punishment-by-justin-marceau/">Marceau proposes</a> that we think about animal protection in terms of systemic solutions rather than reactive ones. Our current legal and sociopolitical systems mean that some animal harms are criminalised while others are facilitated and even encouraged by our legal and sociopolitical systems. To fix this, we must improve the treatment of all animals in law, rather than reacting to individual issues (like pet theft) in a way that results in disparate levels of protection for animals depending on how humans use them.</p>
<p>An “animal thief” may be imprisoned for stealing a dog, causing an isolated episode of suffering. At the same time, the law would not punish that same person for ending the lives of animals as a slaughterhouse worker. We could address this through more work to improve the welfare of animals used in various industries.</p>
<h2>Who is the law for?</h2>
<p>You need not align with the values of <a href="https://veganuary.com/veganuary-2021-biggest-year-yet-growing-every-3-seconds">veganism</a>, nor believe that animals should have rights, in order to recognise the inconsistencies in the law here. Declaring animal sentience but maintaining animals’ property status is a contradiction in terms. </p>
<p>Offering more protections to companion animals than farmed animals, despite the fact that they have similar interests, betrays the fact that these laws are based on human-centric social and cultural biases. So, they may not be focused on protecting animals in the way the government claims. </p>
<p>So, before celebrating this new law as a win for animals, we must ask who is being served by new laws like this. Arguably, this law focuses too heavily on the interests of victims like Lady Gaga, when it ought to be more focused on improving the lives of dogs like Koji and Gustav. And perhaps the law should start to incorporate more large-scale, proactive changes to protect the billions of farmed, laboratory and other animals that remain nameless.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/167665/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Iyan Offor is a member of the Scottish Steering Committee of the UK Centre for Animal Law. Iyan works with an academic network of animal and environmental law scholars as well as animal and environmental NGOs. Because of these partnerships, Iyan has previously completed research projects part-funded by animal welfare NGOs.</span></em></p>The plan to criminalise pet theft is more about pet owners’ wellbeing than for the animals themselves.Iyan Offor, Birmingham City UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1661972021-08-16T15:50:48Z2021-08-16T15:50:48ZGeronimo the alpaca – the case for animals having the same legal rights as people<p>The fate of Geronimo the alpaca was seemingly sealed in the UK’s high court <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-gloucestershire-57997877">recently</a> when the appeal against an order to slaughter him was rejected. </p>
<p>After twice testing positive for bovine tuberculosis (TB), Geronimo’s death was ordered by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) back in 2017, with that order upheld in the latest high-court decision. A legal challenge by Helen Macdonald, Geronimo’s owner, had delayed the implementation of the order, and <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9892651/Geronimo-alpaca-receives-72-hour-stay-execution.html">further legal proceedings</a> have granted <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-gloucestershire-58241387">another stay of execution</a> ahead of a review.</p>
<p>Given that <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/994066/bovinetb-statsnotice-Q1-quarterly-16jun21.pdf">tens of thousands</a> of animals are slaughtered each year in England and Wales to control the spread of bovine TB, it’s worth asking why Geronimo’s case in particular has attracted <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/10/world/europe/geronimo-alpaca-execution-.html">global media attention</a>. The answer is that Macdonald has taken the matter to the courts on multiple occasions. But the very fact that the litigation
is in <a href="https://www.bailii.org/cgi-bin/format.cgi?doc=/ew/cases/EWHC/Admin/2019/1783.html&query=(title:(+macdonald+))">her name</a> and not Geronimo’s highlights how the the definition of legal personhood restricts the rights of animals under the law.</p>
<h2>Non-humans as legal persons</h2>
<p>Legal personhood is a crucial part of any legal system, as only those who are recognised as a person by the law can enforce their legal rights. If animals had their own rights as legal persons, entities other than owners could enforce them, such as anti-cruelty campaigners asking a court to uphold the rights of animals kept in inhumane conditions. The protections and remedies the law provides would be for the benefit of the animal, not its owner.</p>
<p>Personhood is an artificial categorisation that is by no means restricted to human beings – companies and ships are among entities which have been recognised as legal persons in the past. Academics are <a href="http://www.environmentandsociety.org/mml/should-trees-have-standing-law-morality-and-environment">now debating</a> whether legal personhood should be extended to other natural entities besides humans, with some <a href="https://www.jurist.org/commentary/2020/04/sanket-khandelwal-environment-person/">notable successes</a>. Personhood has even been bestowed on environmental features, such as <a href="https://theconversation.com/rights-for-nature-how-granting-a-river-personhood-could-help-protect-it-157117">Muteshekau Shipu</a>, a river in Quebec that was declared a legal person in February 2021, with nine particular legal rights including the right to “<a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/4/3/this-river-in-canada-now-legal-person">live, exist and flow</a>”.</p>
<p>But instances of courts recognising the legal personhood of animals are still <a href="https://theconversation.com/happy-the-elephant-was-denied-rights-designed-for-humans-but-the-legal-definition-of-person-is-still-evolving-152410">few and far between</a>. This means that animals are still considered property in most jurisdictions, including the UK, reducing them to the <a href="https://www.peta.org/teachkind/lesson-plans-activities/nouns-animals-not-things/">status of things</a>: objects to which the law is applied, rather than subjects of the law who possess their own legal rights. </p>
<p>Chimpanzees are <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/technology/when-will-my-child-outsmart-a-chimp-not-until-theyre-4-or-more-scientists-say-20170619-gwtycu.html">intellectually comparable</a> to a four-year-old, but a chimp is legally comparable to a chocolate bar, not a child. The high court was not asked to decide on whether Geronimo had a legal right to life. It was asked to decide whether Defra had acted irrationally in ordering the destruction of Macdonald’s property.</p>
<p>Given that legal personhood is <a href="https://www.nationalaffairs.com/publications/detail/are-corporations-people">already bestowed</a> on non-human entities, there is no technical reason to withhold it from animals. In fact, bestowing personhood on animals could provide a lasting benefit for animal rights. After all, for legal rights to be meaningful, they must be enforceable. And to enforce one’s rights in a court of law, one must be recognised by that court. <a href="https://www.ted.com/speakers/steven_wise">Steven M Wise</a>, one of the most influential legal scholars writing on animal rights, <a href="https://www.animallaw.info/sites/default/files/lralvol17_1_1.pdf">has argued</a> that legal personhood is synonymous with the capacity to possess rights, and so personhood becomes a basic prerequisite for meaningful legal rights for animals.</p>
<p>As Geronimo’s story has shown, when animals are considered as individuals rather than an indeterminate mass, our perceptions of fair treatment shift dramatically. Some have argued that the public outcry is because Geronimo is “<a href="https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/alpaca-owners-must-accept-slaughter-is-a-necessary-evil-rzp5637vv">irresistibly cute</a>”. They may well be right, but perhaps it is not that Geronimo is cute as much as Geronimo is an individual with a name and a face. As the <a href="https://quoteinvestigator.com/2010/05/21/death-statistic/">famous saying</a> goes, “a single death is a tragedy, a million deaths is a statistic”.</p>
<p>The definition of a legal person is also becoming blurred in another way. Legal personhood for artificial intelligence (AI) is a hot topic not just in <a href="https://doi.org/10.1017/S0020589320000366">academic literature</a>, but in the <a href="https://www.supremecourt.uk/docs/speech-190314.pdf">speeches</a> of <a href="https://www.supremecourt.uk/docs/speech-191112.pdf">justices</a> of the US supreme court and in the <a href="https://europeanlawblog.eu/2020/11/25/refusing-to-award-legal-personality-to-ai-why-the-european-parliament-got-it-wrong/">European parliament</a>.</p>
<p>Artificial intelligence is already entering contracts, operating vehicles and making decisions that affect the legal rights of humans. Should AI in these positions not bear legal responsibility? The more <a href="https://ai-regulation.com/refusing-to-award-legal-personality-to-ai-why-the-european-parliament-got-it-wrong/">involved</a> we are with AI, the more a legal identity for that AI is needed. To have meaningful rights in our legal landscape, you must have legal personhood. In this case, it might make it possible for an AI to own the intellectual property it creates, for example. </p>
<p>Geronimo’s fate will be decided long before any such changes take effect. Thanks to his owner’s concern, Geronimo has at least had his day in court. It is time to seriously consider whether that is a right we should extend to other sentient beings.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/166197/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Fred Motson does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Boats and companies have been treated as legal persons in the past. Why not an alpaca?Fred Motson, Lecturer in Law, The Open UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1655762021-08-05T15:10:15Z2021-08-05T15:10:15ZAnimal sentience bill is necessary for the UK to be a true world leader in animal welfare<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/414779/original/file-20210805-13-167j1n0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=112%2C56%2C4582%2C3068&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/cows-cattle-farm-hungary-790840120">alanisko/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The UK has a proud history as a leader in animal welfare, passing one of the world’s first <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Martins-Act">animal protection laws</a> in 1822, to prevent the cruel treatment of cattle. </p>
<p>While such laws have continued to improve – the <a href="https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2006/45/contents">Animal Welfare Act 2006</a> introduced a requirement to provide for the welfare needs of animals, not just prevent unnecessary suffering – the UK now needs specific animal sentience legislation.</p>
<p>The <a href="https://bills.parliament.uk/bills/2867">Animal Welfare (Sentience) Bill</a>, currently awaiting report stage in the House of Lords, would ensure the government considers how all its policies – not just those dealing directly with animals – affect the welfare of sentient animals.</p>
<p>Sentience is the capacity to experience feelings and emotions. Science informs us that vertebrates —- mammals, birds, fish, amphibians and reptiles —- are sentient. <a href="https://committees.parliament.uk/writtenevidence/37706/pdf/">Recent research</a> also provides strong evidence that some invertebrates, including octopus, squid, crabs and lobsters, are sentient. </p>
<p>As a member of the EU, the UK was subject to a legal recognition that “animals are sentient beings”. <a href="https://www.alaw.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Article-13-Legal-Briefing-Note.pdf">Article 13</a> of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union legally obliges the EU and member states to “pay full regard” to animal welfare in crafting and implementing policy. The EU enacted this sentience policy because, despite animals being able to suffer, they are legally classed as property and traded as commodities. </p>
<p>Post-Brexit, the UK is no longer subject to this legislation. This bill would fill gaps in animal protection by ensuring that all policy considers their welfare.</p>
<h2>What’s in the bill</h2>
<p>The bill provides a framework for a statutory body, the Animal Sentience Committee, to scrutinise whether the government has given “all due regard” to how any given policy might affect “the welfare of animals as sentient beings”.</p>
<p>Supporters of the legislation, including groups <a href="https://www.rspca.org.uk/-/news-rspca-welcomes-sentience-bill">like the RSPCA</a>, are calling for the committee to be fully independent and composed of members with expertise in animal welfare science, ethics, policy and law. </p>
<p>But the government will require a formal process to assess how policy options will affect animals. Government departments, or the committee itself, should conduct impact assessments to fulfil this objective. Given the inherent <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/8/6/88">moral dimension</a> of sentience consideration, government policy should also be subject to ethical review. Wherever possible, harm to sentient animals should be mitigated reasonably and proportionately.</p>
<p>In my recent research, co-authored with Michael Reiss, we have shown how <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10806-017-9684-5">animal welfare impact assessments</a> could be conducted for government policy that significantly affects sentient species.</p>
<p>We proposed in our research that government assess positive and negative welfare impacts of policy options for all species significantly affected by policy. We have argued that this kind of approach was required by EU sentience policy, but that the UK did not fully implement Article 13. </p>
<p>The sentience bill, through the committee, provides an accountability mechanism to ensure the government pays due regard to animal welfare in policymaking.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/3s0LTDhqe5A?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">The documentary My Octopus Teacher provides a moving example of animal sentience.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The government’s <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/938046/The_Green_Book_2020.pdf">Green Book</a> – its central guidance on evaluation of policy – gives some indication of how sentient animals are excluded in policymaking. In its 152 pages, this key document does not contain a single reference to “animal”, let alone “sentient animal”, or “animal welfare”.</p>
<p>Governments conduct impact assessments, for instance, economic impact assessments, for effects on human society. For large planning projects, environmental impact assessments are conducted to assess the impacts on the environment.</p>
<p>Where the impact on animals is direct and more clear – as in agricultural or research policy – the government is likely to have considered animal welfare. Where it is indirect – as in budgetary, planning or trade policy – they are much less likely to consider the impacts. However, there is no formal and systematic mechanism to assess how government policy affects sentient animals specifically.</p>
<h2>Those opposed</h2>
<p>Sentience legislation is a Conservative Party manifesto commitment and at the heart of the government’s <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/985332/Action_Plan_for_Animal_Welfare.pdf">Action Plan for Animal Welfare</a>. </p>
<p>Despite this, some Conservative Lords and party donors are opposed to this bill. They have <a href="https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/tory-rebels-fear-activists-will-hijack-animal-sentience-bill-5qb97vx3l">written</a> to the prime minister claiming that the bill will cause unnecessary bureaucracy, lead to judicial reviews, and be hijacked by an animal rights agenda. </p>
<p>Opponents have raised concerns that the bill would affect the use of animals in medical research, religious slaughter, and countryside pursuits. In their communications, they generally reiterate their belief that animals are sentient, but that the bill is nevertheless unnecessary.</p>
<p>These concerns are misplaced. The only power of the proposed committee is to report to parliament on how the government has paid due regard to animal welfare in policy making. The committee might also publish its findings to promote media and public scrutiny of the issue at hand.</p>
<p>As the government minister Lord Benyon has advised in <a href="https://hansard.parliament.uk/lords/2021-06-16/debates/81851658-6B9F-4739-8199-22398F81085F/AnimalWelfare(Sentience)Bill(HL)">parliament</a>, while the committee provides scrutiny of policy, it is for government ministers to make decisions on policy matters. The purpose of this bill is simply to ensure that sentience is taken into account.</p>
<p>In <a href="https://committees.parliament.uk/writtenevidence/37751/pdf/">my view</a>, this legislation is fundamentally necessary if the UK is to be a global leader in animal welfare, and to promote the protection of sentient species generally. </p>
<p>If science informs us that animals are sentient, and if the government is to pay all due regard to animal welfare, then we must have structures and processes in place to assess how government policy affects such species.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/165576/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Steven McCulloch does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Proposed legislation would required the government to consider how all of its policies affect animal welfare.Steven McCulloch, Senior Lecturer in Human Animal Studies, Centre for Animal Welfare, University of WinchesterLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1581172021-07-12T11:02:49Z2021-07-12T11:02:49ZPescatarians are right – why I say eating fish is more ethical than eating meat<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/410614/original/file-20210709-17-o459r3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C4031%2C3024&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/fish-chips-707437894">Andreea Tudor/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Forget veggie burgers, fake bacon and cheese <a href="https://store.veganessentials.com/oatzarella-organic-oat-milk-cheese-wheel---italian-herb-p7479.aspx">made from oats</a>. For vegans at least, plant-based alternatives to meat and dairy products have long since gone mainstream. <a href="https://www.insidehook.com/daily_brief/food-and-drink/the-next-protein-substitute-on-the-horizon-alt-fish">Alt-fish</a> – food made from plants that mimics the taste and texture of fish, or real fish tissue grown from stem cells – is the next big thing. </p>
<p>As a researcher in applied ethics, I’ve long understood that decisions about what we eat link up with several other debates. And, though often conflated, the arguments against eating real fish are quite different from those surrounding land animals.</p>
<p>Philosophical ethics is divided between those who approach issues by starting with absolute principles, like a duty to minimise suffering and to preserve as many species as possible, and those using utilitarian calculations that set aside notions of right and wrong and instead weigh up competing interests, with the only principle left that of the happiness of the greatest number.</p>
<p>Debates about the ethics of eating meat and dairy foods feature both kinds of arguments. But there is broad agreement that farm animals have interests and can suffer and that, conversely, farming is a crucial part of human society. While ancient thinkers including Pythagoras and Plato advocated for the moral superiority of vegetarian diets, in <a href="https://www.abebooks.co.uk/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=6878261306&cm_mmc=ggl-_-UK_Shopp_RareStandard-_-product_id=bi%3A%206878261306-_-keyword=&gclid=Cj0KCQjw0K-HBhDDARIsAFJ6UGgh-nYZDNXUCLSvlGwv2olzHys2IfCG4c5hrANeX08GHg6VzH9d_PAaAhHAEALw_wcB">Plato’s ideal republic</a>, a healthy diet would consist of cereals, seeds and beans, fruit, milk, honey – and fish.</p>
<p>The Bible too includes many nods to vegetarianism. The animals in the Garden of Eden are presented as beloved friends and their killing is only recorded after Eve has defied God and eaten the forbidden fruit. This encouraged the fourth-century archbishop of Constantinople <a href="https://ivu.org/history/williams/chrysostom.html">John Chrysostom</a> to rail against the “butchering and cutting up of flesh” as well as its “horrible smells”. With fish, though, the Bible takes a different line. Jesus <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%2014%3A13-21&version=NIV">famously multiplied</a> five barley loaves and two fish into a meal for 5,000 people to eat.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A stained-glass window depicting Jesus Christ feeding the 5,000." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/410615/original/file-20210709-27-1s5rejr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/410615/original/file-20210709-27-1s5rejr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=281&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/410615/original/file-20210709-27-1s5rejr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=281&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/410615/original/file-20210709-27-1s5rejr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=281&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/410615/original/file-20210709-27-1s5rejr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=353&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/410615/original/file-20210709-27-1s5rejr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=353&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/410615/original/file-20210709-27-1s5rejr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=353&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Fish feature prominently in biblical discussions of diet and good living.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/stained-glass-window-st-church-fougeres-21604885">Tiberiu Stan/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>And if we would surely be surprised had Jesus selected his disciples from people working in abattoirs, we happily accept not only the central Christian metaphor of “fishing for the souls of men”, but the reality that at least four of the disciples were fishermen, taking their boats out onto Lake Galilee to catch sardine and carp. Likewise, although the Koran offers instructions to believers on how to ensure meat is halal, the rules <a href="https://muslimversity.com/is-fishing-halal-or-haram-in-islam/">do not apply to fish</a>.</p>
<h2>The greatest amount of good</h2>
<p>Utilitarian arguments also founder on this question. Nutritionally, fish is both very good for humans and hard to mimic artificially. Key utilitarian arguments against meat, that it threatens the ecological balance, for example, by contributing to deforestation or increasing the greenhouse effect, transfer less convincingly to fishing, even if overfishing has its own <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-overfishing-and-shark-finning-could-increase-the-pace-of-climate-change-67664">climate impact</a>. </p>
<p>That’s because, in purely utilitarian terms, human and fish interests coincide. Fish are more useful to humans if they are allowed to live to maturity in unpolluted water, and the <a href="http://www.fao.org/in-action/globefish/fishery-information/resource-detail/en/c/338795/">economic value of fisheries</a> is one of the main reasons people <a href="https://ec.europa.eu/fisheries/cfp/mediterranean_en">make efforts</a> to protect wetlands and rivers and limit pollution in coastal seas.</p>
<p>Some philosophers argue that the planet itself should be treated as <a href="https://courses.seas.harvard.edu/climate/eli/Courses/EPS281r/Sources/Gaia/Gaia-hypothesis-wikipedia.pdf">a living entity</a> with its own ethical interests. This line of thinking accepts that human beings are part of nature and everything we do has some impact somewhere. Take those staples of industrial agriculture, corn and soya. They also <a href="https://www.chathamhouse.org/sites/default/files/2021-02/2021-02-03-food-system-biodiversity-loss-benton-et-al_0.pdf">deplete animal life</a>, albeit indirectly. Animals perish during harvesting and from losing habitat to farmland.</p>
<p>It is true that today, as the makers of a new Netflix documentary called <a href="https://www.netflix.com/fr-en/title/81014008">Seaspiracy</a> argue, there are powerful and even criminal groups overfishing and destroying marine life. Yet what would happen if people stopped fishing? How much pressure would it put on the land, and how much is it an essential part of many lives and cultures?</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Traditional fishing boats line a beach in a coastal village of Morocco." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/410616/original/file-20210709-27-14xz1vc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/410616/original/file-20210709-27-14xz1vc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/410616/original/file-20210709-27-14xz1vc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/410616/original/file-20210709-27-14xz1vc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/410616/original/file-20210709-27-14xz1vc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/410616/original/file-20210709-27-14xz1vc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/410616/original/file-20210709-27-14xz1vc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Fishing is culturally significant in coastal communities worldwide.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/morning-landscape-coastal-village-taghazout-morocco-1738813838">Zodyakuz/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p><a href="http://www.fao.org/fileadmin/templates/faoitaly/documents/pdf/pdf_Food_Security_Cocept_Note.pdf">Food security</a>, according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation, does not just concern food production, it must include physical and economic access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food to meet dietary needs. And <a href="http://www.oceansatlas.org/subtopic/en/c/1351/">140 million people</a> worldwide depend on fish for their livelihoods, directly or indirectly. When Australian researchers considered the issue in 2019, they concluded that the benefits of fishing were often understated and the “<a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/332645501_Will_fish_be_part_of_future_healthy_and_sustainable_diets">doomsday portrayal</a>” overemphasised.</p>
<p>Replacing fish with plant-based wizardry might have many personal benefits, from avoiding little bones to being spared <a href="https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/mercury-content-of-fish">traces of mercury</a>. But, ethically speaking, going cold turkey on meat is rather different than saying “bon voyage” to fish.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/158117/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Martin Cohen is the author of a recent book on food policy, 'I Think Therefore I Eat' (Turner 2019) for which he receives royalties.</span></em></p>Pescatarians might frustrate purist vegetarians, but the issues surrounding fish are quite different to meat.Martin Cohen, Visiting Research Fellow in Philosophy, University of HertfordshireLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1634932021-07-02T02:05:08Z2021-07-02T02:05:08ZThe government is clamping down on charities — and it could have a chilling effect on peaceful protest<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/409405/original/file-20210702-19-9al2f7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=389%2C30%2C3259%2C2714&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The Australian government introduced <a href="https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/F2021L00863">new regulations</a> last week that could have a major chilling effect across Australia’s diverse charities sector. </p>
<p>The government’s <a href="https://ministers.treasury.gov.au/ministers/michael-sukkar-2019/media-releases/coalition-government-strengthens-governance-standards">aim</a> was clear: the regulations are intended to target “<a href="https://www.financeminister.gov.au/assistant/media-release/2020/12/13/charities-supporting-unlawful-behaviour-will-not-be-tolerated">activist organisations</a>”, and specifically crack down on “unlawful behaviour”. </p>
<p>Despite this rhetoric, there is no evidence unlawful behaviour by charities is a problem of any significance. By clamping down on charities in this way, the government is not only curtailing their ability to organise peaceful protests, it is imposing more unnecessary red tape on an already highly-regulated sector.</p>
<h2>What would the regulations do?</h2>
<p>The regulations would give the <a href="https://www.acnc.gov.au/">Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission</a> (ACNC) new powers to take action against a charity if it commits, or fails to adequately ensure its resources aren’t used to commit, certain types of “<a href="https://www.mcv.vic.gov.au/criminal-matters/criminal-offences/summary-offences#:%7E:text=Summary%20offences%20are%20usually%20less,you%20should%20seek%20legal%20advice.&text=You%20should%20seek%20legal%20advice%20if,been%20charged%20by%20the%20police.">summary offences</a>”.</p>
<p>These are generally a less serious type of criminal offence, and can include acts such as trespassing, unlawful entry, malicious damage or vandalism.</p>
<p>If the ACNC commissioner believes a charity is not complying with the regulations, they would be able to take enforcement action, which may include deregistering the charity. This would lead to the charity losing tax concessions — one of the incentives for people to donate to them.</p>
<p>In effect, the regulations mean that if a charity organised a protest in front of a government department and initially refused to leave, this could be considered trespassing. And this could then be grounds to have the charity deregistered.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1407277246843285504"}"></div></p>
<h2>Are these regulations necessary?</h2>
<p>There is little, if any, evidence of a need for the regulations. </p>
<p>First, a <a href="https://treasury.gov.au/publication/p2018-t318031">comprehensive review</a> of the ACNC legislation commissioned by the government in 2018 did not identify any issues with unlawful behaviour by charities.</p>
<p>In fact, the review recommended removing the ACNC’s existing power to take action against charities that commit serious breaches of the law. It pointed out that charities must already comply with all laws that they are subject to, and it is not the ACNC’s responsibility to monitor compliance or impose sanctions for breaches. </p>
<p>Despite this, the new regulations would extend the reach of the ACNC and expand its existing powers even further.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/animal-rights-activists-in-melbourne-green-collar-criminals-or-civil-disobedients-115119">Animal rights activists in Melbourne: green-collar criminals or civil 'disobedients'?</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>And importantly, there is no evidence charities — or their staffs or volunteers — are engaging in widespread unlawful activity. When questioned at a recent Senate Estimates hearing, ACNC Commissioner Gary Johns <a href="https://probonoaustralia.com.au/news/2021/06/acnc-head-says-very-few-charities-are-acting-illegally-despite-crackdown/">said</a> the commission’s data did not indicate this was a problem. </p>
<p>Even the government’s own <a href="https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/F2021L00863/Explanatory%20Statement/Text">regulatory impact assessment</a> asserts only a “small number” of charities have engaged in unlawful behaviour. However, even this claim is not backed up by solid evidence, with the assessment saying it is based on </p>
<blockquote>
<p>media coverage in recent years in relation to protests on forestry, mining and farming lands.</p>
</blockquote>
<h2>Charities are already highly regulated</h2>
<p>Charities in Australia are already highly regulated and subject to a <a href="https://www.acnc.gov.au/for-charities/manage-your-charity/obligations-acnc">broad range of obligations</a>. They must also abide by any number of laws, for example, occupational health and safety and criminal laws. </p>
<p>And the ACNC already has extensive <a href="https://www.acnc.gov.au/raise-concern/concerns-about-charities/what-acnc-can-investigate#:%7E:text=ACNC%20powers%20to%20investigate,requirements%20to%20keep%20appropriate%20records">investigation</a> and <a href="https://www.acnc.gov.au/raise-concern/regulating-charities/how-we-ensure-charities-meet-their-obligations">compliance</a> powers. If charities breach any of the laws they are subject to, they can be sanctioned just like other organisations — and the same applies to their staff.</p>
<p>In addition, charities are <a href="https://www.acnc.gov.au/for-charities/manage/governance-standards/governance-standard-5-duties-responsible-persons/what-are">already required</a> to take steps to ensure their directors comply with duties, such as acting with reasonable care and diligence. This includes monitoring and managing risks arising from a charity’s activities.</p>
<h2>Drafted in a vague way</h2>
<p>Perhaps most concerningly, the proposed regulations are worded in a very vague manner, and although improvements were made in response to <a href="https://treasury.gov.au/consultation/c2021-149084">public consultation</a> on a draft version, major problems remain.</p>
<p>First, they require a charity to “maintain reasonable internal control procedures” to prevent its resources from being used to promote unlawful activities. </p>
<p>According to the regulations, this could cover things such as who can access or use a charity’s funds, premises or social media accounts, and what kind of training charity directors and employees must undertake.</p>
<p>What is “reasonable” in this context involves making very subjective judgements. While the ACNC will provide guidance to charities on this, many organisations will still face considerable uncertainty.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/australian-charities-are-well-regulated-but-changes-are-needed-to-cut-red-tape-72877">Australian charities are well regulated, but changes are needed to cut red tape</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Further, the regulations would not require a conviction, the laying of charges, or even a formal allegation of an offence being committed before the ACNC can take action. The wording only refers to “acts or omissions that may be dealt with” as a summary offence. </p>
<p>This is very open-ended language, but the crux of it is that a charity could be deregistered because it did something the ACNC commissioner thinks is a summary offence. The action itself, however, may not actually meet the criteria for a summary offence because that’s something only a court can determine.</p>
<p>The ACNC commissioner is the ultimate decision maker on these matters. The regulations do not include any factors or criteria that need to be considered when making a decision, other than saying the ACNC “may” (there’s that word again) consult with law enforcement or other relevant authorities. </p>
<h2>The chilling effect of the regulations</h2>
<p>Even if a charity is deregistered but then successfully <a href="https://www.acnc.gov.au/about/corporate-information/corporate-policies/reviews-and-appeals">appeals a decision</a>, it may no longer have access to tax concessions, it may lose its donors and other supporters, and it may have its reputation tarnished within the community.</p>
<p>The ACNC seeks to implement the law as it understands it. Its focus is on providing guidance to charities rather than using strong enforcement powers straight away. But the vagueness and breadth of the regulations may lead to misunderstandings or regulatory overreach, and create a more uncertain environment for charities. </p>
<p>They will also impose yet another requirement that charity boards and management must consider. Given charities are already well-regulated, if anything, they need unnecessary red tape removed rather than having more of it imposed on them.</p>
<p>And the regulations will likely have a chilling effect. Charities will be more cautious when it comes to organising public advocacy activities such as peaceful protests — or steer clear of them altogether — in order to avoid falling afoul of the regulations. Such activities are an important part of Australia’s democracy.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/409404/original/file-20210702-13-sc9ao1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/409404/original/file-20210702-13-sc9ao1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=376&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/409404/original/file-20210702-13-sc9ao1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=376&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/409404/original/file-20210702-13-sc9ao1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=376&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/409404/original/file-20210702-13-sc9ao1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=472&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/409404/original/file-20210702-13-sc9ao1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=472&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/409404/original/file-20210702-13-sc9ao1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=472&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Protesters with the environmental group Friends of the Earth take to the water in an attempt to blockade a coal ship in Brisbane.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Six Degrees/PR Handout Image/AAP</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Can the regulations be stopped?</h2>
<p>Although the regulations have been made, they cannot come into force until they have been tabled in both chambers of parliament, and the <a href="https://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/Senate/Powers_practice_n_procedures/Brief_Guides_to_Senate_Procedure/No_19">disallowance period</a> has passed. </p>
<p>If a disallowance motion is successful in the House or Senate, then the regulations will be invalid and will not take effect. Given the government does not have a majority in the Senate, this is a possibility. </p>
<p>Much is riding on the crossbenchers — not just the impact the regulations would have on individual charities, but also the kind of society we want Australia to be.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/163493/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Krystian Seibert was an adviser to a former Australian Assistant Treasurer, and in this role he was responsible for overseeing the establishment of the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission and its regulatory framework. He is currently a Member of the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission's 'Sector Forum' which is a consultative body comprising charity sector representatives. He also works for Philanthropy Australia, the peak body for philanthropy in Australia, which made a submission opposing the draft regulations.</span></em></p>There is no clear evidence that new regulations intended to crack down on ‘illegal behaviour’ are even needed. Most not-for-profit organisations are law-abiding and heavily regulated.Krystian Seibert, Industry Fellow, Centre for Social Impact, Swinburne University of TechnologyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1558452021-03-09T14:37:55Z2021-03-09T14:37:55ZHorse slaughter is a national disgrace we can and must end<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/387803/original/file-20210304-21-ym56xr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C20%2C1920%2C1166&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Horses have been our companions and partners for thousands of years. They deserve better than to be shipped from Canada in inhumane and cruel conditions for slaughter. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Jerzy Górecki/Pixabay)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>This story is not graphic, but what happens to horses shipped for meat sure is.</p>
<p>You might have believed horses were cherished and protected in Canada. Unfortunately, the truth is more complicated.</p>
<figure class="align-left ">
<img alt="A Clydesdale looks into the camera." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/387800/original/file-20210304-13-1aa7u8u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/387800/original/file-20210304-13-1aa7u8u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/387800/original/file-20210304-13-1aa7u8u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/387800/original/file-20210304-13-1aa7u8u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/387800/original/file-20210304-13-1aa7u8u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=631&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/387800/original/file-20210304-13-1aa7u8u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=631&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/387800/original/file-20210304-13-1aa7u8u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=631&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">These gentle giants can end up on dinner plates overseas.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Aislinn Brander/Pixabay)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Extra-large horses (like the beer commercial Clydesdales) are lovingly called gentle giants because they are calm, kind and co-operative. Yet those born into the meat trade are put in boxes and <a href="https://banhorseslaughter.com/w5/">shipped across the ocean</a> without food or water on a long, one-way flight to their unceremonious deaths. Then they are eaten by the wealthy.</p>
<p><a href="https://canadianhorsedefencecoalition.org/">Often three or four</a> horses are crammed into crates that barely offer enough room for one. About <a href="https://www.inspection.gc.ca/animal-health/humane-transport/horses/exports-to-japan/eng/1601347381621/1601347382153">40,000 horses</a> have been shipped to slaughter from Canada since 2013.</p>
<p>It’s a gruesome national disgrace. And it’s perfectly legal, although hopefully not for much longer.</p>
<h2>Horse welfare</h2>
<p>Live export horse shipments are monitored by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. Whistle-blowers have exposed basic welfare failures — horses being kept on tarmacs in <a href="https://winnipeg.ctvnews.ca/the-ultimate-betrayal-winnipeg-humane-society-calls-for-feds-to-ban-live-horse-exportation-1.5307168">brutally cold temperatures</a>, horses arriving overseas <a href="https://canadianhorsedefencecoalition.org/another-access-to-information-document-reveals-horse-death-on-atlas-air-flight-to-japan/">already dead</a> or dying and horses falling and stepping on each other in the over-crowded crates.</p>
<p>Most of these animals come from one of a few facilities that breed horses specifically to become meat, or from the <a href="https://www.manitobacooperator.ca/news-opinion/news/pmu-sector-to-expand/">pregnant mare urine</a> industry, where the females are repeatedly impregnated so their urine can be collected to make hormone replacements for women, even though synthetic alternatives exist. </p>
<figure class="align-left ">
<img alt="A mare and her foal." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/387806/original/file-20210304-23-199o1fk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/387806/original/file-20210304-23-199o1fk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/387806/original/file-20210304-23-199o1fk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/387806/original/file-20210304-23-199o1fk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/387806/original/file-20210304-23-199o1fk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/387806/original/file-20210304-23-199o1fk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/387806/original/file-20210304-23-199o1fk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Foals are separated from their mothers and deemed disposable.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Rebecca Schönbrodt-Rühl/Pixabay)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The foals are separated from their mothers and most are deemed disposable. When the mares’ bodies become exhausted, they, too, are normally sent to slaughter. Pregnant mare urine production parallels the dairy industry in this way. </p>
<p>Canada has appallingly low standards for <a href="https://www.inspection.gc.ca/animal-health/humane-transport/then-vs-now-humane-transportation-regulations/eng/1550521526833/1550521527082">slaughter-bound animals</a> of all kinds. Cows, goats and sheep can be shipped for 36 hours without food, water or rest. Horses, pigs, chickens and rabbits? Twenty-eight hours. </p>
<p>Tens of thousands of horses are also slaughtered within Canada.</p>
<p>But whether these dismal standards are being met or not, the real issue here is why we are unnecessarily shipping and killing animals at all.</p>
<h2>Endangering animals and people</h2>
<p>Canada has a serious animal slaughter problem. We kill more than <a href="https://animaljustice.ca/blog/canada-slaughtered-834-million-animals-in-2019">800 million individual animals</a> per year and cause physical and psychological suffering that is difficult to fathom and impossible to justify. </p>
<p>Factory farming is also endangering our own species. Workers are treated with <a href="https://sentientmedia.org/slaughterhouses-where-animal-rights-and-workers-rights-suffer-in-symphony/">alarming disregard</a>. Industrial animal agriculture has consistently been identified <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2019/08/08/748416223/to-slow-global-warming-u-n-warns-agriculture-must-change">by scientists</a> and other <a href="https://www.fairr.org/article/industry-infected/">methodical analysts</a> as a central and major cause of climate change, not as a peripheral problem.</p>
<p>Equally dangerous is the very real possibility that factory farming close to home will be the cause of the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/apr/20/factory-farms-pandemic-risk-covid-animal-human-health">next pandemic</a>. </p>
<p>The ongoing COVID-19 crisis has made it unequivocally clear that our species needs to act with far more compassion and good sense. Profits don’t excuse harm and violence. We need humane jobs, and a sustainable future that is caring and just.</p>
<h2>Legal change is within our reach</h2>
<p>Horses’ speed, power and collaboration built almost every community in this country. We ask horses to partner with us for sport, protection, recreation, therapy and companionship. I was on the back of a gentle horse named Champ before I could walk. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Three horses in a field look at the camera." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/387798/original/file-20210304-13-1c328y2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/387798/original/file-20210304-13-1c328y2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/387798/original/file-20210304-13-1c328y2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/387798/original/file-20210304-13-1c328y2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/387798/original/file-20210304-13-1c328y2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/387798/original/file-20210304-13-1c328y2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/387798/original/file-20210304-13-1c328y2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Horses have helped build societies for eons. We owe them better.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Fabian Burghardt/Unsplash)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p><a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/play-horses-dogs-behavior-language">Horses play</a>. They comfort. They form meaningful bonds with people and other animals. Many horse people, me included, have witnessed first-hand how horses grieve the deaths of their friends. Horses are emotionally attuned and empathetic souls who feel joy but also fear and pain. Humane euthanasia is the only ethical way to end their lives, when necessary.</p>
<p>Animal advocates and lawyers, actress Kate Drummond, national icons like <a href="http://horseshit.ca/">Jann Arden</a>, horse lovers and Canadians of all kinds recognize that we need to halt live horse export. Liberal MP Nathan Erskine-Smith is currently <a href="https://petitions.ourcommons.ca/en/Petition/Sign/e-3187">working on a sorely needed ban and you can sign his petition</a> to end this inhumane practice.</p>
<p>Whether your vision for Canada is progressive or conservative, neither includes the slaughter of horses. Horses are important members of our families and communities who deserve far more respect and protection. Putting an end to live export is the absolute least we must do, and it is time for the federal government to act.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/155845/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Kendra Coulter receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. She serves on the Canadian Violence Link Coalition coordinating committee and on Ontario's Provincial Animal Welfare Services Advisory Table.</span></em></p>This story is not graphic, but what happens to slaughter-bound horses is, and it’s time for change.Kendra Coulter, Chancellor's Chair for Research Excellence; Chair of the Labour Studies Department; Fellow of the Oxford Centre for Animal Ethics, Brock UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1468452020-09-25T04:51:19Z2020-09-25T04:51:19ZYou wouldn’t hit a dog, so why kill one in Minecraft? Why violence against virtual animals is an ethical issue<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/359919/original/file-20200925-20-g81hd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C337%2C1405%2C651&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/brownpau/5603896725/in/photolist-9xcrg4-b9EQ7B-ahTzoz-cLsmMf-cLsmL9-9uSV76-goVVDG-goVHnL-dNkdAw-goW4WU-pCNZv7-fz9xAD-dPKZRV-21LdSt5-ahTzoK-dQbZ8r-bDsiPN-cGJguU-a9Koyc-9QkLiG-zBE14F-2be9ayX-dWYd8M-2dAXNvH-2jhHPEw-pdrAcy-BTAYAk-B9dh1Z-2fp4GoB-2d3PjZP-f1Atmc-cGJgDL-285YffY-qvjHqX-cKAbrq-fz9xAZ-9F9jUS-eeZJFQ-9wssjg-BH1BpS-C3JJz7-pdtuLx-pbrvDm-x5Th5S-C8wmqW-BFByLh-efwLWs-aTrdXV-2ibzdRx-2gnW1fU">Paulo O/Flickr</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Violence against animals in video games is ubiquitous. Players can kill or torture animals in various popular games, including Minecraft and Grand Theft Auto V. The rise of this (increasingly realistic) trend in games, along with people’s tendency to go along with it, raises important questions.</p>
<p>Violence against humans in video games has long been contentious – underpinned by the <a href="https://theconversation.com/violent-video-games-and-real-violence-theres-a-link-but-its-not-so-simple-63038">never-ending debate</a> over whether on-screen violence begets the real thing. But violence against animals in video games has attracted considerably less attention. </p>
<p>In a <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs10676-020-09557-9">recently published paper</a>, we argue there is good reason to think violence against animals in video games is problematic – perhaps even more so than in-game violence against humans. We think game violence against animals is more likely to promote disrespect for their living counterparts.</p>
<h2>The jury is out</h2>
<p>In 2005, <a href="https://www.refused-classification.com/censorship/games/p.html">Australia</a> banned a first-person shooter game called Postal 2, in which players could mutilate and desecrate (virtual) human bodies. Australia has controversially banned several games available in other countries because of depictions of violence and other potentially objectionable themes. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/australia-bans-video-games-for-things-youd-see-in-movies-but-gamers-can-access-them-anyway-122183">Australia bans video games for things you'd see in movies. But gamers can access them anyway</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Players evidently have varying views on harming virtual animals. Some express concern or remorse — one gamer <a href="https://www.giantbomb.com/forums/red-dead-redemption-3153/feel-bad-about-killing-animals-419952/">wrote</a> on a forum:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>It’s weird how bad I feel about killing animals in the game … I will actively try and shoot guys off horses instead of just shooting the horses.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) – itself a somewhat <a href="https://www.peta.org/about-peta/faq/why-does-peta-use-controversial-tactics/">troubled</a> <a href="https://www.news.com.au/technology/innovation/inventions/elon-musk-told-to-implant-neuralink-in-his-own-brain-by-peta-after-pig-demo/news-story/2221cb3f5fc98765e3ae55318480c00e">organisation</a> – has <a href="https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/josephbernstein/11-classic-video-games-that-peta-should-protest">criticised games</a> it says “promote hurting and killing” animals. Examples include whale-hunting in Assassin’s Creed, and <a href="https://www.thedrum.com/news/2020/05/22/peta-storms-animal-crossing-protest-treatment-digital-animals">fishing</a> and <a href="https://www.peta.org/features/animal-crossing-new-horizons-vegan/">catching bugs</a> in Animal Crossing: New Horizons. </p>
<p>Other players have no such qualms, however, with one <a href="https://www.giantbomb.com/forums/red-dead-redemption-3153/feel-bad-about-killing-animals-419952/">writing</a>: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>I kill humans in games all the time. Why would I care about animals?</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Many share this view. Video game “<a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs10676-017-9420-x">amoralists</a>” say abusing animals (or humans) in video games can’t be wrong, as the “victims” are virtual and no living being is hurt. </p>
<p>It’s not clear exactly why players feel so differently about in-game violence. Attitudes towards in-game violence may be shaped by personal views, social mores, <a href="https://search.proquest.com/docview/1324953039?pq-origsite=gscholar&fromopenview=true">gaming culture</a> and also the <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/15213269.2016.1142382">amount</a> someone plays violent games. </p>
<p>If video games can promote particular ethical messages, could certain games encourage disrespect for living things? </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/359922/original/file-20200925-16-1h2vmuc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A sniper focuses on a chicken in a video game." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/359922/original/file-20200925-16-1h2vmuc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/359922/original/file-20200925-16-1h2vmuc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/359922/original/file-20200925-16-1h2vmuc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/359922/original/file-20200925-16-1h2vmuc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/359922/original/file-20200925-16-1h2vmuc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/359922/original/file-20200925-16-1h2vmuc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/359922/original/file-20200925-16-1h2vmuc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">First-person shooters, such as Call of Duty, have been around for more than 45 years now. They’re some of the most popular video games today.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">jit/Flickr</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/">CC BY-NC-SA</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>A moral dilemma in plain sight</h2>
<p>Social scientists have long debated whether violent video games cause antisocial attitudes towards other <a href="https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/full/10.1098/rsos.171474">people</a>. Some think they <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20192553/">might</a>, but conclusive evidence for a causal link is <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/soej.12139">lacking</a>. The moral issue of violence against animals in video games has received much less philosophical attention.</p>
<p>Both animals and humans are often portrayed as objects to kill and harm for fun in gaming. However, animals are presented in even more disposable ways. They are often mere tools for players to kill to complete quests, or to gain materials and trophies.</p>
<p>This is true even for games in which players are encouraged to reflect morally on their in-game actions. In Dragon Age: Inquisition, the game’s characters will approve or disapprove of a wide variety of player actions. But harming non-aggressive wild animals is not one of the things that prompts a moral reaction.</p>
<p>While societal respect for animals is growing (<a href="https://www.sciencespo.fr/en/news/news/animal-rights-slow-but-definite-progress/3683">albeit slowly</a>), animals today are routinely treated very badly. We confine them to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/oct/04/factory-farming-destructive-wasteful-cruel-says-philip-lymbery-farmageddon-author">factory farms</a>, put them on <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/apr/10/live-exports-mass-deaths-going-unpunished-as-holes-in-system-revealed">live export ships</a> where many suffer (and even die) and “<a href="https://www.ava.com.au/policy-advocacy/policies/euthanasia/euthanasia/">humanely</a>” kill unwanted companion animals. </p>
<p>Many of us ignore these realities. Morally speaking, animals are relatively invisible to society – whereas other humans generally are not. In this context, depicting animals as disposable commodities in video games could reinforce disrespect towards them, at least for many players. </p>
<p>Some games may help normalise the mistreatment and moral invisibility of animals. </p>
<h2>Examining our prejudices</h2>
<p>So if video games can, in fact, reinforce disrespect for animals, does this mean we should ban or boycott them? We don’t advocate that. However, it would be useful for scientists to investigate whether video games do help or hinder social respect for animals. </p>
<p>Game designers may also consider depicting animals in ways that encourage (or at least don’t inadvertently discourage) respecting them. Some already do this. In Red Dead Redemption, <a href="https://reddead.fandom.com/wiki/Honor">killing your horse</a> leads to the same loss of “honour” points as killing an innocent person. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/359923/original/file-20200925-16-1m1h500.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Character on his horse in Red Dead Redemption 2." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/359923/original/file-20200925-16-1m1h500.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/359923/original/file-20200925-16-1m1h500.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/359923/original/file-20200925-16-1m1h500.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/359923/original/file-20200925-16-1m1h500.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/359923/original/file-20200925-16-1m1h500.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/359923/original/file-20200925-16-1m1h500.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/359923/original/file-20200925-16-1m1h500.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">In the Red Dead game series, ‘honour’ is a system that measures the social acceptability of the main character in his world. Specific in-game actions are considered honourable or dishonourable.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">ekkun/Flickr</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/">CC BY-NC</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Finally, players themselves could choose to become more aware of how animals are portrayed in the various games they spend hours of their lives absorbed in. </p>
<p>Given the enormous popularity and ongoing transformation of video games, there is an opportunity here for all of us to reassess our often unjust treatment of animals.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/violence-towards-women-in-the-video-game-red-dead-redemption-2-evokes-toxic-masculinity-106920">Violence towards women in the video game Red Dead Redemption 2 evokes toxic masculinity</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/146845/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Video game ‘amoralists’ argue killing in gaming isn’t harmful since no living being is actually hurt. But when it comes to hurting virtual animals, we disagree.Simon Coghlan, Senior Research Fellow in Digital Ethics, Centre for AI and Digital Ethics, School of Computing and Information Systems, The University of MelbourneLucy Sparrow, PhD Candidate in Human-Computer Interaction, The University of MelbourneLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1274482020-09-07T02:39:51Z2020-09-07T02:39:51ZPeople hate cruelty to animals, so why do we do it?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/354796/original/file-20200826-18-xry330.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=119%2C102%2C3330%2C2356&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock/light hope</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Animal welfare experts <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-08-10/rspca-sa-releases-cruelty-cases-amid-warning-over-recession/12539596">warn our pets</a> could <a href="https://www.sbs.com.au/news/insight/why-pets-are-at-risk-during-the-coronavirus-pandemic">suffer</a> during the coronavirus pandemic, including from <a href="https://www.sciencetimes.com/articles/25666/20200512/covid-19-pandemic-leads-increase-animal-abuse-abandonment-heres-why.htm">abuse or abandonment</a>. </p>
<p>When we hear about animals being neglected, we’re often outraged. Consider <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-10-17/racehorses-sent-slaughterhouses-contravention-racing-rules/11611688">the revelation</a> of the mistreatment of racehorses at a Queensland abattoir, or the man who <a href="https://www.news.com.au/technology/science/animals/hundreds-sign-petition-to-prosecute-alleged-kookaburra-killer-daniel-welfare-for-animal-cruelty/news-story/f895c034f1532d9ededfd97eda56b096">decapitated a kookaburra</a>. These stories left many of us shocked and appalled.</p>
<p>But harm to animals is common in our society. Tens of billions of animals are killed in farms and slaughterhouses every year. Their deaths are sometimes <a href="https://www.dominionmovement.com/">truly horrific</a>. Humanity’s relationship with animals is dysfunctional: humans love animals yet <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2020/08/24/what-have-we-done-to-the-whale">simultaneously</a> perpetrate extreme violence against them. This is not only bad for animals. It’s <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/21/opinion/coronavirus-meat-vegetarianism.html">bad for us too</a>. </p>
<p>But humans and animals cannot simply end their relationship and part ways. We have to share a world. So we have to forge a <em>better</em> relationship. The hard question is: what shape should that new relationship take?</p>
<figure>
<iframe src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/230171301" width="500" height="281" frameborder="0" webkitallowfullscreen="" mozallowfullscreen="" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">WARNING: graphic content.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Differing standards for humans and for animals?</h2>
<p>Here’s an ethics thought experiment. Five humans are dying of organ failure. The only way to save their lives is to kill one healthy person, harvest their organs, and transplant these into the five dying people. Is it morally acceptable to kill the one to save the many?</p>
<p>If you’re like most people, your answer is a firm “no”. Humans have a right to life and can’t be killed in service of the greater good. This is an example of what’s known as a deontological judgment.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/if-you-dont-eat-meat-but-still-wear-leather-here-are-a-few-facts-to-chew-on-127322">If you don't eat meat but still wear leather, here are a few facts to chew on</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>But now let’s change the scenario. Suppose you are the manager of a sanctuary for chickens. An infectious virus is spreading through the sanctuary and you have to decide whether to kill one infected chicken or allow the virus to spread throughout the sanctuary, killing a larger number. Now what? </p>
<p>When confronted with the chicken scenario, many will say it’s acceptable to kill the one to save the many. Your responsibility as manager of the sanctuary is to promote the aggregate health and well-being of all the chickens in your care. If this means you have to kill one chicken to save many more, so be it. This is an example of what’s known as a utilitarian judgment.</p>
<p>When we think about cases where animal lives are at stake, we often tend to think in utilitarian terms. When we think about cases where human lives are at stake, we often tend to think in deontological terms.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/354988/original/file-20200827-22-wa2e52.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Several chickens outside a coop" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/354988/original/file-20200827-22-wa2e52.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/354988/original/file-20200827-22-wa2e52.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/354988/original/file-20200827-22-wa2e52.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/354988/original/file-20200827-22-wa2e52.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/354988/original/file-20200827-22-wa2e52.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/354988/original/file-20200827-22-wa2e52.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/354988/original/file-20200827-22-wa2e52.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Do the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few, when it comes to chickens?</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock/zlikovec</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Animal activists put to the test</h2>
<p>Even animal activists, committed to a view of animals and humans as moral equals, may be inclined to see animals and humans from these differing perspectives.</p>
<p>At an animal activist conference in Melbourne last year (before the pandemic) we divided the audience into small groups and gave them different scenarios featuring different species. </p>
<p>Only 35% of those considering chicken cases said it was wrong to kill one chicken to save the many, whereas fully 85% of those considering human cases decided it was wrong to kill one human to save the many. An informal experiment, but it seems to illustrate a very human tendency to think of animals and humans according to different standards. </p>
<p>That tendency has been observed in many contexts. Robert Nozick influentially discusses a bifurcated view along these lines in his 1974 classic <a href="https://www.wiley.com/en-au/Anarchy+State+and+Utopia-p-9780631197805">Anarchy, State, and Utopia</a>. But the question of whether such a view can be attributed to ordinary people is only recently being rigorously studied by psychologists such as <a href="https://luciuscaviola.com/">Lucius Caviola</a> at Harvard University.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/illegal-hunters-are-a-bigger-problem-on-farms-than-animal-activists-so-why-arent-we-talking-about-that-126513">Illegal hunters are a bigger problem on farms than animal activists – so why aren't we talking about that?</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Beyond psychological research, we can look to institutions for evidence that this sort of bifurcated view is widespread, as <a href="https://philpapers.org/rec/KILUAA" title="Utilitarianism about animals and the moral significance of use">we have argued elsewhere</a>.</p>
<p>For example, when animals are used in scientific experimentation, researchers are mainly expected to show the benefits outweigh the costs: a utilitarian standard.</p>
<p>But when humans are used, characteristically deontological considerations, such as consent and autonomy, are brought to bear; a cost-benefit analysis isn’t enough.</p>
<p>So we tend to be more utilitarian about animals than about humans. Yet we also don’t see all animals from a purely utilitarian perspective. Think about your family dog. Would your conscience allow you to kill her to save five other dogs?</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/354991/original/file-20200827-14-1u5hdv3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A small mouse in the hands of someone wearing medical protection gloves." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/354991/original/file-20200827-14-1u5hdv3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/354991/original/file-20200827-14-1u5hdv3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=417&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/354991/original/file-20200827-14-1u5hdv3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=417&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/354991/original/file-20200827-14-1u5hdv3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=417&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/354991/original/file-20200827-14-1u5hdv3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=525&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/354991/original/file-20200827-14-1u5hdv3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=525&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/354991/original/file-20200827-14-1u5hdv3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=525&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">We use animals in scientific research.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock/unoL</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Three perspectives</h2>
<p>The upshot: humans seem to be capable of seeing animals in at least three very different ways. </p>
<p>First, we’re able to regard animals as objects that exist solely for the sake of our use and enjoyment and that don’t matter in themselves. For an example, consider the way the fishing industry treats <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NklxOhr2faI">bycatch</a> as disposable.</p>
<p>Second, we’re able to regard animals as beings who matter in themselves yet who are fundamentally interchangeable with others. That’s a utilitarian perspective. It’s the perspective you occupy when you endorse killing one pig to save five. Such a view is defended by world-renowned Australian philosopher <a href="https://www.amazon.com.au/Animal-Liberation-Peter-Singer/dp/0061711306">Peter Singer</a>, among many others.</p>
<p>Third, we’re able to see animals as beings who not only matter in themselves, but who also have rights, such as the right to life, or the right to bodily integrity, or even the right to liberty. </p>
<p>Perhaps it’s strange to see farmed animals that way, but it’s not so strange to see non-human family members such as cats and dogs in that way. And famous philosophers such as <a href="http://dailynous.com/2017/02/17/tom-regan-1938-2017/">Tom Regan</a> have argued a vast range of animals ought to be seen in that way.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/NklxOhr2faI?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
</figure>
<h2>The future of human-animal relations</h2>
<p>Currently, many of us see most animals as mere things, the way fishermen typically see bycatch. And this might continue into the future.</p>
<p>But that’d be a tragedy. Despite their differences from humans, animals are conscious individuals with their own welfare, and so do matter in themselves. Recognising this will be an essential step in reducing the tremendous amount of unnecessary suffering and death that humans inflict on animals.</p>
<p>The simple recognition that animals are not mere things is in itself of massive importance, but it’s also only the beginning of the work we have ahead of us. As a society we must confront deep and difficult questions about whether animals have moral rights and, if so, what those rights might be, and how (if at all) their rights differ from those of human beings. Philosophers have been debating such questions for decades but haven’t reached consensus (yet).</p>
<p>Such questions must be addressed before we can we hope to find a new relationship with animals that fully recognises and respects our obligations to them.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/not-just-activists-9-out-of-10-people-are-concerned-about-animal-welfare-in-australian-farming-117077">Not just activists, 9 out of 10 people are concerned about animal welfare in Australian farming</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/127448/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>We enjoy and appreciate animals and are disturbed by violence against them. But we also perpetrate this violence, and that needs to change.David Killoren, Research Fellow, Dianoia Institute of Philosophy, Australian Catholic UniversityRobert Streiffer, Professor of Philosophy and Bioethics, University of Wisconsin-MadisonLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1265132020-06-25T20:14:51Z2020-06-25T20:14:51ZIllegal hunters are a bigger problem on farms than animal activists – so why aren’t we talking about that?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/343903/original/file-20200625-190505-44v29b.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=9%2C36%2C5997%2C3962&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Sipa USA</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>This month, the Victorian government <a href="https://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/eic-lc/article/4206">announced</a> on-the-spot fines for trespassers on farms following an <a href="https://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/965-eic-lc/inquiry-into-the-impact-of-animal-rights-activism-on-victorian-agriculture">upper house inquiry</a> into how animal activism affects agriculture.</p>
<p>It’s the latest in a string of new state and federal laws designed to crack down on activists who trespass on farms – often to gather video evidence of alleged animal cruelty, which is later distributed to the public. </p>
<p>But amid the flurry of attention on activists, another group of trespassers on farms has largely escaped attention: illegal hunters.</p>
<p>Unauthorised access to farm properties can create many problems – not least, it runs the risk spreading disease such as <a href="https://www.agriculture.gov.au/pests-diseases-weeds/animal/asf">African swine fever</a> that can devastate farming industries. </p>
<p>It’s important that laws to tackle farm trespass are evidence-based. So let’s look at the evidence.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/327049/original/file-20200409-46372-1qgvaob.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=25%2C17%2C5726%2C3811&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/327049/original/file-20200409-46372-1qgvaob.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/327049/original/file-20200409-46372-1qgvaob.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/327049/original/file-20200409-46372-1qgvaob.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/327049/original/file-20200409-46372-1qgvaob.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/327049/original/file-20200409-46372-1qgvaob.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/327049/original/file-20200409-46372-1qgvaob.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Farm trespass is a major rural crime issue.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Media and political focus</h2>
<p>Media coverage of activists trespassing on farms has appeared regularly in recent years. </p>
<p>Over several months in 2018-19, activists targeted the Gippy Goat farm and cafe in Victoria – in one incident stealing three goats and a lamb. News reports covered the protests, claims by farmers that <a href="https://www.stockjournal.com.au/story/5961179/activist-fined-1-for-biosecurity-breach/">the fines</a> issued to the activists was inadequate, and the eventual closure of the farm <a href="https://www.farmonline.com.au/story/6008846/you-have-won-gippy-goat-cafe-closes-down-following-activist-attacks/">to the public</a>.</p>
<p>In another example last year, the <a href="https://www.weeklytimesnow.com.au/news/victoria/the-last-straw-family-gets-out-of-farming-after-activist-attacks/news-story/bc6ab704fb98f667f2520930bf288e5f">front page</a> of rural newspaper the Weekly Times featured a family exiting the farming industry after alleged trespass and threats from animal activists. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/not-just-activists-9-out-of-10-people-are-concerned-about-animal-welfare-in-australian-farming-117077">Not just activists, 9 out of 10 people are concerned about animal welfare in Australian farming</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Activists did not escape the attention of politicians. Ahead of Victoria’s new legislation this month, federal parliament last year passed a <a href="https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Bills_Legislation/Bills_Search_Results/Result?bId=r6351">bill</a> criminalising the “incitement” of both trespass, and damage or theft of property, on agricultural land.</p>
<p><a href="https://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/search/display/display.w3p;query=Id%3A%22chamber%2Fhansardr%2Fce759aa1-47bf-467d-a58b-3bf640990032%2F0077%22">Speaking in support</a> of the bill, Attorney-General Christian Porter said trespass onto agricultural land could contaminate food and breach biosecurity protocols. He specifically cited “activists” when describing how the laws would work.</p>
<p>The New South Wales government last year also introduced <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2019-07-22/nsw-beefs-up-farm-trespass-laws/11330674">significant fines</a> for trespass on farms in the <a href="https://legislation.nsw.gov.au/acts/2019-15.pdf">Right to Farm Act</a>. And in South Australia, the government wants those who trespass or disrupt farming activities to <a href="https://7news.com.au/politics/sa/vegan-animal-activists-could-face-jail-time-under-tough-new-sa-penalties-c-433206">face tougher penalties</a>.</p>
<p>But as lawmakers crack down on animal activists, the problem of trespass by illegal hunters gets little political attention.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/343905/original/file-20200625-190474-15a92xe.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/343905/original/file-20200625-190474-15a92xe.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/343905/original/file-20200625-190474-15a92xe.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/343905/original/file-20200625-190474-15a92xe.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/343905/original/file-20200625-190474-15a92xe.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/343905/original/file-20200625-190474-15a92xe.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/343905/original/file-20200625-190474-15a92xe.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Animal rights protesters have been the subject of intense media attention, but illegal hunters fly under the radar.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">David Beniuk/AAP</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>The illegal hunting problem</h2>
<p><a href="https://www.gma.vic.gov.au/enforcement/what-is-illegal-hunting">Illegal hunting</a> includes hunting without a required licence and accessing private property without permission.</p>
<p>In 2015 and 2016, this article’s co-author Alistair Harkness surveyed 56 Victoria farmers about their experiences and perceptions of farm crime. Farmers reported that in recent years, illegal hunters had caused them economic loss and emotional anguish by:</p>
<ul>
<li>damaging fences</li>
<li>shooting at buildings, beehives and livestock</li>
<li>stealing from sheds</li>
<li>failing to extinguish campfires</li>
<li>destroying fields with their vehicles. </li>
</ul>
<p>A follow-up mail survey of 906 Victorian farmers in 2017 and 2018 asked them to rate the seriousness of a range of issues. Farmers reported the following issues as either serious or very serious: illegal shooting on farms (34.4%), animal activism (30.9%), and trespass (44.2%).</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/animal-activists-v-private-landowners-what-does-the-law-say-110279">Animal activists v private landowners: what does the law say?</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Lead author Kyle Mulrooney is conducting the <a href="https://www.une.edu.au/about-une/faculty-of-humanities-arts-social-sciences-and-education/hass/humanities-arts-and-social-sciences-research/centre-for-rural-criminology/farm-crime-survey-2020">NSW Farm Crime Survey 2020</a>. The work is ongoing, but so far farmers have reported feeling victimised by trespassers generally, and fear about illegal hunters. Farmers were not specifically asked for their views on trespassing activists.</p>
<p>A submission to a NSW <a href="https://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/committees/inquiries/Pages/inquiry-details.aspx?pk=2553">parliamentary inquiry</a> last year underscored the distress felt by farmers when hunters trespass on their properties. Farmer John Payne recalled:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Recently we had a period over several nights, where unknown persons trespassed on our property and callously killed a substantial number of our goat kids, in one case trussing one up before killing them. All just for fun and sport! […] This is one of several events where people have trespassed and shot our animals for fun, or hunted for pigs or wildlife, with little fear of detection, arrest and prosecution.</p>
</blockquote>
<h2>Police follow the evidence</h2>
<p>Figures supplied to us by NSW Police show in 2018, 513 incidents of criminal trespass on farms was recorded – up from 421 in 2014.</p>
<p>Giving evidence to the NSW parliamentary inquiry, Detective Inspector Cameron Whiteside, the State Rural Crime Coordinator, said illegal hunting was “the most cited factor associated with the trespass” on farms.</p>
<p>Police action appears to be following the evidence. In communication with the lead author, Whiteside has said enforcement and operations focused on illegal hunting and trespass are a primary and current focus of the Rural Crime Prevention Team. </p>
<iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FRuralCrimeNSWPF%2Fposts%2F3086644464746981&width=500" width="100%" height="539" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" allow="encrypted-media"></iframe>
<h2>Target all trespassers</h2>
<p>As African swine fever sweeps Asia, Australian pork producers <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/business/markets/farmers-urged-to-ramp-up-biosecurity-as-african-swine-fever-is-looming-20191017-p531qk.html">have been urged</a> to ramp up biosecurity efforts on their own properties. This reportedly includes restricting visitor numbers and separating visitor and farm vehicles.</p>
<p>There are fears that if the disease hits Australia, it could could shut down Australia’s A$5.3 billion pork industry, leading to mass job losses.</p>
<p>Given these risks, it’s important that policies to crack down on farm trespassers are guided by evidence, and don’t unduly target a single group.</p>
<p>And importantly, more research into the issue is needed – including into the social and economic impacts of farm trespass, in all its forms.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/it-isnt-clear-how-the-new-bill-against-animal-rights-activists-will-protect-farmers-120588">It isn't clear how the new bill against animal rights activists will protect farmers</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/126513/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Illegal hunters are damaging farm property, shooting at buildings and killing livestock. So why do farm trespass laws target animal activists?Kyle J.D. Mulrooney, Lecturer in Criminology, Co-director of the Centre for Rural Criminology, University of New EnglandAlistair Harkness, Senior Lecturer in Criminology, Centre for Rural Criminology, University of New EnglandLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1388722020-05-24T12:22:36Z2020-05-24T12:22:36ZCoronavirus shows we must get serious about the well-being of animals<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/336107/original/file-20200519-152292-1wvlkst.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C4288%2C2830&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Industrial animal agriculture in our own backyard could very well be the cause of the next pandemic.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Unsplash)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>COVID-19 raises crucial questions about how best to move forward from the pandemic and its many effects. We are reassessing key political and economic assumptions and perceptions of what is possible and desirable.</p>
<p>Basic income guarantees, public child care, loan forgiveness and other programs are laudably being considered as we recognize the fragility and interconnectedness of our socioeconomic web, and grapple with how to prevent future harm.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/job-guarantees-basic-income-can-save-us-from-covid-19-depression-133997">Job guarantees, basic income can save us from COVID-19 depression</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>We also need to take animals seriously. Our families, communities and society include animals. There are inspiring, mutually beneficial and <a href="https://toronto.ctvnews.ca/diabetic-alert-dogs-meet-their-owners-for-the-first-time-in-oakville-1.4178817">even life-saving</a> ways we engage with other animals. But animal suffering not only harms other species, it endangers our own. This is a significant ethical and moral matter. It is also fundamental to the future of our economic, environmental and physical health.</p>
<p>This is not about vegans versus omnivores, or pitting cities against rural cultures. This is about humans and the future of life on Earth.</p>
<h2>Consumption of animals</h2>
<p><a href="https://www.theverge.com/2020/4/10/21216165/pandemic-prevention-sciencetist-animal-human-health-disease">Science tells us</a> that whether the next lethal pathogens are viral or bacterial, people will likely get them from consuming animals. And the scary truth is that we are exacerbating both threats.</p>
<figure class="align-left zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/336117/original/file-20200519-152284-1g1k01m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/336117/original/file-20200519-152284-1g1k01m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/336117/original/file-20200519-152284-1g1k01m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/336117/original/file-20200519-152284-1g1k01m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/336117/original/file-20200519-152284-1g1k01m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/336117/original/file-20200519-152284-1g1k01m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/336117/original/file-20200519-152284-1g1k01m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/336117/original/file-20200519-152284-1g1k01m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Civets are thought to have played a role in the SARS outbreak.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Pixabay)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>There are <a href="https://www.discovermagazine.com/health/coronaviruses-often-start-in-animals-heres-how-those-diseases-can-jump-to">millions of viruses inside animals</a> that humans never encounter — until people <a href="https://www.motherjones.com/environment/2020/05/these-scientists-saw-covid-19-coming-now-theyre-trying-to-stop-the-next-pandemic-before-it-starts/">touch and consume</a> <a href="https://dx.doi.org/10.1128%2FMMBR.00004-08">those animals</a>. We do not have vaccines for virtually any of these viruses.</p>
<p><a href="https://dx.doi.org/10.2105%2FAJPH.2015.302870">Antibiotic resistance</a> and <a href="https://www.nature.com/scitable/topicpage/antibiotic-resistance-mutation-rates-and-mrsa-28360/">strengthened bacterial infections</a> are also significant challenges. A major reason is that overcrowded factory-farmed animals are <a href="http://www.fao.org/antimicrobial-resistance/key-sectors/animal-production/en/">given antibiotics</a> when they’re not sick. Industrial animal agriculture in our own backyard could very well be the cause of the next pandemic.</p>
<p>What do we do about these chilling realities? We have to start taking animals’ presence and well-being seriously. There are many important policies and paths worth considering; three are particularly salient.</p>
<h2>Stop exotic animal trade</h2>
<p>First, we need to curb the trade in exotic animals. </p>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/336125/original/file-20200519-152344-1p1rbwx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/336125/original/file-20200519-152344-1p1rbwx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=402&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/336125/original/file-20200519-152344-1p1rbwx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=402&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/336125/original/file-20200519-152344-1p1rbwx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=402&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/336125/original/file-20200519-152344-1p1rbwx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=505&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/336125/original/file-20200519-152344-1p1rbwx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=505&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/336125/original/file-20200519-152344-1p1rbwx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=505&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Monkeys are among the exotic animals that are shipped across borders. Squirrel monkeys are seen here.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Pixabay)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Millions of animals, from <a href="https://www.worldanimalprotection.ca/sites/default/files/media/ca_-_en_files/wap_exotic_pets_in_canada_report_final_forweb_oct_3_2019.pdf">snakes to turtles and monkeys</a>, are taken from the wild and shipped across borders for pet ownership, entertainment, consumption and research. </p>
<p>Much of this is currently legal, despite the risks of zoonotic (animal to human) virus transmission. The stakes are too high and the health landscape too fraught for this to continue. </p>
<p>It’s never been good for the animals, and it’s not safe for us. More robust national restrictions are needed, along with enforcement.</p>
<h2>Industrial agriculture</h2>
<p>Similarly, we must confront the dangers of industrial animal agriculture head on. </p>
<p>The industrialization and corporatization of animal agriculture hasn’t helped our health or our rural communities. The number of farms continues to plummet as family farms are replaced by large, highly automated corporate facilities that often trap and overcrowd animals in cauldrons of disease. </p>
<p><a href="https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/170510/dq170510a-eng.htm">Statistics Canada</a> reports that there are now only 193,492 farms in this country. In 1996, there were close to <a href="http://forecastinstitute.com/documents/Farm-Size-Historical-Review-2019-03.pdf">300,000.</a> </p>
<p>As author Jonathan Safran Foer and food academic Aaron S. Gross put it, the intensive confinement of chickens in particular is the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/apr/20/factory-farms-pandemic-risk-covid-animal-human-health">Silicon Valley</a> of dangerous viral development and mutation. Nearly <a href="https://www.animaljustice.ca/blog/canada-slaughtered-834-million-animals-in-2019">800 million chickens were killed</a> in Canada last year.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/336131/original/file-20200519-152344-1kjwd2b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/336131/original/file-20200519-152344-1kjwd2b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=414&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/336131/original/file-20200519-152344-1kjwd2b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=414&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/336131/original/file-20200519-152344-1kjwd2b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=414&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/336131/original/file-20200519-152344-1kjwd2b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=520&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/336131/original/file-20200519-152344-1kjwd2b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=520&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/336131/original/file-20200519-152344-1kjwd2b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=520&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Chickens appear at a chicken house near Livingston, Calif.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>And it has become unequivocally clear in recent weeks that contemporary <a href="https://sentientmedia.org/slaughterhouses-where-animal-rights-and-workers-rights-suffer-in-symphony/">slaughterhouses</a> are dangerous <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/3rd-covid-19-death-cargill-meat-processing-plant-high-river-1.5565265">for workers</a>, in addition to being fatal horror shows for animals.</p>
<p>It’s time for bolder <a href="https://plantbasedpolicy.ca/what-we-do/">public policy</a> that cultivates more sustainable agriculture, plant-based foods and drinks, and <a href="https://www.utoronto.ca/news/u-t-researchers-aim-lower-cost-make-lab-grown-meat">lab-grown meat</a> <a href="https://theconversation.com/lab-grown-dairy-the-next-food-frontier-117963">and milk</a>. Canada has already proven to be fertile ground for innovative product development and plant-based proteins. In fact, producers of pulse crops (lentils, chick peas) <a href="https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/business/growing-strong-570199042.html">are thriving</a>, not seeking public handouts.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/its-not-business-as-usual-for-vegan-businesses-99802">It's not business as usual for vegan businesses</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>We need a thoughtful transition to more sustainable <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/05/11/jonathan-safran-foer-meat-is-not-essential-why-are-we-killing-it/?arc404=true">and safer</a> forms of food production that create <a href="https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/kendra-coulter/humane-jobs_b_11000160.html">good, humane and sustainable jobs</a>. This will involve the private sector, but public and labour leadership and investment are also urgently needed.</p>
<p>Although its infection-transmission risks are significantly lower, plant-based agriculture still needs to be approached sensibly. And <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-coronavirus-reveals-the-necessity-of-canadas-migrant-workers-136360">migrant workers</a>, who make so much fruit and vegetable cultivation possible, deserve basic labour rights, <a href="https://theconversation.com/migrant-farm-workers-vulnerable-to-sexual-violence-95839">safety</a>, proper housing and personal protective equipment at the absolute minimum.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/the-coronavirus-reveals-the-necessity-of-canadas-migrant-workers-136360">The coronavirus reveals the necessity of Canada's migrant workers</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>One Health</h2>
<p>Third, we should embrace the concept of <a href="https://blogs.biomedcentral.com/on-health/2017/11/03/a-one-health-approach-can-benefit-humans-animals-and-the-environment/">One Health</a> — the recognition that human, animal and environmental health are inextricably connected. The idea of <a href="http://onehealth.usask.ca/about/index.php/">One Health</a> should figure in our personal consumption choices as well as our political decisions. </p>
<p>In education, health, law enforcement, food, care and every other sector, One Health should be at the heart of thoughtful, responsive and pro-active policy-making and practice. </p>
<p>Similarly, there are clear opportunities to learn from Indigenous perspectives on <a href="https://ourworld.unu.edu/en/indigenous-ideas-about-living-well-can-help-heal-the-planet">integrated well-being</a>. </p>
<p>The animals deserve better, and so does our species. A simple return to the status quo is not only unjust, it is dangerous.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/138872/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Kendra Coulter receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. </span></em></p>Animal suffering not only harms other species, it endangers our own. Here’s how we can do better.Kendra Coulter, Chancellor's Chair for Research Excellence; Chair of the Labour Studies Department; Member of the Royal Society of Canada's College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists; Fellow of the Oxford Centre for Animal Ethics, Brock UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.