End Violence Against Animals

End Violence Against Animals

Every time you go to watch a horse race, the aquarium, the circus, or even the zoo, you are becoming part of a huge mistake made by humanity. Abuse of animals. Just because we are the most advanced species on Earth, we simply cannot forget, we aren’t the only species on Earth. The animals we capture and use for entertainment and pleasure are being deprived everyday of their freedom and happiness. They are separated from their families, tortured and abused, and even shut up in cages barely big enough for them. In this essay I will be explaining why using animals for our entertainment is cruel and must be banned.

First of all, removing animals from their natural habitats and separating them from their families is incredibly cruel. When kept captive, these majestic creatures big and small, tend to get bored and frustrated, often leading to an illness called ‘Zoochosis’. Animals suffering from Zoochosis begin performing repetitive acts such as: pacing, rocking back and forth, swaying, grooming themselves excessively, and vomiting. Conditions such as this, clearly demonstrate that wild animals belong in the wilderness; not in restrictive, prison-like enclosures. All wild animals must be freed from zoos now, so that this terrible suffering and mental torture ends for good.

Another significant point is that when animals such as greyhounds and horses are bred for racing, they are often cooped up in tiny cages or stalls not nearly big enough for them. When bred in large numbers, greyhounds are kept in cages for more than twenty hours a day. The cages are made of wire and are barely big enough for the dogs to turn around. Dogs who are considered too slow to race are frequently sold to research facilities or killed. About 20,000 race dogs are killed each year. Furthermore, horses used in racing are bred for one purpose: to make money. Because of this treacherous motive, horses are commonly forced to run even when they are injured. More racehorses are bred than can prove profitable on the racetrack. As a result, hundreds of racehorses are sent to slaughter every year. This proves what we think are races just for fun, actually abuse, torture and slaughter hundreds of innocent animals every year. This is why using animals for entertainment such as races should be stopped, so that all the innocent lives lost are spared and poor animals don't have to die for our mistakes.

But what about when animals are in captivity or are used in circuses? They are provided with food, shelter and veterinary care. The average life of a tiger in captivity is 26 years, compared to 15 years in the wild. Although it is true that animals are given food, shelter and veterinary care while in captivity, it would be wrong to claim that keeping animals in captivity is better than letting them roam freely in the wild. When animals are separated from their family and taken away from their habitats, they start to become lonely, frustrated and depressed. Even worse, they are abused, whipped, drugged and forced to do things they never would have done in the wild. How could this excruciating life be better than the life they would live in the wild? Besides, living for 26 years can't be good for a tiger. If you have been to the zoo, you have surely seen the famous ‘White Tiger’ before. It is deeply saddening to hear that these creatures are not found in the wild anymore and many zoos and circuses genetically modify them so they are white. This causes them many disabilities. Why is this done? For our pleasure. Animals should not be kept in captivity and should be given their freedom back. Captivity is injustice to animals.

To conclude, animals’ lives are just as important as ours and they shouldn’t be kept in captivity at zoos or circuses and they shouldn’t be used as entertainment in races. Removing animals from their natural habitats is like taking you away from your family and locking you in a box. Captivity causes animals to become psychologically ill. In addition, breeding greyhounds and horses just to kill them is a sin that can’t be reversed. We must not send animals to slaughter and we mustn’t abuse and torture them into doing things. Moreover, genetically modifying animals isn't right and can disable them in many ways. Using animals for entertainment and pleasure is injustice and cruel. We are depriving them of their freedom. It must be banned.

By: Aashini Rastogi