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  • Cruelty to Animals Essay

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Introduction

Our planet Earth is a very beautiful place. Here, all the living organisms are dependent on each other and live together. We, humans, are considered as the most intelligent species on Earth. But, we sometimes become very insensitive to the creatures who cannot express themselves, especially the animals. We harm them just to fulfill our needs. We have an essay here on cruelty towards animals which will cover the questions like - write an article on cruelty towards animals, cruelty towards animals paragraph, paragraph on stop cruelty towards animals, article on cruelty towards animals class 9 and so on.

Long Paragraph on Cruelty to Animals

Animals, just like human beings, deserve a peaceful life. Animals are an important part of our ecosystem and are very useful to us. But, we sometimes forget that they are also living creatures. We keep on harassing them and these poor creatures can't even express their feelings and grief. Cruelty towards animals have become an international matter of concern. This needs to be addressed as soon as possible and should be eliminated for ever.

We become cruel towards animals for two reasons - one to fulfill our needs and other for fun. We use animals for their fur, their skin, their meat, their teeth and horns too. Sometimes, we apply colours on them which harm their skin, we also burn crackers without thinking about them. Sometimes , the tea-shop keeper pours the hot water on the street dogs, which is a great example of cruel behaviour towards the animals.

The animal skins are used in textile industries. Their skin and body hairs are used to make exotic fabrics for us to use. Animal’s teeth, horns, skin and fur are used to make home decor items which we beautifully use to decorate our homes without thinking how much pain animals go through for giving us these luxuries.

Another industry that contributes in cruelty to animals is the cosmetic industry. Whenever we buy any cosmetic products, we always make sure that the product is safe on our skin. But, we hardly realise that these products are tested on animals before it reaches us. The chemicals are often injected in animal’s bodies or applied on their skin. Sometimes, these are tested on their eyes too. And if the test fails, it sometimes leads to the animal's death also. These tests cause itching and burning too. But,we the human beings, keep on torturing the animals for our own purposes.

Our progressing medical science also has a big role in harassing the animals and showing our cruelty towards them. For the trials of medicines, animals are selected. They are then injected with the trial medicines without thinking about their pain. They are often kept in freezing temperatures for the experiments. We also ill treat the animals at zoos and circuses. The place where they are kept is not cleaned often. Also, the feeding methods are not too hygienic. These result in various diseases and often to their death.

Many animals and birds, in the name of pets, are being sold everyday. These animals are kept in cages or are kept tied with a chain. Most often, they are beaten up. The street dogs are often beaten up by the shopkeepers if they are found roaming around. Many cows are found roaming around the garbage heaps finding food. Many times many animals are hit by the fast moving traffic. These all are the examples of cruelty towards animals.

But now it's enough! We, the human beings, who are considered as the most intelligent creatures on Earth have to stop playing with these poor creatures' lives. We have to raise our voice and stop being cruel to the animals. We have to bring new strong laws to protect the animals. Every school should teach students how to respect and protect our fellow creatures - animals. Parents themselves should treat the animals with respect and love and should teach their wards the same.

We should always keep one thing in mind that we cannot survive without animals. Everything on Earth has its own purpose. The animals help in balancing our ecosystem. We have to take a call and save our environment, our mother Earth and our animals.

Short Paragraph on Stop Cruelty Towards Animals

Cruelty means a behaviour that harms others physically or mentally. But it's a matter of shame that we only consider human beings when it comes to cruelty. We forget that animals are also living creatures and we should not be cruel to them. Just because these creatures can not express themselves as we do, we forget that what we are doing to them if someone does to us, we will die.

Human industries that contribute to this cruelty are - Textile, Cosmetics, Home Decor and many more. Animal skins and furs are used in textile industries, animal skin, fur, horns and teeths are used to make home decor items. Many animals are killed for their meat also. Animals are ill-treated in laboratories where they are used for testing and experiments. They are often kept in freezing conditions or in boiling conditions.

It is high time now that we stop abusing these poor animals. They are also living beings and are very very important to us as without them the whole ecosystem will disbalance. We should raise awareness and stop these cruelties against animals.

Conclusion:

Cruelty to animals has become a nationwide problem nowadays. The government has already imposed a few laws and a few more are needed. Along with that, social awareness is also required. Students should learn how to treat animals in schools. Parents should also treat their pets well and teach their children. Our planet Earth is a very beautiful place. Here, all the living organisms are dependent on each other and live together. We, humans, are considered the most intelligent species on Earth. But, we sometimes become very insensitive to the creatures who cannot express themselves, especially the animals. We harm them just to fulfil our needs.

We have an essay here on cruelty towards animals which will cover the questions like - write an article on cruelty towards animals, cruelty towards animals paragraph, paragraph on stop cruelty towards animals, article on cruelty towards animals class 9 and so on.

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FAQs on Cruelty to Animals Essay

1. List Some Animal Protection Laws.

Here are a few laws and acts to prevent animals:

  • Article 51A(g) - It states that it is the fundamental duty of every citizen to be compassionate towards other living creatures.
  • IPC Section 428 & 429 - Killing animals is a punishable offence.
  • Section 11 (1)(i) & Section 11(1)(j), PCA Act, 1960 - Abandoning animals can lead to a prison of upto three months.
  • Monkeys have been protected under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.
  • Section 22(ii), PCA Act, 1960 - Animals such as Monkeys, Tigers, Bears, Lions, Panthers, Bull can not be trained and can not be used for entertainment purposes.

2. How do we Use Animal Teeth and Horns?

We use animal teeth and horns to make decorative pieces with which we decorate our home and offices. These decorative items are truly expensive for nature and its habitats. The most common example of animal cruelty is hunting. Animals are hunted for their meat, bones, leather or any other precious body parts. This can cause the species to be endangered or even go extinct. Another example of animal cruelty is enslaving them for entertainment or hard work. There are a lot of examples of animals being cruelty trained in circuses, kept as prisoners in zoos, or used as labourers to get the hardest jobs done.

3. What is meant by cruelty to animals?

Animal cruelty is defined as harming animals by either subjecting them to slavery, product-testing, or hunting. Killing endangered species for their meat, bones, or leather also comes under animal cruelty and is a punishable offence. The government of India has passed a lot of laws that prevent cruelty to animals from happening on a large scale. But still, in some neglected places like undeveloped villages, slums, or forests, these activities are followed illegally. And the government and some big governing bodies like PETA are working hard towards eradicating any kind of animal cruelty.

4. How does cruelty affect animals?

Cruelty towards animals can be dangerous for their overall species. There are a lot of examples like dodos, sabre tooth tigers, etc that have gone extinct because of excessive hunting. It is also morally incorrect to torture any living thing to die for the sake of an experiment. That's why animal testing is also banned. Animal testing is another example of animal cruelty and can hurt animals and even cruelly kill them. Animal cruelty should be banned completely.

5. How can we prevent animal cruelty?

There are very clear action steps to take to prevent animal cruelty. We can be responsible pet owners and start showing love and affection towards the animals at our home. We can adopt or at least hand over the abandoned baby animals we find on the streets to animal care centres. We can prohibit the use of animal-tested cosmetics or any products. We can even file a complaint against anyone who is abusing stray animals or harming them.

  • Essay On Cruelty To Animals

Cruelty to Animals Essay

500+ words essay on cruelty to animals.

Each creature born on this planet is gifted the same resources by nature. We breathe the same air and live under the same sky. However, human beings claim to govern and command the lives of other creatures. They exploit the lives of other animals to satisfy their worldly desires. These animals are killed, maimed, poached and trafficked in brutal ways. Occasionally, they are subjected to cultural rituals and sacrificed in the name of God. Sometimes animals are butchered in horrific ways for their skins and meats. So, these all are examples of animal cruelty which results in malicious killing or repeated torturing of animals. With the help of this essay on animal cruelty, students will learn how animals are tortured and what steps can be taken to prevent the animal cruelty. Also, they can go through the list of CBSE Essay topics to boost their writing skills.

Different Forms of Animal Cruelty

It is sad to hear the news related to the animal cruelty on television or in the newspaper. The seriousness and dangerousness of animal cruelty go unnoticed in today’s fast-moving world. Animal cruelty is defined as a crime involving the infliction of pain, suffering, or death to an animal. Animal neglect can include withholding of food, water and shelter. As a result of which the animal has suffered, died, or been placed in imminent danger of death. In short, anything that is done to mistreat an animal is considered as an act of animal cruelty. People who engage in animal cruelty are monsters.

Year after year, millions of animals become subjects to bestial, barbaric and outdated test methods and experimentation. They undergo immense suffering and pain to fulfil the human desire of selfishness. The testing becomes extremely hazardous, which results in killing the innocent animals. Animals are put into zoos for human entertainment. Animals are shifted from their natural habitats by stripping them off of their ‘wildness’ and are caged into zoos. They are being subjected to humans’ social media photographs and ‘pets’ to play with them. The wild animals all across the globe face cruelty. They’ve been threatened through harassment, habitat degradation, encroachment and destruction, cruel hunting, poaching and trapping, capture and killing for profit, incidental poisoning and vehicle strikes, and culling. Even in this age of technology, many religious and cultural beliefs uphold animal abuse as a glorious fragment of their festivities.

Measure to Stop Animal Cruelty

Animal protection and welfare is enshrined as a fundamental duty in the Indian Constitution. The laws not only prohibit any threats to the animals but also punish, in case of its exertion. The Government has implemented the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act. It is an act to prevent the infliction of unnecessary pain or suffering on animals and, for that purpose, to amend the law relating to the prevention of cruelty to animals that extends to the whole nation except the state of Jammu and Kashmir. Moreover, the Government has made the Wildlife Protection Act, which is an umbrella act to protect the wild species, animals, birds and plants, and establish ecologically important protected areas. Also, there are many other initiatives taken by the Government to save and prevent the animals.

In our society, animal cruelty has existed from a long time, but now is the time to stop it. We must strive to improve our animal cruelty laws, train law enforcement and prosecutors so they can enforce the laws that do exist. We must educate the public to change their perspective and sensibilities about animal cruelty. We have to become advocates for our animals. Because animals cannot speak for themselves, it’s up to the public to speak for them and report animal abuse. It’s up to law enforcement and prosecutors to bring these criminals to justice and up to our courts to aggressively penalise these abusers!Students must have found this “Essay on Cruelty to Animals” helpful in improving their essay writing skills. They can get the study material and latest updates on CBSE/ICSE/State Board/Competitive Exams at BYJU’S.

Frequently asked Questions on Cruelty to animals Essay

What is animal cruelty.

Inflicting harm, injuring or any deed that causes the death of an animal is known to be a form of animal cruelty.

What are the measures taken by our Indian Government to control the cruelty caused to animals?

The Indian Penal Code (IPC) 1860 covers all the illegal and criminal offenses against animals.

How to reduce the cruelty caused to animals?

To reduce cruelty caused to animals, avoid purchasing items made from animals/animal products and create awareness about the importance of animals. You can also complain about poaching or any illegal animal-related activities if found.

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Essay on Cruelty to Animals in 500 Words for School Students in English

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  • Jan 19, 2024

Essay on Cruelty to Animals

Essay on Cruelty to Animals: Cruelty to animals is referred to as harsh behaviour towards animals. As humans, we think that we are superior and that every other living and non-living thing is inferior to us. We treat and do things in ways we like and want them to. Based on animals’ nature towards humans, they are classified into two categories; domestic animals and wild animals. Domestic animals are those which we can adopt and wild animals cannot be adopted by humans. 

essay animal cruelty

Regardless of their types, animals have fallen victim to cruel human behaviour. Killing animals, physically harming them to perform certain an activity, not feeding them properly, encroaching on their habitat, etc. are some of the types of animal cruelty. To aware you of animal cruelty and the impacts of harsh human behaviour towards animals, here is an essay on cruelty to animals.

Table of Contents

  • 1 Essay on Cruelty to Animals in 500 Words
  • 2 10 Lines on Cruelty to Animals
  • 3 Paragraph on Animal Cruelty

Also Read: Essay on Birds in 600 Words for School Students

Essay on Cruelty to Animals in 500 Words

Cruelty to animals means poor and violent behaviour towards animals. In the name of research and experiments, humans use animals as bait. In zoological parks, wildlife sanctuaries and national parks, a lot of animals live in poor conditions, resulting in their endangerment and ultimately their extinction. 

Every living being on this planet deserves to live a peaceful life according to their natural features. There are marine animals that survive in deep water only, terrestrial animals on land and birds that migrate from one place to another. 

In many countries, including India, animal cruelty is a crime. Under the IPC Sections 428 and 429, killing, poisoning and causing physical harm to animals is a punishable offence. 

To achieve sustainable development, we must have a balanced ecosystem, where animals can live freely. Certain measures can help prevent animal cruelty. Supporting animal shelters by providing funds and encouraging animal adoption for shelters can be one way. Educating people about the importance of animal welfare is another strategy. Students, native people and even adults must be educated about animal cruelty and how it harms the overall well-being of animals.

One popular example of animal cruelty is animal training. Places like circuses and private animal training centres physically harm animals, as they want them to perform certain activities in the name of entertainment. Beating animals to make someone laugh or entertain is not just legally wrong but is also an inhuman practice, for animals to have emotions and feel pain.

Appropriate use of technology can help stop animal cruelty. Social media platforms can help raise awareness about animal cruelty, where experts can share information and mobilise people for animal welfare support. 

In recent years, a lot of people have turned to a vegan lifestyle and given up their non-vegetarian lifestyle. Promoting and supporting vegetarian and vegan lifestyles will help reduce the exploitation of animals for food.

In Hindu mythologies, animals were considered sacred and were venerated. These included animals like tigers, elephants, cows, mice, etc. It is up to us how we treat animals. Schools and educational institutions must teach students what animal cruelty is and why it must be stopped. 

Our leather clothes, fancy carpets, shoes, belts and even car seats are made of animal skins. Young animals are killed to obtain their body parts for trade and business. They are illegally transported from one country to another and sold in the black market. We very happily put a bird in a cage, but can we imagine ourselves in a cage? Animals have to suffer due to human activities. 

We, as humans, must stop this madness. They are as much part of this world as we are. Now, it’s high time that we take strong measures to stop cruelty towards animals. It will require a collective effort from different countries to implement international laws against animal cruelty and punish the evildoers.

Also Read: Essay on Animals

10 Lines on Cruelty to Animals

Here are 10 lines on animal cruelty. Feel free to add them to your essay or English writing topics.

  • Animal cruelty is an unlawful activity in most of the countries.
  • Animal cruelty is a punishable offence under Sections 428 and 429 of the Indian Penal Code.
  • Animal Cruelty is the harsh and poor behaviour towards animals.
  • Animal cruelty can be stopped by taking strong legal action.
  • The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act has been implemented by the Government of India.
  • Animals are put in circuses and zoos for our entertainment.
  • Animals’ skin, teeth and horns are used as decor items by humans.
  • The cosmetic industry uses products made by killing animals.
  • Animals are considered sacred in the Hindu religion and are revered.
  • The cow is considered a holy animal in Hindu culture and is worshipped.

Paragraph on Animal Cruelty

Every animal on the earth deserves to live in peace. It is due to selfish human activities, where animals are used and killed for various factors. From scientific experiments to the domestication of animals, humans harm animals with different methods. Just like us, animals also have emotions and feel pain. God has given them an equal right to live just as to us. But here we are, killing animals to obtain their teeth, skins and other body parts to decorate our homes. On one side we are killing an animal, and on the other, we are killing a living being. Our cosmetic industries, medicines and even non-vegetarian diets are all responsible for animal cruelty. We must stop such sinful activities as they disturb the ecological balance and hurt poor animals. To stop animal cruelty, we must collectively work and take strong legal measures to stop it. We must raise awareness about animal cruelty, educate people and support animal shelters.

Ans: Animal cruelty refers to the harmful and poor behaviour towards animals. As humans, we think that we are superior and that every other living and non-living thing is inferior to us. We treat and do things in ways we like and want them to.

Ans: Animal cruelty can be stopped by strong legal measures, proper education, animal shelters, humane education programs, anonymous mechanisms, etc.

Ans: There are four types of animal abuse: simple neglect, abuse and torture, organised abuse and illegal breeding or animal sexual abuse.

Ans: Under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, Sections 428 and 429 states that animal cruelty is a punishable offence.

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Essay on Cruelty To Animals for Students and Children

500+ words essay on cruelty to animal.

All laws of benevolence prohibit animal cruelty. In the event of livestock, no plea can justify cruelty, as bad creatures can do little to protect themselves. There are many types of cruelty to livestock. It is suffered primarily by those who have little knowledge of how the sensitive equilibrium of nature is to be maintained by different species. The Cruelty To Animals Essay is an insight into the cruelty that animals suffer and what solutions can be adopted

Cruelty To Animals Essay

At the top of the list is a kind of’ government-sponsored cruelty that is evident from the sorry state of our zoos where animals are kept in cramped cages, some of which’ stink’ so badly that you can’t get the strength to look at the animals more closely. Behind the doors of the laboratory is the most horrifying instance of cruelty — young animals in the laboratory are being tortured in the name of studies and experimentation.

In cosmetics, 60,000 chemicals are used and often tested on rats, rabbits, guinea pigs, mice, and monkeys. To determine corneal irritation, corrosive chemicals are injected into the eyes. In order to determine tissue deterioration, animals are frozen in ice and put on hot plates. Every year, about ten million animals are murdered in experiments.

Other cases of worldwide reported cruelty include rare species such as Liver Ridley tortoises becoming enmeshed in the trawler’s nets, leading in suffocation, or spinal tailed lizards Sold to create aphrodisiacs. In the presence of prospective clients, their necks are snapped.

The fins of the sharks are sliced and the bad animals flow back into the ocean to die a painful death. Frog legs are also cut, which are handled as a delicacy. Also, the juvenile chiru deer fur is used to make’ shawls’ of exotic toosh. Despite hundreds of animals and birds being trapped and killed in the name of custom and tradition, despite the laws.

Get the huge list of more than 500 Essay Topics and Ideas

Wildlife Laws

There is legislation specified solely to save the rare and rapidly decreasing species. For example, the Constitution’s Article 15A(G) aimed at protecting and improving the natural environment. The Wildlife Protection Act of 1972 is another comparable law.

But the anomaly is that there is not enough implementation of any of this legislation. Also, the Wildlife Protection Act, for example, was revised in 1991, but it could not stop India’s exotic bird trade.

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Martha Nussbaum lays out ethical, legal case in new book

Martha Nussbaum.

Martha Nussbaum

Excerpted from “Justice for Animals: Our Collective Responsibility” by Martha C. Nussbaum, M.A. ’71, Ph.D. ’75

Animals are in trouble all over the world. Our world is dominated by humans everywhere: on land, in the seas, and in the air. No non-human animal escapes human domination. Much of the time, that domination inflicts wrongful injury on animals: whether through the barbarous cruelties of the factory meat industry, through poaching and game hunting, through habitat destruction, through pollution of the air and the seas, or through neglect of the companion animals that people purport to love.

In a way, this problem is age-old. Both Western and non-Western philosophical traditions have deplored human cruelty to animals for around two millennia. The Hindu emperor Ashoka (c. 304–232 bce), a convert to Buddhism, wrote about his efforts to give up meat and to forgo all practices that harmed animals. In Greece the Platonist philosophers Plutarch (46–119 ce) and Porphyry (c. 234–305 ce) wrote detailed treatises deploring human cruelty to animals, describing their keen intelligence and their capacity for social life, and urging humans to change their diet and their way of life. But by and large these voices have fallen on deaf ears, even in the supposedly moral realm of the philosophers, and most humans have continued to treat most animals like objects, whose suffering does not matter — although they sometimes make an exception for companion animals. Meanwhile, countless animals have suffered cruelty, deprivation, and neglect.

Cover of For Animals by Martha Nussbaum.

Because the reach of human cruelty has expanded, so too has the involvement of virtually all people in it. Even people who do not consume meat produced by the factory farming industry are likely to have used single-use plastic items, to use fossil fuels mined beneath the ocean and polluting the air, to dwell in areas in which elephants and bears once roamed, or to live in high-rise buildings that spell death for migratory birds. The extent of our own implication in practices that harm animals should make every person with a conscience consider what we can all do to change this situation. Pinning guilt is less important than accepting the fact that humanity as a whole has a collective duty to face and solve these problems.

So far, I have not spoken of the extinction of animal species, because this is a book about loss and deprivation suffered by individual creatures, each of whom matters. Species as such do not suffer loss. However, extinction never takes place without massive suffering of individual creatures: the hunger of a polar bear, starving on an ice floe, unable to cross the sea to hunt; the sadness of an orphan elephant, deprived of care and community as the species dwindles rapidly; the mass extinctions of song-bird species as a result of unbreathable air, a horrible death. When human practices hound species toward extinction, member animals always suffer greatly and live squashed and thwarted lives. Besides, the species themselves matter for creating diverse ecosystems in which animals can live well.

Extinctions would take place even without human intervention. Even in such cases we might have reasons to intervene to stop them, because of the importance of biodiversity. But scientists agree that today’s extinctions are between one thousand and ten thousand times higher than the natural extinction rate. (Our uncertainty is huge, because we are very ignorant of how many species there actually are, particularly where fish and insects are concerned.) Worldwide, approximately one-quarter of the world’s mammals and over 40 percent of amphibians are currently threatened with extinction. These include several species of bear, the Asian elephant (endangered), the African elephant (threatened), the tiger, six species of whale, the gray wolf, and so many more. All in all, more than 370 animal species are either endangered or threatened, using the criteria of the US Endangered Species Act, not including birds, and a separate list of similar length for birds. Asian songbirds are virtually extinct in the wild, on account of the lucrative trade in these luxury items. And many other species of birds have recently become extinct. Meanwhile, the international treaty called CITES that is supposed to protect birds (and many other creatures) is toothless and unenforced. The story of this book is not that story of mass extinction, but the sufferings of individual creatures that take place against this background of human indifference to biodiversity.

“The extent of our own implication in practices that harm animals should make every person with a conscience consider what we can all do to change this situation.”

There is a further reason why the ethical evasion of the past must end now. Today we know far more about animal lives than we did even 50 years ago. We know much too much for the glib excuses of the past to be offered without shame. Porphyry and Plutarch (and Aristotle before them) knew a lot about animal intelligence and sensitivity. But somehow humans find ways of “forgetting” what the science of the past has plainly revealed, and for many centuries most people, including most philosophers, thought animals were “brute beasts,” automata without a subjective sense of the world, without emotions, without society, and perhaps even without the feeling of pain.

Recent decades, however, have seen an explosion of high-level research covering all areas of the animal world. We now know more not only about animals long closely studied — primates and companion animals — but also about animals who are difficult to study — marine mammals, whales, fish, birds, reptiles, and cephalopods.

We know — not just by observation, but by carefully designed experimental work — that all vertebrates and many invertebrates feel pain subjectively, and have, more generally, a subjectively felt view of the world: the world looks like something to them. We know that all of these animals experience at least some emotions (fear being the most ubiquitous), and that many experience emotions like compassion and grief that involve more complex “takes” on a situation. We know that animals as different as dolphins and crows can solve complicated problems and learn to use tools to solve them. We know that animals have complex forms of social organization and social behavior. More recently, we have been learning that these social groups are not simply places where a rote inherited repertory is acted out, but places of complicated social learning. Species as different as whales, dogs, and many types of birds clearly transmit key parts of the species’ repertoire to their young socially, not just genetically.

What are the implications of this research for ethics? Huge, clearly. We can no longer draw the usual line between our own species and “the beasts,” a line meant to distinguish intelligence, emotion, and sentience from the dense life of a “brute beast.” Nor can we even draw a line between a group of animals we already recognize as sort of “like us” — apes, elephants, whales, dogs — and others who are supposed to be unintelligent. Intelligence takes multiple and fascinating forms in the real world, and birds, evolving by a very different path from humans, have converged on many similar abilities. Even an invertebrate such as the octopus has surprising capacities for intelligent perception: an octopus can recognize individual humans, and can solve complex problems, guiding one of its arms through a maze to obtain food using only its eyes. Once we recognize all this we can hardly be unchanged in our ethical thinking. To put a “brute beast” in a cage seems no more wrong than putting a rock in a terrarium. But that is not what we are doing. We are deforming the existence of intelligent and complexly sentient forms of life. Each of these animals strives for a flourishing life, and each has abilities, social and individual, that equip it to negotiate a decent life in a world that gives animals difficult challenges. What humans are doing is to thwart this striving — and this seems wrong.

But even though the time has come to recognize our ethical responsibility to the other animals, we have few intellectual tools to effect meaningful change. The third reason why we must confront what we are doing to animals now, today, is that we have built a world in which two of humanity’s best tools for progress, law and political theory, have, so far, no or little help to offer us. Law — both domestic and international — has quite a lot to say about the lives of companion animals, but very little to say about any other animals. Nor do animals in most nations have what lawyers call “standing”: that is, the status to bring a legal claim if they are wronged. Of course, animals cannot themselves bring a legal claim, but neither can most humans, including children, people with cognitive disabilities — and, to tell the truth, almost everybody, since people have little knowledge of the law. All of us need a lawyer to press our claims. But all the humans I have mentioned — including people with lifelong cognitive disabilities — count, and can bring a legal claim, assisted by an able advocate. The way we have designed the world’s legal systems, animals do not have this simple privilege. They do not count.

Law is built by humans using the theories they have. When those theories were racist, laws were racist. When theories of sex and gender excluded women, so too did law. And there is no denying that most political thought by humans the world over has been human-centered, excluding animals. Even the theories that purport to offer help in the struggle against abuse are deeply defective, built on an inadequate picture of animal lives and animal striving. As a philosopher and political theorist who is also deeply immersed in law and law teaching, I hope to change things with this book.

Copyright © 2022 by Martha Nussbaum. Reprinted by permission of Simon & Schuster, Inc.

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Home / Essay Samples / Sociology / Identity / Animal Cruelty

Animal Cruelty Essay Examples

Ending the suffering: exploring the menace of animal cruelty.

Animal cruelty refers to the mistreatment or abuse of animals by humans. Animal cruelty essay reveals such topics as animal neglect, physical abuse, intentional harm, and exploitation for human gain. Sadly, animal cruelty is a widespread issue that affects millions of animals every year, and...

Arguments Why Animal Testing Should Be Eliminated

Right now, in laboratories across the globe, millions of mice, rats, rabbits, monkeys, cats, dogs and other animals are locked in cages. More than 100 million animals are killed in laboratories around the world each year for medical training, curiosity-driven experiments, and chemical, pharmaceutical, and...

Animal Cruelty and It’s Relation to Human Cruelty 

Animal cruelty has been around for a long time and individuals have scarcely successfully stopped it. It could be forestalled on the off chance that it was brought into people in general spotlight more. Might it be possible that animal cruelty is connected to human...

The Rising Problem of Animal Cruelty in Modern World

The world is an extremely wicked place, people suffer daily and inflict that hurt and pain onto innocent animals who can't defend themselves. Thousands of animals are either brutally hurt or killed by the hands of people for entertainment, food industries, sexual pleasures, and because...

Stopping Animal Cruelty: Problem and Solution

I decided to choose this topic because I want to investigate and learn about the way people are treating animals, and what is being done to prevent abuse from happening. There are so many poor blameless creatures getting hurt, shot, dying in pain all around...

Canned Hunting the Unknown Cruelty of Animals 

Within the United States the growing multi-billion-dollar industry of canned hunting is on the increase within 28 states, there is no current legislation or policy that regulates this form of hunting on a federal level. (2) Canned hunting is a form of hunting where an...

The Effects of Animal Cruelty

Have you ever heard the phrase “a dog is a man’s best friend?” For most Americans, that statement is true. Yet, there are still millions of people abusing animals every day. On average, there are roughly 1,920 reported animal abuse cases each year, not including...

Animal Abuse and Cruelty

Animals and pets have made best friends and companions for years. Unfortunately they have been abused and neglected for just as long. Animal’s quality of life is very important and there is no way that that this cruelty towards them can be justified. Animal abuse...

Animal Abuse - the Global Problem of Welfare Protection

Chained to a fence in the city of Brooklyn, New York, a Pit/lab mix sat in the cold freezing rain, unable to seek shelter. Without any possibility of breaking free, luck came his way when Officer Michael Pascal, a member of the New York Police...

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About Animal Cruelty

Animal Cruelty is defined as depriving an animal of food, water, shelter, and/or veterinary care. Torturing, maiming, or killing animals is also animal cruelty. There are many reasons people have used to be cruel to animals.

Industrial animal farming, fur industry, alleged link to human violence and psychological disorders, cultural rituals, television and filmmaking, circuses, animal fighting, rattlesnake round-ups, warfare, unnecessary scientific experiments or demonstrations, no pet policies and abandonment, hunting.

One animal is abused every minute. Over 115 million animals – mice, rats, dogs, cats, rabbits, monkeys, birds, among others – are killed in laboratory experiments worldwide for chemical, drug, food, and cosmetics testing every year. Intentional cruelty to animals is strongly correlated with other crimes, including violence against people. Hoarding behavior often victimizes animals. Sufferers of a hoarding disorder may impose severe neglect on animals by housing far more than they are able to adequately take care of. Surveys suggest that those who intentionally abuse animals are predominantly men under 30, while those involved in animal hoarding are more likely to be women over 60. The animals whose abuse is most often reported are dogs, cats, horses and livestock.

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