Animals in captivity, for example, have often been genetically, behaviorally or anatomically manipulated in order to enhance acclimation to the new environment. Similarly, animals have been neutered, declawed or defanged to be more compatible with their human keepers. Those who are in support of captivity of animals need to revisit such earlier condoned behavior and ensure that animals receive necessary care, nutrition and exercise and live in proper caging areas. Further, depending on the specific animal, there may also be behavioral or psychological concerns in captivity. For instance, captive animals, particularly those that are not domesticated, may develop repetitive and what appears to be random motor behaviors called "stereotypical behaviors," due to their abnormal environment (Bostock 88). Those who maintain animals in captivity, especially zoos and similar institutions and research laboratories, need to attempt to prevent, decrease or eliminate such behavior by introducing novel stimuli, known as environmental enrichment.
Zoos….

Animal Rights and Experimentation
Animal rights are being constantly violated in this day and age. They are being subjected to endless experimentation in order to ensure a healthy life for humans. This is known as vivisection. The local industries use tests, which kill around 50% of the animals during the tests. It is sad to know that tests are still being conducted on animals in spite of having results. Experts have found out that animal testing is unnecessary.

According to PETA, the FDA is to blame for animal rights violation in the U.S. They have made animal testing mandatory for testing of all pharmaceutical drugs. There are no laws to prevent animal experimentation. There are a lot of loopholes in the Animal Welfare Act, as it does not protect the rights of mice, birds and rats. The research facilities have been given a carte blanche to carry out their merciless testing. They….

.. it's healthy, it's somebody's way of life, it's somebody's livelihood, it's somebody's business.(ibid)
This is a strongly worded statement and indictment of an uncaring humanity. However, bearing in mind the daily evidence of cruelty to animals one cannot but feel that there is an element of truth to this argument.

Commercial reasons for abuse

One of the central reasons or "justifications" for animal abuse and possibly why so many turn a blind eye to animal cruelty, is commerce and the profit motive.

The plain fact is that this country and other industrial countries are deeply dependent on animal exploitation to sustain their present economic structures. The plain fact is that we are more dependent on animal exploitation than were the states of the southern United States on human slavery. (Francione, G.)

Animals are essentially seen as property. While there are many laws designed to protect these animals these laws are also prejudiced towards the….

Two main aims of the zoos are highlighted by the author in the article. Firstly, zoos provide the environments that are suitable and represent some level of wilderness. Secondly, the zoos must provide entertainment to the visitors. But the zoos have been criticized by the author. One of the most important facts in these cases is the relationship between pornography and zoos as given by the authors. The way animals are represented in the zoos in the pictures has been very much compared with the sexual representation in pornography. From here, it can be realized that the animal representation is very offensive. Another important fact that has been highlighted by the author is that the zoos are failing to provide the correct education about the life of the animals. The main education that is now being provided by the zoos to the visitors is that the animals have been….

Part III - Resolution. I argue that it is irrelevant whether animals have rights; even if not, we should conduct ourselves toward them as if they did. On this planet, the form of life most fit for survival in a Darwinian sense is Homo sapiens. We are more fit because we are better able than any other living thing to fully utilize our biologic advantages in tandem with the variables in our environment. But from the same Darwinian sense, we are not intrinsically better than other animals. What makes us better is our ability, too often unexercised, to behave in a way that is contrary to our animal nature. Physiologically, we are predators, but we can choose to be whatever we want - non-predators, for instance. If we are superior in any natural way, this is why.

Undoubtedly, while we may be the most fit, our status as the most fit….

Animal Rights
Introduction to the ESA

According to Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law (1996) the Endangered Species Act (ESA) obligated the government to protect all animal and plant life threatened with extinction. Included in this category are endangered species, which is defined as any species "which is in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its range." Also protected are threatened species, which are defined as any species "which is likely to become endangered in the foreseeable future throughout all or a significant portion of its range." The wide brush of this act is creating problems for those who are granting the rights to the animals. Unlike humans, who have been granted certain unalienable rights by their creator, (U.S. ill of Rights) animals receive the rights they enjoy from the highest species on the earth, man.

y treating the subject of animal rights as a holy grail, activist groups are creating….

However, most animals who are eaten today are not killed in a humane way. The movie "Meet your Meat," narrated by lec Baldwin, describes the way in which animals are raised and butchered. They show cows still alive, strung up by their hind legs screaming as their throats were cut, or dunked in boiling water while still alive. In one clip, a half-slaughtered pig broke one of his own legs trying to get free, slipping and sliding on blood as he tried to escape the slaughter house. Chickens and pigs are kept in terrible conditions while alive. Chickens have their beaks cut off without anesthesia, and live in such little cages that they cannot turn around and usually go insane. Pigs have their ears, tails, and genitalia mutilated without pain medication, are kept in tiny unsanitary cages, and frequently freeze to the side of their trucks during transport.….

e. animal kingdom is well protected and respected. It the humans can expect their rights to be fulfilled and respected, it is their responsibility to ensure that they are equally proactive and vigilant in performing their obligations and responsibilities towards other terrestrials creatures. If the humans have the moral understanding and perspective, it encourages them to respond in more active manner for the development and the progress of the society in particular and the world at large, and when we frame the entire world and environment into the domain, the humans are responsible for reflecting their concern, care and responsibility towards the animal kingdom (Andrew, 2002).
The development and industrial progress achieve by the human society has created enormous impact on the environment of the world, and every single element within this planet has been directly or indirectly affected by the ongoing progress of the world. If the technological development has….

Based on these facts, the scientific community and animal welfare groups support animal experiments in medical research where it is found to be absolutely necessary.
To counter the main argument in favor of animal experiments, animal rights groups contend that all sentient creatures are capable of feeling pain and, therefore, conducting experiments on animals is the moral equivalent to using brain damaged humans or infants before the age of reasoning (Goodwin & Morrison, 2000). In addition, they argue that animal experiments can be misleading since the organs of animals react differently to that of humans. As proof, animal rights activists point to examples such as the failure to find anything similar to the cholera process in animals or the fact that all tests on animals failed completely in the case of the drug Thalidomide (Mather, 2003). To further strengthen the case against the use of animals in medical research, other….

These abilities are inclusive of memory emotion, belief, desire, intentional actions and an awareness of the future. With these things being understood this theory asserts that mammals not only have physical bodies that are alive but they also function as psychological beings whose existence can get better or worse. Proponents of this theory argue that other mammals have this capacity even though they cannot use human language to articulate this capacity.
The second stage of this theory asserts that subjects of a life are independent of one another. This argument is used to refute the idea that utilitarianism which asserts that living things are only vessels of morally significant value (Warren). As such damage done to one living thing may be permissible because it may provide some benefit to other living things. This is that argument used to justify using animals for medical research. However this is an idea that….

The Moral Equation:

Observations of animals, whether in the wild, in captivity, or in experimental cages reveal undeniable evidence that they perceive physical pain and discomfort as well as pain as acutely as we do (Tangley 2000). Anecdotal evidence of numerous well documented instances seems to suggest that many animals also experience emotions such as grief from of loss of companionship (Moussaieff-Masson 1995).

Not uncommonly, it is scientists and medical researchers themselves who first notice responses and behaviors in laboratory animals that, in the extreme, challenge their previous assumptions about what "rights" animals have not to be subjected unnecessarily, or for no worthwhile purpose, to excruciating pain (Winter 2002). It is possible, for example, to justify infecting animals with cancer for the purposes of learning how to treat human cancer while opposing recreational hunting, or other reasons for using animals. For example, in parts of China it is possible to purchase donkey….

Unfortunately, the costs of implementing the licensing and education program for pet ownership qualification would likely exceed any revenue generated by licensing fees or civil penalties for violations. Nevertheless, in principle, the idea is worth considering.
The two most important goals of any pet ownership licensing requirement would be (1) to ensure that new pet owners are aware of their pet's needs, and (2) enforcement of violations. In that regard, violators and those convicted of animal cruelty could be permanently prohibited from future pet ownership. Less serious violations could be addressed by temporary restrictions and requirement for animal sensitivity training as a necessary precondition to future pet ownership eligibility. This would make particular sense where neglect results from innocent ignorance rather than willful criminal or violent animal abuse.

One of the most difficult conceptual problems with addressing animal abuse through licensing requirements is illustrated by the fact that mere licensing is….

Animal Rights and Ethics
Ingram (2001) in an article hosted by Stop Animal Exploitation NOW! (SAEN) organization reports accusations of animal rights abuses by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). There are three levels of animal use in research: experiments with minimal distress, experiments with the potential for distress but using pain relievers and experiments with the potential for distress without medication. Detailed regulations in the Animal Welfare Act state that there must be justification for moving to different levels of use and the USDA is accused by SAEN of ignoring these laws.

The underlying ethics behind the allegations against the USDA are that it is always unethical to allow animals to be in pain in scientific experiments. However, the law is not on the accusers' side, and therefore, they quibble that researchers unnecessarily and illegally move to levels of research in violation of the Animal Welfare Act.

For the author's part (Ingram,….

Animal Rights and Moral Philosophy
Most philosophy is directed at and in reference to human behavior and human responsibility yet it is presumptuous to believe that Aristotle when building the basis for Natural Law Theory did not include within his biological ideal the actions of humans toward other living beings. Reaching final mature form is said to be the goal for beings when one applies the teleological theory of Natural Law Theory. Therefore if a human were to disrupt the maturation goal of another living being it would be against the tenets of Natural Law Theory: moral law is accessible to human reason; moral law is based on human nature; moral law is universally applicable.

Aristotle makes clear through his work that in order to find happiness we must function perfectly. "human good turns out to be activity of soul in accordance with virtue, and if there are more than one virtue,….

Animal rights activist and Professor Tom Regan holds the position that it is justifiable to completely abolish the use of animals in science, agriculture, hunting and so on. He justifies this position on the theory of inherent value which he defines as the state in which every being is more than a mere receptable, and he concludes that all who have inherent value are to have it equally. Therefore, if a thing has inherent value it is wrong not to show respect for its value, i.e. To treat it as a mere resource for the use of others, as a means to an end. Because animals are included among things with inherent value Regan argues that to use them as a means to an end is morally wrong.
The argument against Regan's view is not that non-humans do not have rights. Non-humans, that is, animals have a right to humane treatment….