Animal Cruelty Linked to Human Rights

Animal Cruelty Linked to Human Rights 

By Michael Leonard Douglas

Animal cruelty a world-wide issue

The goal should be a balance in the ecosystem for all living things to thrive.  There is no justification for the barbaric cruelty that takes place daily on every continent. It does not matter whether a human is involved or an animal.  Animal-human right’s activists advocate for treating all animals humanely. Can you imagine the outrage if human beings were held in cages and tortured regularly or were hunted down by wealthy adventurers seeking nothing more than a photo-op with a corpse, or a trophy for their wall?  It is time that humanity finds the resolve to develop a plan that promotes co-existence with the rest of the animal kingdom. Where balance of land and resources put an end to animal cruelty.

Basic needs

Scientifically, human beings are animals. Therefore, when we talk about human rights, there is no real conflict with animal rights. Those most basic rights (needs) for all creatures are to live freely, have access to food and water, a comfortable shelter/habitat; and lastly, security from unwarranted threat and mistreatment. Animal cruelty is denial of any of these basic needs. When any one of these basic rights is infringed upon repeatedly the entire ecosystem is thrown out of balance.

View from the top

Since human beings are at the top of the chain and dominate every activity on the planet it is difficult to convince the global human population that we are equals with lesser animals. The term, “animal rights” was coined to give a voice to the millions of animals that face cruelty and slaughter every single day. There is no animal that is more intelligent than the human species and no species better able to launch and give voice to an appeal against animal cruelty than that carried on by its own species.

Links to animal cruelty and  family abuse

The link between animal cruelty and human rights is clear when we are willing to look at the evidence. Domestic abuse is not usually just an attack on one household member. The abusers target animals too. Most domestic animals that are mistreated are part of a paradigm of abuse. A study by the Animal Welfare Institute confirmed there is a connection between animal abuse, child abuse and domestic abuse.

Statistics are eye-opening

The Animal Welfare Institute study measured a strong connection between animal cruelty, child abuse, and non-ending domestic violence. According to their study, up to 72% of abused women reported a similar, if not brutal, abuse of their pets by their spouse or partner. The study shows that not only were the animals abused, but often killed in the process. In a similar study conducted nationwide, a staggering 84% of the people who reported domestic abuse also claimed that their pets were abused or brutally injured.

Animal Welfare Institute

Statistically there is a direct link between domestic violence and animal cruelty. The connection of these women (occasionally men) to their pets was found to be so strong that up to 49% of those reporting abuses chose to stay in the environment to protect their pets. These are shocking numbers and should be of great social concern. But is knowledge enough to turn social concern into social policy that safeguards both animal and human rights? A question not answered by the study was, is the cruelty toward the animals a characteristic trait of the abuser, or is it related to the human target of abuse and their relationship with the abused animal?

Animal cruelty for profit

One of the most common cases of animal abuse is in the illegal dog fighting business. In most cases, people who participated in these activities are ex-convicts or drug dealers looking for excitement. Illegal gambling, drugs, and the physical violence are elements of this disgusting activity. Dog fighting is a felony in all fifty states of the United States and its territories. In most states possession of dogs for the purpose of fighting is also a felony. These  are crime zones where hardened criminals gather.

In other parts of the world

Cases of animal cruelty are even more clear on the black market with the illegal wildlife trade threatening the ecological balance. Poachers target the elephant’s ivory, the leopard’s glorious pelts and the rhino’s mystic horns because of their black market value. Attempts to find and untangle the International Networks behind this criminal trade has proved illusive. Japanese and Chinese nationals are the biggest supporters of the illegal animal-parts trade. Criminals avoid prosecution through bribes and corruption along the road from kill to delivery.

Both big and small

Poachers slaughtered 40,000 African elephants in 2011. In 2013 poachers killed another 50,000 elephants for their ivory. In 2011 more than 41 tons of ivory was seized by officials. In 2013 officials seized 51 tons of illegal ivory. The effects of animal cruelty extends from the massive elephant to the tiny Pangolin. The charming little creature has become increasingly the victim of illegal wildlife crime, mainly in Africa and Asia. Poachers are ruthlessly hunting the animal for its meat and scales; pushing the animal to the  brink of extinction.

Each year more animals go extinct

The critically endangered list includes five species of rhinoceros.  Also on the critically endangered list are the Orangutan, Sea Turtles, Gorillas and the Tiger to name just a few. The number of tigers has dropped to an estimated 3,800 world-wide. Critically endangered animals face an extremely high risk of extinction. With the illegal animal trade (industry) known to be churning millions of dollars annually, the majority of those involved will not stop until they are dead, jailed or they have no wildlife left to kill.

Safeguarding the vulnerable.

The continued poaching threatens the balance of the intertwined ecosystem of the planet. In a patch work of laws the world governments are moving toward the introduction of harsh penalties to end animal cruelty and slaughter. As the numbers of an animal decreases, the price paid increases, stimulating increased poaching. China and Japan encourage the use of tiger bone and rhino horn for traditional medicine.  Such social support of animal cruelty as demonstrated by China and Japan is a huge impediment to safe-guarding endangered species.

Governments ratchet up response to wildlife slaughter

According to Save the Rhino Foundation (2018), the argument against arming game wardens is that such a step is potentially a violation of human rights. In the war against poachers governments are pulling out all the stops. As game wardens are given firearms to protect the defenseless it is not considerate of the poacher’s right to live. Botswana and India have adopted a shoot-to-kill policy to curb poaching. These dire policies have received mixed criticism globally. It is obvious that as the fight to end the illegal wildlife trade intensifies human rights may be compromised. As a result of government crack downs, human right’s activists are quick to defend poachers, arguing that just because you are a criminal does not mean you should be shot dead without trial.

Militarizing the game wardens

Is there another way to guarantee the safeguarding of both animal and human rights? From the numbers, it seems like the animal cruelty and illegal animal parts trade is not going away any time soon without extreme intervention by governments. Despite push back from some, many other governments are looking at the Botswana and Indian strategies. The obvious result, a violation of human rights, but it might just be necessary in the end.

A timeless problem

Whether the animal is domestic or living in the wild, animals are clearly vulnerable to human exploitation. Protective measures that guarantee the safety of helpless wildlife can also act as human right’s protections.  As studies show animal cruelty is directly linked to safeguarding human rights. From a domestic perspective, controlling animal abuse may also cut cases of domestic violence if the perpetrators are held accountable for their abuse. On an international scale, it is long past time to intensify efforts to safeguard the world’s treasured wildlife, or we risk an imbalance that will not be sustainable.

References

**Animal Welfare Institute (2018). Retrieved from https://awionline.org/content/facts-and-myths-about-domestic-violence-and-animal-abuse

**Save the Rhino (2018). Retrieved from https://www.savetherhino.org/thorny-issues/shoot-to-kill/

**Wikipedia//https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Endangered_species