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Caged Up: Are Animals Even Worth It?

At the age of 10 I witnessed animal abuse for the first time, as I was playing in the park

with my friends and family. I was 10 years old, playing in the park and having fun, I witnessed

animal abuse for the first time. As I was playing I heard a disturbing sound coming from a dog,

and I was outraged to see a man abusing a dog. So shocked and discombobulated from what I

had just observed, I went and told my mother and I was confused by her response of, “Let’s go.”

I didn't know what to do. I have always tried my best to prevent animal abuse from happening,

and at that moment that I was observing this man abusing his dog I knew I had to do something

to defend a defenseless animal. I knew something wasn't right. Animal Abuse is against the law.

In most states, you get jail time for abusing animals, just like when you abuse another human

being. There are a few states who only fine those who abuse animals. This is a problem for

anyone who thinks animals deserve better protection against abuse. ​Animals Rights should be

guaranteed rights because they experience pain just like we do, there aren't enough laws

protecting their lives, and animals don't really understand actions.

Animals go through the same pain as humans. I know everything living thing goes a type

of pain whether it be small or large. The Independent published an article entitled ‘Do Animals

Feel Pain In the Same Way as Humans Do?’, it says “The nature of pain is perhaps even more

complex in animals” (Nolan 1). We don’t really understand how animals experience pain. They

can’t say how their feeling. They can only really say through actions. In this article, Nolan also

says, “Animals rely on human observers to recognize pain and to evaluate its severity and

impact” (Nolan 1). Since they cannot tell us verbally, they do different things to get our
attention. The can cry or keep barking to tell us there is something wrong. They also like to

bother us or try to make a mess so that all of our attention goes to them. Animals can’t tell us

but, they do have pain, just like us. After all, most animals are mammals.

A National Geographic article titled ‘The Surprisingly Humanlike Ways Animals Feel

Pain’, Evolutionary biologist and author, Marc Bekoff, says, ‘Mammals share the same nervous

system, emotions, and neurochemicals, all which are integrated into the experience of pain’

(Langley 1). Every mammal on this planet has the same nervous system. That means we can all

feel pain, maybe not in the same way but, we do feel it. Bekoff, also said, ‘Whether mammals

feel pain like we do is unknown, but that doesn’t mean they don’t experience it’ (Langley 1). We

don’t know if other mammals feel the same exact way we do when they are in pain, but we are

able to see that they do feel pain. In able to know about all the information about their pain, there

has to be research and observation done to know. We might not know about their pain but, they

show the same emotions as us. We know when they are sad or happy. When they’re mad, they

get really aggressive. Most animals, when sad, won’t really be up to do simple things like, to eat

or even walk. We know all this by observing their actions.

In a Vox article, by German Lopez, titled ‘Animals Can Feel Pain. A Biologist Explains

How We Know’, he says, “With them, we can only really know what we observed but it seems

like they are aware of pain” (Lopez 1). Since they cannot tell us, we don’t know for sure but,

from what we’ve seen, they know what pain is and it’s toll on themselves. Lopez also continues

to say that, ‘In the wild, hurt animals nurse their wounds, make noises to show distress, and even

become reclusive from others’ (Lopez 1). All animals get hurt, and they will treat their own

wounds if they have to. If they can’t treat their own wounds they will make noises of distress if
they can’t do it. Animals may have and go through the same pain as us but, they don’t have

rights like humans.

As seen in the graph, it shows how many animals were used in research in 2016. It also

shows which kinds of animals were used in research. The most used were Guinea Pigs and the

least used were sheep. It’s really scary to think that they have to use all these animals just to

experiment on them. In total, they used 820,812 animals alone in 2016. These animals go

through the pain by being tested on. Sometimes these experiments aren’t even guaranteed. Just to

think about these animals going through the pain and trying to get the attention they need for

help.

There are not enough laws protecting animals’ lives. In an article on The Huffington Post,

written by Rabbi Shmuly Yanklowitz, he says, ‘Cases of abuse against animals are an

infringement to owner’s right of property. Recognize animals don’t have interests’ (Yanklowitz

1). This just explains when there are cases of abuse towards animals, they’re just property, which
means they don’t really have rights. In the same article, he also says ‘Throughout most of the

twentieth century, changes in jurisprudential thought regarding animal abuse have been

minuscule’ (Yanklowitz 1). In the last century, changes to help animals haven’t been huge. Most

of these laws that have been changed don’t really help any animal. Animals don’t have the

conscious to have interests. A chimp doesn’t get the right to Habeas Corpus just because they

aren’t human beings.

In an article published by BBC News, written by Owen Bennett-Jones, he says, ‘In a

potentially significant ruling, Judge Barbara Jaffe at one stage suggested that the chimps had the

right of habeas corpus’ (Bennett-Jones 1). The judge said they had the right to habeas corpus.

Habeas corpus is the unlawful imprisonment of the court of a person. In the next part of the

article, it said, ‘But having initially used the words habeas corpus, the judge subsequently struck

them out, saying the court doesn’t consider animals, legal persons’ (Bennett-Jones 1). Once the

judge said “habeas corpus”, she changes her mind about animals have this right because they

aren’t people. This just shows animals don’t have the same rights as people, just like in three

states who don’t even consider animal abuse a felony.

Kim Campbell Thornton wrote an article for NBCUniversal News Group saying that

‘Three of five states do not consider cruelty, neglect, or abandonment, of animals, as felonies’

(Thornton 1). These five states are Idaho, Hawaii, Kentucky, Mississippi, and North Dakota.

They will only get fined if they mistreat an animal. Later on, she explains, ‘People in these states

aren’t more likely to mistreat their animals but, the laws haven’t caught up with society’s values’

(Thornton 1). In these states, people will most likely not abuse or mistreat these animals but, they

have not caught up with everyone else’s values. Animals don’t get the same rights as people and
they don’t understand every action they see.

Animals do not really understand actions. An article published by Live Science, Natalie

Wolchover says, ‘They may have feelings but, maybe not morals’ (Wolchover 1). Animals

won’t understand every single thing that may happen to them but they do have sympathy for

others. They know when someone is feeling down and they might end up feeling down

themselves. Wolchover expands more on this statement by saying, ‘For example, experiments

with rats have shown that they will not eat if they know that doing so will inflict pain on other

rats’ (Wolchover 1). These rats in the research experiments will not eat because, over time,

they’ve seen if they do eat, the others will be in pain somehow so, rather than hurt another rat,

they’ll starve themselves. Animals may not understand other actions but, they do understand the

simple actions of being happy, sad, or mad. They’ll know when something is wrong.

In a National Geographic article titled, ‘Yes, Animals Think and Feel. Here’s How You

Know’, writer Simon Worrall says that ‘Animals will display empathy when they know they’ve

done something wrong’ (Worrall 1). Animals will know they’ve done something wrong when

they see a person showing emotions other than being happy. They will show empathy to say they

are sorry even though they cannot say it verbally. He goes on saying that, ‘We can’t tell if they

understand all the time.We can only tell by their actions’ (Worrall 1). Animals can only tell us by

their actions. They tell us in many different ways. When we are sad, they’ll try to make us feel

better by trying to get your attention or making you get up to do something that you guys do on

any other day. When the animals themselves are feeling down they’ll most likely not eat or have

the energy to do the daily activities they do.

An article titled, ‘How Do Animals Think?’ by the Department of Economic

Development says, ‘Animal may react to different kinds of pain in many different ways’ (DEC

1). When animals are in pain, they have different emotions and reactions to a different situation.

It all depends on the type of animal that gets hurt. The Department of Economic Development

goes on to say that, ‘An animal may not be able to explain uncomfortable experiences to itself’

(DEC 1). Animals go through a whole bunch of situations with different reactions towards them.

The bigger animal may have no pain at all while the smaller animal may have much more pain. It

all depends on the nature of the situation. Any animal may not be able to understand and explain

different actions to the situation to anyone or itself.

Every living thing goes through pain, everything has laws protecting them, and animals

don’t understand every action they see. Animals can’t really express how they are feeling as well

as humans, who can talk. Some states’ laws for animals don’t really punish the person who hurt

these animals just because ‘Animals aren’t legal persons’ (Bennett-Jones 1). Others should

consider animals feelings and actions. They probably will never know when they are in a bad

situation. To an animal, they don’t comprehend actions as well as we do. This topic matters to

me because animals’ protection should be important, even though they aren’t legal persons.

Animal abuse shouldn’t happen as often as it does. Our society should be concerned about

because people who do this are hurting another living thing. No living thing should go through

the pain of being abused and then feel like they don’t have a say in anything.
 Bibliography

Bennett- Jones, Owen. ¨Should Animals Have the Same Rights as Humans?” BBC News.

BBC. 26 May 2015.

Department of Economic Development. “How Do Animals Think?” Care and Welfare of

Pets. Department of Economic Development. Transport andResumes. 20 Oct. 2017.

Nolan, Andrea. “Do Animals Feel Pain In the Same Way as Humans Do?” The

Independent. Independent Digital News and Media. 7 July 2015.

Langley, Liz. “The Surprising Humanlike Ways Animals Feel Pain.” National

Geographic. National Geographic Society. 3 Dec. 2016.

Lopez, German. “Animals Can Feel Pain. A Biologist Explains How We Know.” Vox.

Vox. 23 Jan. 2017.

Thornton, Kim Campbell. “ 5 Worst States to Be An Animal: Abuse Law Lax.”

NBCNews.com. NBCUniversal News Group. 3 Feb. 2010.

Wolchover, Natalie. “Do Animals Know Right From Wrong?” Live Science. Purch. 1

Nov. 2011.

Worrall, Simon. “Yes, Animals Think and Feel. Here’s How You Know.” National

Geographic. National Geographic Society. 15 July 2015.

Yanklowitz, Rabbi Shmuly. “Do Animals Have Legal Rights?” The Huffington Post.

TheHuffingtonPost.com 28 Mar. 2016.