Animal Welfare

Photo

Animal Welfare

Animal rights and animal welfare cover a huge spectrum of ideas and beliefs.

The animal rights viewpoint is basically that humans do not have the right to use animals for their own gain at all—in the laboratory, on the farm, in entertainment or in the wild. The animal welfare viewpoint advocates for limiting or preventing cruel treatment of animals. According to the animal welfare perspective, human use of animals is acceptable if animal suffering is preventable. In practice however it is not always that simple to make this distinction between animal rights and animal welfare positions. In many cases, organizations or individuals who describe themselves as animal rights advocates may support animal welfare efforts as an intermediate step on the path to a true animal rights solution. While the perspectives differ, both involve a concern for the suffering of others.

Section empowered by

Some of the information and action ideas on our site are from the animal welfare perspective and others are closer to animal rights. Read about the issues and figure out how you personally feel on this topic.

Animal Cruelty

Photo

Cruel treatment comes in many forms - learn about them and see what you can do.

Animal Homelessness

Photo

There are 4-6 million homeless pets in the U.S. in need of a good home. Learn more about the cause…

Animal Testing

Photo

An estimated 2,000,000 animals are used in research in the U.S. each year.

Endangered Species

Photo

Since 1600, more than 700 species of plants and animals have gone extinct.

Factory Farms

Photo

These operations treat animals with hormones and antibiotics to prevent disease.

Puppy Mills

Photo

Behind the cute pet store showroom is an entire industry of inhumane animal breeding.



News on this cause

Michael Vick heads home from prison

Former Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick was released from prison in Kansas yesterday, and will serve the last two months of his sentence in home confinement in Virginia. 28-year-old Vick was found guilty of bankrolling a dogfighting operation at his house.

Vick has already served 21 months in jail, and will return to pro football as early as September if the NFL reinstates him. His attorneys say that in the meantime, he will work at a construction firm in Virginia and will be paid $600,000 to be in a documentary.


Polar bears on a deadline

The Obama administration is pushing a deadline about a decision on polar bear protection. They are deciding whether they should allow government agencies to cite the Endangered Species Act, which protects polar bears, for putting limits on greenhouse gases from power plants, cars, and factories…even if they create pollution thousands of miles from where the polar bears live.

The Bush admin decided that no action outside of the bear’s habitat could be considered endangering, but this decision was opposed by environmentalists and Congress.


ASPCA goes orange in NYC

Today the ASPCA hit the big apple to host an ASPCA Day, "Going Orange for Animals." This celebration, in NYC's Union Square, featured adoptable animals, live music, expert advice from ASPCA behaviorists and poison control specialists, and the ASPCA's very own animals cops from Animal Planet's Animal Precinct.

They also brought along caricaturists, photographers, and airbrushers for crafts so pet-lovers could create keepsakes of their furry friends.


Act Now! (the matrix)

Select from the options below and hit search. We will give you tons of easy ways to do something!

Bookmark and Share