The Alarming Role of Humanity in Animal Cruelty

Animals have always been used as subjects for testing and research. The cosmetics, pharmaceutical, and clothing industries for years have exploited innocent animals for company benefit. It is not ethically or morally correct because they are living breathing creatures. Although, some companies have banned testing, many others still have not chosen to stop and that needs to change.

The clothing industry uses fur, wool, leather, silk, down feathers, and animal skins. A person doesn’t stop to think how many animals had to suffer in order for them to wear a piece of clothing. It’s very heartbreaking to hear the shrieking cries of a sheep being handled so viscously for their wool. Or a coyote being electrocuted from the neck to make jackets such as Canada Goose has. Animal cruelty also occurs for fun, a sport. People are given the liberty to shoot and take the life of a creature as long as they have a license and I find that absolutely absurd. They reward themselves with trophies of their kill and they display it on walls for everyone to see. If those animals were human beings, those people would be in jail for murder.

“Animals on fur farms or wild animals that have been captured spend their entire lives confined to cramped and filthy wire cages before being electrocuted, gassed, suffocated, or poisoned to death.” (PETA) People think that just because raccoons, foxes, and bears seem scary, it is okay to do atrocious things. They are capable of feeling pain, fear, and loneliness, just like you and I. Leather is made up of the skin from goats, kangaroos, pigs, cows and even cats and dogs. But most of it comes from cows that are in slaughterhouses for their beef and milk, so none of the animal goes to waste. It’s a win-win for everybody. Exotic leather on the other hand comes from alligators, snakes, crocodiles, and other reptiles. Technology and science have worked together to create a product that is vegan and animal-free. Vegan leather contains recycled nylon, non-animal microfibers, polyurethane, and plants. In addition to the clothing companies, automotive companies have also joined in using “vegan leather” for their car seats. “Tesla recently became the latest luxury automaker to offer vegan leather seating, joining BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Lexus, and Ferrari.” (PETA) This has been made possible by innovative thinking and technology that does not need to include hurting creatures. It’s all a matter of people’s willingness to change.

“Shearling is the skin of a lamb with the fleece still attached and wool is the hair from either a lamb or sheep. Cashmere comes from the hair of a goat and Angora is the wool of a rabbit.” (PETA) In the wool industry, sheep usually have their tails chopped off with a knife since their tails are usually long and their ears get hole punched to add a tag. Males are castrated when they’re 1 to 7 days old by using a band which helps their testicles to shrivel up and fall off. All of this occurs without any type of anesthetic which must be excruciating for the poor creature. “In medicine, anesthesiologists are obligated to give patients the alternatives to general anesthesia when obtaining informed consent.” (Pascarella et al.) If this is the case in humans, then don’t people realize that if it is illegal to perform any operation without consent or some type of anesthetic, then shouldn’t it be illegal to perform any type of harming acts upon an animal?

The cosmetic industry revenue in the US is 62.46 billion dollars according to statista.com This industry is very profitable because women are always buying makeup because so many new products are being introduced. And it’s also very pricey, especially the high end brands, but women are still very keen on spending money. “Animal testing for cosmetics is common in animals such as mice, rats, and most often rabbits. They are subject to allergy tests in the mucous membranes such as eyes, nose and mouth.” (OneGreenPlanet.org). These scientists use chemicals and experiment on how much damage a certain product can cause and it usually ends with many dead animals. As of recently, many popular makeup brands have taken action to be cruelty free and it has caused many beauty influencers to create more products without harming animals. India, Norway, and Israel have banned the use or import of products that involved animal testing and many other countries are considering on following the same footsteps. This is a huge step toward the right direction.

The exploitation of animals is an ongoing crisis and people need to wake up and realize how much of a role humans play in doing so. Yes, there are laws that have gone into effect already but there is so much work that still needs to be done to give helpless creatures a voice. There are alternative options to be animal-free but people need to be willing to change. “The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.” (Gandhi)