Animal Cruelty: Harming animals due to human selfishness
By Béline Chan
The topic of animal cruelty is one close to my heart, as I can’t fathom the cruelty that animals endure for the sake of humans. I’m not writing this article to make anyone follow my cruelty-free or veggie lifestyle, but I hope this article opens your eyes and gives you a deeper understanding on animal cruelty and how these behaviours can be changed. It’s easy to turn a blind eye to difficult situations, but the sad fact is true, that animals are being unjustly tortured for everything from food to clothing, from our daily products such as shampoo to makeup and to beverages.
Animal testing is unfortunately a torturous method which is still happening today all over the world. Animals are kept in labs where products are tested on them repeatedly until they are eventually killed or disfigured. They are forced to consume toxic chemicals, they’re deprived of food and water, they undergo surgical procedures and purposeful violent infliction as well as going through a range of other methods of torture. There is a wide range of animals that are used for testing, depending on the country. It can range from rabbits to mice, and from farm animals to monkeys. It’s the most inhumane way to test human products. And the thing is, it is not a must to test on animals. There is no excuse for this cruel practice as there are plenty of brands and companies who produce the same types of products (makeup, accessories, hair dye etc) and don’t do animal testing. There are animal free testing brands such as Fenty Beauty/Skin, Arctic Fox, Lush, MUA, Tarte, Smashbox, Urban Decay and many more. Unfortunately, most popular brands test on animals and this might come as a surprise to you. According to Cruelty Free International, brands that don’t test on animals, test their products by cell cultures, computer models and/or human volunteers (this doesn’t put humans at risk). Animals shouldn’t have to suffer for our own indulgences especially when it can be avoided.
The slaughtering of animals is another cruel practice that is often ignored. Innocent animals are brought into the world to die cruelly in the end. They are slaughtered through various methods and there are two stages, stunning and sticking. Stunning is when the animals are made to lose consciousness, and sticking is when the animal’s neck is cut off. According to the ISPCA, there are a range of methods in killing these animals. For larger animals, an electric method is used where an electrical current is passed through the animal's brain, and penetrating captive bolts are used where bolts are fired into the brain of an animal. Gas killing is also another method, and this is used for poultry as well. Other methods used for poultry are electrical stunning, where they are hung upside down by shackles on a moving conveyor belt, where they are brought to a stunning bath and get electrocuted. According to the Human League, an estimated 200 million land animals are slaughtered around the world every single day, which is a total of 72 billion animals a year. Millions of animals are being killed each year, not only leading to the over consumption of meat leading to the pliability of health issues, but also heavily impacting the environment. Dairy farming is also a much more cruel practice than many people realise. This can even be considered more cruel than the meat industry. Cows are forcefully and repeatedly impregnated in order to produce milk (which is for their offspring), then their babies are taken from them, which creates mental trauma and pain for the cows, because just like humans, they create a physical and emotional bond with their calves. There are many alternatives to milk, from cashew to soy milk, or from coconut to almond milk , where animals aren’t tortured in the process.
It’s important to know and think about where food and products come from, and the life that the animals had before being put through cruel measures. Do research before buying products, because you could find an alternative product which is just as great but doesn’t support animal cruelty. There are plenty of meat free meals out there that are just as delicious and healthy, which don’t support the cruel torture of killing animals. If the veggie life is not for you, then lowering your consumption of meat and dairy is still a positive step, and any effort is better than none.