Be Human and Humane

By Abigail S.

I bet you've seen stray animals on the street, or gone to a zoo, but have you ever considered how they got there or what circumstances they’re under? Many animals are abused every day in ways you couldn't imagine.

Many people might not have even heard the term "animal hoarding,” but it is one of the main forms of animal abuse. Animal hoarding is when someone is housing more animals than they can care for. Most owners are oblivious to the conundrum and don't even realize their animals are at risk. A quarter of a million animals each year fall into hoarding situations, and 75% of those animals end up dying. That's over 200,000 animals. The exact opposite of this is bad too.  For instance, 1.5 million domestic animals each year are abandoned by their owners. They haven't ever been on their own, so how are they supposed to survive?

Dogs always have been, and always will be a man's best friend. They are so sweet and more loyal than any friends you'll ever have, but unfortunately, this often means that they are taken advantage of, and sometimes neglected. Apollo, a sweet and young pitbull, was found on the side of the road. The new owner states, “When I went out there, I was not prepared for what I saw.” Apollo didn't have a nose! Veterinarians said it looked like a very horrible human had done this to him. Over 10 million domestic animals are killed by abuse every year. With more than 50% of cases not reported, and this issue increasing every day, that number could double, or even triple, in your lifetime.

            Homes are not the only place animal mistreatment occurs. Zoos, aquariums, and parks like Seaworld have participated in this, but most of the public doesn't realize how bad the conditions are for the animals. Zoos’ and seaparks' first priority is about how they appeal to their customers, not the necessities of the animals. In aquariums and other marine parks, large sea mammals are often drugged to reduce their bad behavior connected to stress. Tilikum was just a very young orca when he was taken from his family off the coast of Iceland. For the next 28 years, he would only swim circles in his tank (which was like a bathtub to him) and learn meaningless tricks. But what can that really do to an animal? On February 14, 2010, this became too much for Tilikum. During a show, he drowned his trainer. It has been proven that he did not think of him as food, so what really happened? Gay Bradshaw, a specialist in human animal relationships and truama recovery, states, “Tilikum suffered shock and relational trauma from the capture, disrupted development and chronic stress during imprisonment for three decades.” Tilikum had had enough. 4,000 large sea mammals die each year in captivity, 2,400 of them being from “uniquely human hazards.”

We have to prevent animal abuse. We have to be the voice they don't have and stop the abuse they can't control. Too many of OUR friends are dying each day due to bad owners; it has even been proven that people can “graduate” from harming animals to harming humans. So this issue you might not think is affecting anyone may end up harming your close family or friends. See how animals are being treated, and prevent the what if’s.