May/June 2014 Paper 31
Dear Editor,
The recent broadcast about people’s attitudes towards animals raised important issues - issues of being apathetic and greedy robots, that wrongly believe we, as humans, own everything on this earth. I have long been the so-called “sentimentalist” referred to in the program, and beg to differ with the negative view expressed. The extinction of animals can have drastic implications for all of us, causing climate change, disturbances in the food web, thereby causing a multiplier effect, until there are only a handful of species left.
Taking an animal away from its home in the wild, and plopping it a noisy zoo, where children scream and shout, making strange faces, jabbing and pointing their fingers at them, is unjust. Imagine being chosen for a freak show, in a small cage, where everyone laughed at you for being who you are - how would you feel? It’s one thing to say extinction is caused by something we have no control over, but another to push aside the harmful effects that we as humans create, by pollution, capturing species, and as hunters. Seeing an animal in the flesh, gracefully moving in its habitat, is a feeling of awe. Watching it on your TV, simply doesn’t do the trick, and a rather saddening feeling would be aroused if you realized that they no longer exist.
Furthermore, animals were the first to come on this planet, humans came after. As animals do not have the capability to differ from well-meaning humans and ferocious poachers, any human involvement can trigger them to act aggressively. After all, we, when hiking, are invading in their territory, and since we have the knowledge, we are the ones that must be more conscious. There are plenty of forests where one can stroll, where animals are no longer present, and we must leave these remaining habitats to them.
Do we not sacrifice alligators for a pretty shoe? Do we not destroy habitats for a little extra oil, killing hundreds of animals? There must always be a little give and take - for the millions of creatures we have killed, there must be some sort of penalty faced, and I believe novelists like D.H. Lawrence are simply trying to convey this message - fantasies shouldn’t be taken too literally. Moreover, animals must attack on our food stores, as we have depleted their source of food. There are ways for them to stop attacking as well, like flashing lights, created by an African boy to stop lions from eating. And these instances rarely occur. They’re blown out of proportion for the action of an animal that’s simply trying to survive.
As for traditional practices that involve animal parts, the number of people supporting animals is growing, and many will reject these products, for ethical reasons, and also antiquated. Slowly, we can wean off of these practices, not affecting employment and people’s livelihoods in a negative manner, and allowing them to adjust to something else. Animal rights, like rights for you and me, are important as well - every organism counts.
Sincerely,
[Your name]
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