Protecting Our Wild Aminals

Introduction: The cruelty of animals has been an ongoing problem for centuries. It can be traced back to the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Movements began to form, and the revolt against animal cruelty was beginning to become more organized. Animal testing, factory farming, entertainment, fashion, and environmental exploitation of animals were starting to become recognizable problems (The Animal Rights Movement). I chose to focus on wild animals in particular. It seems that in more recent years, wild animals are being used for human entertainment and poorly treated in the process. There is also the issue of the animals’ habitats disappearing. They lose their environment, and they become extinct. They are hunted for recreational and material purposes, and they become extinct. Even though steps are being taken to protect these animals, more needs to be done.

Questions: Are there really places where the blatant disregard for the lives of animals is appropriate? What types of organizations fight the cruelty of these animals? Can someone like you or me help?

Answers: Even though most of the cruelty seems far away to a lot of us, it’s really not. It is not a secret anymore that more and more animals are being slaughtered daily for no reason whatsoever. The Cove was a film made this year to blow the top off of the devastating problem off the coast of Japan. More than twenty-thousand dolphins and porpoises were slaughtered every year just for a production of food that wasn’t even healthy for the people to eat (The Cove). There is now a campaign and close to a million people have signed on, but it hasn’t completely eradicated these fishermen’s urge to kill these beautiful creatures (The Cove). There are many organizations around the globe that are meant to expose the maltreatment of animals and help them break free from the cruelty like PETA, ASPCA, PAMA, and COK (Animal Organizations). They usually have ways on their website where people like you and me can get involved. They want as much help as they can get.

Conclusion: Over the years, there have been many ups and down associating with animal rights. New organizations help, and then other problems occur. It’s critical for everyone who cares to get involved because it is in fact a movement. There are dangerous people out there who do dangerous things, so it’s in our best interest of our future to stop them.


Works Cited:

1) The Animal Rights Movement- Medici, April, and Marissa Romanelli. "The Animal Rights Movement." Animal Rights. 1994. Web. 25 May 2010.

2) The Cove- "The Secret Is Out. Spread the Word." The Cove. Take Part, 2008. Web. 25 May 2010.

3) Animal Organizations- "Against Animal Abuse." The Gentle Barn, Carol Buckley, The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee,PANOM, Galen Garwood, Namfon, Motala Walks, Mosha,Prosthetic, FAE, Berlin, Polar Bear, Zoo, Chimp, Travis, Charla Nash, Maoshan, Arna, Elephant, Mosha Video, PAWS, Animals Asia, Jill, Against Animal Cruelty, Animal Bill of Rights, Elephants, Animal Abuse, Links, Petitions, Animal Fighting, Action Alerts, News, Updates, Animal Welfare Laws, Information, 2007, Help, Animal Issues, Monkeys,Jungle Friends. Web. 26 May 2010. .

Laws Regarding Wildlife (The Raptor Center)

1. The Migratory Bird Treaty Act: it is unlawful to take, import, export, possess, buy, sell, purchase, or barter any migratory bird. Feathers or other parts, nests, eggs, and products made from migratory birds are also covered by the Act. Take is defined as pursuing, hunting, shooting, poisoning, wounding, killing, capturing, trapping, or collecting.

2. The Endangered Species Act: regulates a wide range of activities affecting plants and animals designated as endangered or threatened.

3. The Eagle Protection Act: unlawful to import, export, take, sell, purchase, or barter any Bald Eagle or Golden Eagle, their parts, products, nests, or eggs. "Take" includes pursuing, shooting, poisoning, wounding, killing, capturing, trapping, collecting, molesting, or disturbing the eagles.

4. The Wild Bird Conservation Act: prohibited the import of all CITES-listed-birds (almost 1,000 species) except for those included in an approved list either by country of origin or wild-caught birds or by specific captive breeding facilities.

5. Marine Mammal Protection Act: prohibits, with certain exceptions, the "take" of marine mammals in U.S. waters and by U.S. citizens on the high seas, and the importation of marine mammals and marine mammal products into the U.S. The MMPA defines “take” to mean “to hunt harass, capture, or kill” any marine mammal or attempt to do so. “Take” also includes the negligent or intentional operation of an aircraft or vessel, or the doing of any other negligent or intentional act which results in disturbing or molesting a marine mammal and feeding or attempting to feed a marine mammal in the wild.

6. NOAA Fisheries Office of Protected Resources is responsible for protecting marine mammals and works to conserve, protect, and recover species under the Endangered Species Act and the Marine Mammal Protection Act in conjunction with Regional Offices, Science Centers, and various partners.

7. Watching marine animals in their natural habitat can be a positive way to promote conservation and respect for the animals and the marine environment.

8. In 2002, the US and Canadian governments, non-governmental monitoring groups and the whale watch association worked together to develop a single set of voluntary guidelines that were more explicit than previous regional guidelines and addressed localized whale watch concerns.

9. The Wildlife Branch of the Unified Command has organized trained wildlife care providers and investigators to assist sea birds, marine mammals and sea turtles that will be impacted by the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill.

10. "Endangered Species Day" is to recognize and encourage national conservation efforts to save our endangered species and their habitats. It's the 3rd Friday in May every year. *The 21st of May, 2010!*

Conserving Wildlife (African Wildlife Foundation)

1. Many declining wildlife populations need to increase their numbers to survive.

2. They also need an intact habitat where they can thrive without the growing pressures from human populations.

3. Effective wildlife conservation means recognizing this complex human-wildlife dynamic and implementing programs to address the needs of both humans and animals.

4. Conservation of the African elephant poses special challenges. While the overall elephant population is half of what it was 40 years ago, some regions of Africa have more elephants than populated areas can support.

5. Successful conservation strategies must allow elephants to range freely in their natural habitats while reducing crop-raiding and other conflicts between elephants and local people and encourage peaceful co-existence.

6. Caught in the middle of this social and economic crisis are the endangered mountain gorillas of the Virunga Heartland, whose future is linked with the peace and prosperity of the lands they inhabit.

7. Lions, cheetah and hyenas are the main natural predators of Grevy's zebras, but humans are responsible for the drastic decline of this species in recent years.

8. Today, habitat loss and fragmentation are their greatest threats.

9. Working with the community to develop income-generating projects like ecotourism will reduce the pressure on pastoralists to have more and more livestock.

10. Isolated islands of protected land will not suffice to ensure that wildlife survives and thrives.

Protecting Threatened and Endangered Species (The Humane Society of the United States)

1. The survival of wildlife is jeopardized by the loss of habitat, over-hunting, the introduction of diseases or parasites, attempts to eradicate "pest" species, and the capture of wild animals and fish for the pet trade, research, entertainment, or other industries.

2. Once a population of animals is reduced by one or more of these human activities, it may be unable to withstand natural limiting factors in the wild that it might otherwise have survived.

3. The Endangered Species Act (ESA) was enacted to preserve endangered and threatened species and the habitats on which they depend for survival.

4. The ESA works in two stages: First, the government protects a species from possible extinction, and then it takes steps to restore the species' numbers to the point where it is no longer threatened.

5. Besides the ESA, there are several other federal laws that protect endangered and threatened species, such as the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA), The Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act, the Wild Bird Conservation Act, and the African Elephant Conservation Act.

6. Human population growth and the consumption of open space and resources destroy habitat required by wildlife for survival.

7. Human development can disturb whole ecosystems.

8. Important wildlife habitat is rapidly lost or fragmented in the course of urban development, oil and gas exploration and extraction, and the conversion of land to agricultural uses.

9. Many wildlife populations may dwindle to a handful of individuals living in isolated pockets of habitat, separated by obstacles such as high-speed roadways and sprawling urban and suburban development.

10. To help minimize the effects of human population growth and land consumption, many scientists and conservationists urge governments to establish protected corridors, which connect patches of important wildlife habitat.

Saving Wildlife, Saving Wild Places (Wildlife Conservation Society)

1. Unregulated industrial fishing operations and irresponsible whale-watching businesses are depleting marine resources and significantly reducing populations of fish and sea mammals.

2. WCS helped create Madagascar’s first law overseeing whale-watching operations, aimed at making sure that the region’s growing ecotourism industry generates revenue for local residents and is safe for humpbacks and other whale species.

3. Illegal fisheries, poaching, pollution, habitat disturbance, and global climate change threaten sea turtle nesting sites.

4. Increasing numbers of domestic and foreign fishing boats, many of them unlicensed, go into the territorial waters of the Congo Basin Coast to fish illegally. These boats kill fish, sharks, and rays at unsustainable levels, and their nets pose a critical threat to vulnerable populations of sea turtles and coastal dolphins that are captured unintentionally as by-catch.

5. Overfishing and destructive practices such as dynamite and cyanide fishing are depleting fish populations and damaging coral reef habitats at alarming rates in Karimunjawa.

6. The rise in ocean temperature and acidification brought on by a warming climate further jeopardize the ability of corals and marine wildlife to grow and thrive.

7. Since Karimunjawa was rezoned, the degradation of coral reefs has slowed and management has improved considerably

8. The uncontrolled harvest of sea turtles and their eggs from the Pearl Cays’ waters and beaches threatens the long-term survival of these endangered reptiles

9. Green sea turtles are facing commercial and eventual ecological extinction, compromising a potentially viable local fishery.

10. The WCS is now working with partners to create a network of marine protected areas designed with community support to protect the outstanding coral reefs and marine wildlife of the Aceh-Weh Seascape.

CMC Ocean- Protecting Marine WildLife (no specific author)

1. At one end of the Indian Ocean, Tuna Limited processing plant cranes offload nets full of frozen tuna from huge international fishing boats while at the other end of the planet, it makes 5,000 cans.

2. 86% of dolphins and whales are threatened by fishing nets.

3. The Ocean Policy Task Force was formed and it's accelerating a planning process for our ocean and coasts, so it’s up to us to make sure these plans maintain, protect, revive and restore the health of the sea.

4. Killer whales are among the most imperiled wildlife in the Hawaiian Islands with only 120 of them alive today.

5. 9 out of 10 toothed whales, including dolphins and porpoises, are threatened by entanglement and drowning from large-scale fishing operations equipment, like gillnets, traps, longlines, and trawls.

6. Eating dogs and cats, which is an age-old delicacy in China, could soon be against the law.

7. New research has been made possible by the development of state-of-the-art treatment and care facilities and the provision of research funding for oiled otters, seabirds, and other animals.

8. Despite all we have learned about caring for oiled otters, spilled oil will continue to have long term consequences for wildlife.

9. Once in the food chain, oil can debilitate marine life for many years, slowing natural population recovery to a greater degree than previously estimated.

10. Recent advancements in treating oiled otters is all the more crucial for long-term survival of the species.

Multigenre Research Design

1. What is your topic?
-My topic is the animal rights of natural wildlife. I'm going to focus on conserving what's left of these animals' habitats in the rainforest and the oceans and etc. I also want to talk about their rights conscerning wild animals being captured, breed, and slaughtered. Animal rights is important because many species are becoming endangered and extinct because of what we, as people, are doing to their environments. It's an issue that needs to be brought up and changed.

2. Describe what you know about the topic.
-I don't know a whole lot of the facts conscerning animal rights. I have heard, seen, and read about many different situations where an animal's rights were clearly not a priority. I know that there are many different people and organizations who fight against the destruction of animals' environments and care. I also know that there are many people who could care less and would and will destroy every acre of an animal's habitat. There are many laws in place for animals' rights, but a lot of those laws aren't necessarily forced. It's a problem.

3. Tell what you want to learn about.
-The topic of animal rights is so broad. I want to learn about all of the vaious aspects and different types of animal rights. I'd like to focus in on one vitally important part of animal rights and explore it. I'd like to learn about all the animals affected. I also want to know to what extent some animals are truly harmed to better perceive how very destructive some people are.
The biggest thing I want to learn about though is how someone like me or you can get involved. I want to know how it's possible to put a stop to people's oblivious actions and carelessness. I think it'd be interesting to see how far some other people go to put a stop to it. I'd also like to see if this blatant disregard for animal rights is apart of some peoples' cultures around the world. That could serve as atleast an answer to some of these actions.

4. Describe the origins of your research. What sparked your interest in the topic? Why do you want to know more about it?
-My interest in this topic came about quite awile ago, so it just fit to do this project on animal rights. I've always loved animals and would do just about anything to provide care for one. The Little Victories no-kill animal shelter gave me the initiation to explore the rights of animals more, and it gave me the urge to do something about it. I also saw a clip about a documentary where a group of people captured horrific videos and images of thousands upon thousands of dolphins being slaughtered in a foreign country. They were trapped in the ocean and just killed. Of course, I got a little emotional, and since that day, I've wanted to do my part in saving animals and their environments.
My research just started by asking questions. I also kept my eyes and ears open incase any new information was to come my way. I want to know more about animals' rights to their natural environment because I feel so emotionally attatched to the issue. And once I'm interested and hooked on a subject, I can't stop thinking about it. I just want to know more, so that I can do more. And the more you know, the more you can teach others and spread what's right.

5. List at least 5 questions you have about your topic.
1) How often are laws conscerning animal rights actually enforced?
2) Is the mistreatment of animals considered normal in some cultures around the world?
3) How much of the rainforest is destroyed every year?
4) What can just one person do to help?
5) Is their a direct correlation between extinction and an animal's habitat being destroyed?

6. Describe your plan for collecting information about your topic.
-My plan for collecting information is to start by using the internet to gain a general knowledge about my topic. Next, I'd like to find specific parts of my issue that I want to go more in-depth for. I would also like to watch any documentaries or anything I can find that shows the importance of animals' environment in a more complex and visual way. After I have a visual, I can then discern some of my own opinions and thoughts. After that, I can start putting everything together.

7. Provide a preliminary bibliography.
-"ASPCA: We Are Their Voice." ASPCA: We Are Their Voice. Ed. ASPCA. ASPCA, 2010. Web. 17 May 2010. http://www.aspca.org/.
-The Cove. Dir. Louie Psihoyos. By Mark Monroe. Diamond Docs, 2009. Film.
-"Animal Rights for Entertainment." Animals Rights. Web. 17 May 2010.
-"Save the Rainforest." 2001. Web. 17 May 2010.
-"Endangered Animals of the World." Young Peoples Trust for the Environment. YPTE. Web. 17 May 2010.

Animal Rights!

I chose the social issue of animal rights. I feel very compassionate for all animals, and it's a very important cause to me. I support every person and organization that stands up for their rights. I would focus in on natural wildlife. There is so muc going on in the world that is destroying animals' habitats and many species are becoming extinct because of it. By doing an issue that I feel strongly about, I'll be able to put real thoughts and feelings into this project.

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