"The question is not, "Can they reason?" nor, "Can they talk?" but rather, "Can they suffer?" And the answer to that is yes." -Jeremy Bentham.
Make sure you always practise kindness to animals, no matter how great or small.
� Do not support companies that test on animals or endanger them in anyway.
� Adopt your next pet from your local animal shelter.
� Spay and neuter. Each year, millions of dogs and cats are put to death in animal shelters. Spaying and neutering eases the overpopulation problem.
� Never give an animal as a gift. Many an animal has been abandoned because people aren't prepared to care for it. Discuss it with your friends and family first.
� Take notice and take action. Never ignore stray animals on the street, where they can become victims of disease, starvation, and human cruelty.
� Help lost animals find their way home. Pay attention to flyers posted in your neighborhood. If you find a lost animal with no tag, post it in the newspaper, but be vague in your description. Animal guardians should be able to describe their animals in detail.
� Support your local animal shelter. Animal shelters and SPCAs always need help socializing cats and walking dogs, fostering animals, and cleaning cages and pens. If you cannot volunteer, send a contribution.
� Report abuse. Call your local animal shelter society if you witness any type of cruely or abuse.
� Do not go to circuses etc that exploit animals.
� Boycott the rodeo. The rodeo consists of painful and often fatal events such as roping, bucking, and steer wrestling events. While the public witnesses only the 8 seconds or so that the animals perform, there are hundreds of hours of unsupervised practice sessions.
� Buy cruelty-free products. Most consumer products, from soap to cosmetics and cleaners, have been cruelly tested on animals who are intentionally poisoned or blinded. You can find lots of extensive lists online.
� Consider cutting down on your meat intake or buying free range chickens and eggs so it is more humane.
� Don�t throw rice at a wedding or anywhere else-it can expand in birds stomaches and kill them.
� Do not buy animal furs of ivory. |
