However, many animals who are unfortunate enough to find themselves being used in this industry are killed unnecessarily when they are no longer of good use.
As humans, we have the power to prevent this by educating ourselves on what goes on behind the scenes, and by boycotting certain industries, we may be able to make a change to this one day.
This article will discuss 5 ways that humans can prevent the unnecessary killing of animals.
1. Reduce Meat Consumption
The United States is a place with one of the highest rates of meat consumption in the world. This high demand puts a lot of pressure on farmers to produce livestock in very poor conditions to keep up with this demand.
These poor conditions can lead to the death of many of these animals, and the killing of those who are no longer healthy enough to be used for meat.
While becoming vegan or vegetarian is a massive change for many, simply reducing your meat consumption can make a difference as it would ease the pressure on farmers to supply to the large demand of meat consumption.
2. Reduce Dairy Consumption
Cows that are used for their milk are also very poorly treated on many farms. These cows are artificially inseminated in order to keep their milk flowing, and they are deprived of any bonding time they have with their calves.
Male calves are normally sold off to the veal industry where they are killed after just a few months, and female calves have an even more miserable life that results in death.
They are dehorned, raped, and attached to machines in order to produce an abnormal amount of milk. They endure a lot of pain during this time, before being slaughtered when they are around 4 years old for meat.
Reducing the amount of dairy you consume, can reduce the demand for animal-based dairy, and make a difference in this unnecessary killing.
There are now many delicious plant-based options when it comes to milk, cheese yogurt, and ice cream, many of which resemble the taste of dairy products well!
3. Don’t Support Horse Racing
If you’re a supporter of horse racing – think again.
Not only are the horses forced to race, enduring vigorous, painful training and abuse, but many are also killed after they’ve reached their peak at racing.
A few years ago, studies showed that approximately 10,000 horses from Thoroughbred racing were sent to be slaughtered each year.
Fortunately, this number decreased significantly after PETA put a stop to this and the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance began.
However, horses are still being poorly treated and transported to Mexico and Canada, where slaughtering horses is legal. Here they experience horrible treatment and terrible deaths.
PETA is currently trying to help these horses, but you can help too by boycotting all forms of horse racing!
4. Don’t Support Dog Racing
Animals can’t consent to perform in sports as humans can, so supporting dog racing, as is the case with horse racing, contributes to their poor treatment in this industry.
The greyhound-racing industry has been recently been exposed for its poor treatment of dogs. Some dogs who partake in this sport often die on the track after so much vigorous and painful training.
Others die during transport to different tracks, and some greyhound puppies are killed as part of ‘selective breeding.’
Some are even killed for not performing to a high standard and are buried, while others get slammed to death.
Sometimes, the dogs are left to starve and die once the season for racing is over. It appears whether they are on or off the track, these dogs are treated terribly.
By boycotting dog racing, you are implying to this industry that their treatment of dogs is not okay.
5. Don’t Buy Wool
If you’re wondering whether all sheep used for their wool are killed, the answer is yes.
The sheep used for their wool are treated abysmally before being slaughtered. Their tails are chopped off, and their ears are hole-punched.
Many male sheep are completely castrated without a smidgen of pain relief, and they are often stepped on, neglected, and starved.
Many of them die from heat exhaustion, shelter from the elements, or diseases and neglect. Sometimes they are even straight-up killed by having a knife stabbed into their throats.
In places such as Australia, frightened sheep are hauled into crammed trucks and shipped off to countries that don’t have animal-welfare laws or regulations. There they are often slaughtered and given to the meat industry.
The best way to put a stop to this terrible, unnecessary abuse and killing is to simply stop buying wool.
Instead, you can look for plant-based, synthetic fabrics such as recycled polyester, bamboo, organic cotton, and Tencel. These materials are warm, soft, and comfortable, and have killed no animals in the process!
Final Thoughts
In the world we live in today, there are many animals that are killed unethically, and unnecessarily.
By altering some of our behaviors, we humans can put a stop to the unnecessary killing of animals in certain industries.
This includes reducing meat and dairy consumption, not buying wool, and boycotting dog and horse racing.
Not buying into these industries, creates less of a demand for them, which will reduce the need for such a large amount of animals.
We hope this article has given you more of an insight into the unnecessary killing of animals.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which Animals Are Typically Hunted?
There are certain animals that are usually hunted in the wild. Some examples of them are white-tailed deer, mule deer, moose, elk, bear, rabbit, squirrel, raccoons, skunks, armadillos, and ruffed grouse.
Often, elephants are hunted for ivory, and tigers are hunted for their skins and bones.
However, not all hunting is illegal. Many species are hunted and then harvested from the wild before being sold off as food, pets, leather, and even medicine.
However, it begins to become an issue when hunting increases and becomes unsustainable, which threatens the survival of certain species.
If more animals are hunted than can be reproduced, that is how certain species become extinct.
Which Country Is The Worst For Animal Rights?
Some countries are great when it comes to the welfare of animals, whereas others are not. Some of the worst countries when it comes to animal rights are Australia, Belarus, the United States, Argentina, Iran, Russia, and Brazil.
How Does Reducing Meat Consumption Benefit Animals?
Reducing meat consumption will ease the pressure on farmers to constantly have livestock on high demand. These farmers have industrialized their farms in order to meet the increasing demand of meat in the food market.
This has led to the incredibly poor conditions of some farms, which leads to livestock contracting diseases, and therefore being killed if they are no longer of use.
Reducing meat consumption can allow farmers to have fewer livestock, giving those that are there a better quality of life.
Hi, I’m Olivia Kepner and I am a zookeeper here in San Diego. Since I was a young girl I have always been fascinated by animals and species across the globe.
I used to beg my parents to take me to our local zoo every single weekend. Well, I say local – it was more like a two hour drive away. But they took me as much as they could, allowing me to fall in love with the animals again and again.
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