image by: Alisdare Hickson

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All Animals Have Rights: A Researcher’s Perspective

As a biologist, I believe all living organisms have rights. As one who spends a good portion of every year in close company with smart and social animals, such as crows, ravens, and wolves, I am convinced that all birds and mammals deserve the care and consideration we give humans. The advanced neurological architecture and cognitive function of these creatures proves their intellect, but I can see no reason for not extending equal rights to all animals. This ethic emphasizes an individual's right to maintain its natural ecological and evolutionary niche. Aldo Leopold stated this eloquently in his 1948 book "A Sand County Almanac," writing “a thing is right when it tends to preserve the integrity...

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Featured

 Because We Ignore Animal Rights

‘We must fight against the spirit of unconscious cruelty with which we treat the animals. Animals suffer as much as we do. True humanity does not allow us to impose such sufferings on them. It is our duty to make the whole world recognize it. Until we extend our circle of compassion to all living things, humanity will not find peace." Albert Schweitzer

 Earthlings

EARTHLINGS is a 2005 American documentary film about humankind's total dependence on animals for economic purposes. Presented in five chapters (pets, food, clothing, entertainment and scientific research) the film is narrated by Joaquin Phoenix, featuring music by Moby, and was written, produced and directed by Shaun Monson.

 Should Animals Have The Same Rights As People?

Humans have always seen themselves as distinct from other creatures, but science is forcing us to reconsider that position.

Articles of Interest

Fashion: do we care more about animal rights than the environment?

PETA's recent footage of angora rabbit farming has caused outcry, so why don't we look at the fashion industry's impact on the environment in the same way?

'Animal Liberation Now' And The Case For More Humane Treatment Of Animals

Fifty years ago, Princeton University ethicist Peter Singer made the case that humans assume they're morally superior to other animals and that their actions against them are justified. His new book "Animal Liberation Now" revisits the themes of his 1975 seminal classic, Animal Liberation, and examines how the animal rights movement intersects with climate change, social justice, and more.

Animal Rights vs. Animal Welfare

“Animal rights is a philosophical view and personal value characterized by statements by various animal rights groups. Animal welfare and animal rights are not synonymous terms.

Battle-tested lessons from the animal rights struggle

Ezra Klein and Mercy for Animals President Leah Garcés discuss what animal rights activism can teach us about navigating political divides.

What Happy the Elephant’s Legal Case Tells Us About the Future of Animal Rights

Happy the elephant made history on Tuesday. By arguing for her release from the Bronx Zoo, she became the first animal to have a case for animal rights decided by a court of last resort in North America.

Resources

10 Lesser Known Animal Rights

As humans, we are habituated to raising our voices against the injustice that society faces. But what happens to those who can’t? What happens to those who are killed unjustly, butchered for their meat and parts of the body to sell for enormous amounts of money. What about animals? What about animal rights?

Animal Justice Project

Animal Justice Project campaigns for the end of animal farming. We work with activists nationwide to build on the capacity, scale and effectiveness of the animal rights movement; so that we can collectively achieve our shared vision of a society that is just.

Animal Legal Defense Fund

The Animal Legal Defense Fund files high-impact lawsuits to protect animals from harm, provides free legal assistance and training to prosecutors in their fight against animal cruelty, supports animal protection legislation, and provides resources and opportunities to law students and professionals to advance the field of animal law.

Animal Rights & Wrongs

This blog and website promotes and features blogs and articles from the parent site Animal Rights & Wrongs UK. The content is animal welfare orientated and is authored by someone who has worked for over four decades in various roles at the sharp end of animal welfare and animal law enforcement both in the UK and other countries, and has unfortunately witnessed most of the horrors of animal cruelty there is to see as well as suffering the frustration of never seeing an improvement in the way we treat animals.

Animal Rights Petitions

Be a part of the world’s largest community for good.

Direct Action Everywhere

Direct Action Everywhere is a global network of activists working to achieve revolutionary social and political change for animals in one generation.

Freedom for Animals

We believe all animals should live free from exploitation, harm and captivity.

Mercy for Animals

Our mission is to end industrial animal agriculture by constructing a just and sustainable food system. Imagine a world free of cruelty, a world in which we nurture our bodies, minds, and spirits with wholesome, healthy food that is kind to animals and sustainable for our planet. Mercy For Animals believes that world is possible. In fact, it is inevitable if we work together to elevate humanity to its fullest potential.

PETA

PETA opposes speciesism, a human-supremacist worldview, and focuses its attention on the four areas in which the largest numbers of animals suffer the most intensely for the longest periods of time: in laboratories, in the food industry, in the clothing trade, and in the entertainment business. We also work on a variety of other issues, including the cruel killing of rodents, birds, and other animals who are often considered “pests” as well as cruelty to domesticated animals.

Voiceless

Voiceless supports and invests in impactful people and projects to foster pro-animal values and create lasting systemic change. By disrupting the status quo and reforming our social, political, legal and institutional systems, animals can have fair and effective legal rights and flourish on their own terms.