People from around the globe will celebrate the 93rd annual World Animal Day on Thursday, October 4th. World Animal Day raises awareness of the plight of all animals around the world The mission of this day is show animals are sentient beings and are capable of feeling an array of emotions. Because animals can feel emotions, what right do we have as humans to hurt them, inflict pain on them, or kill them?
In a world where over 7 billion humans live, we are far outnumbered by the sheer number of animals that exist among us. There are over 18 billion chickens right now in the world which outnumbers cattle which stands at 1.4 billion. Over 1.1 billion sheep exist. Insects account for 10 quintillion animals – that’s 10 billion- billion !!
The total animal population stands at 20 quintillion- 20 billion billion !! Again, 20 quintillion animals in the world right now!!
Scientists don’t know for sure the number of species of animals on Earth but there are 1 1/2 million species already described. There are over 950,000 species of insects alone. Projections of total species range from 2 million to 50 million
Despite animals outnumbering humans, they have few to no rights. They don’t get a say as to how they’re treated. Humans are allowed to mistreat, abuse, torture, and kill them and they have no say in the matter. How is this fair? Animals aren’t on this planet for people to do engage in horrid behavior toward or with them. Animals are meant to co-exist with us.
The most popular animal searched on the internet is the dog! Is it no wonder people spend billions on their pets each year? And yet, the perplexing problem is how millions of dogs and cats are abused, abandoned and killed each year. How can you treat a pet like throwaway trash? A dog lives, breathes, has eyes to see, ears to hear, nose to smell, a mouth to taste and eat just like us. How can anyone be so cruel toward them?
What gives someone the right to dump a pet either on the streets or in a shelter? Walk into any shelter and witness the sad, scared faces of those hoping their former owner/guardians will come back for them or looking for someone, anyone, to save them from the noisy, barking dogs or death? They didn’t ask to be there! When you see an animal trembling inside his/her kennel, what do you think they’re feeling? Fear, anxiety, scared? They’re feeling something! An emotion!
What happens if your pet’s paw is accidentally pinched or stepped on by you? If they’re like most of my vocal dogs, they will yelp, cry or possibly bite you? They’re letting you know they are in pain! Pain is an emotion! I don’t suggest you try this since it’s basic common sense.
Chimpanzees share 95-98 % of the same DNA that humans have. They are closer to humans than gorillas. They are remarkably smart. Some can perform memory tests better than humans. That’s quite outstanding!
Chimps are protected under the Endangered Species Act. This Act does not apply to chimpanzees used in research where they are kept in pens or cages, sold and bought for research and stuck with all types of injections in hopes of finding cures to help humans. These intelligent creatures are subjected to all of this without their consent! There is little to no oversight for these chimpanzees.
Chimpanzees used in entertainment are often abused. Because they can become a danger when they are adolescents, some trainers have their teeth removed. When they are no longer needed, often times they are discarded or quietly euthanized. It’s sickening just thinking about it.
Chimps feel an array of emotions just like humans including love, joy, rage, sadness, fear and grief. A well known case involving a chimp named Flint became depressed after his mom, Flo, died in 1972. Jane Goodall was directly involved with this chimp family aka the “F” family. According to Jane Goodall, stated “Flint was unable to cope without her. He stopped eating and interacting with others and showed signs of clinical depression. Soon afterwards, his immune system became too weak to keep him alive. He died at the age of eight and a half, within one month of losing his mother Flo.”
So why do animals NEED to matter? Because they live and breathe. Because they share the same emotions humans possess. They live with us, among us and for us. There are more of them than there are of us and we share the planet with them.
Imagine a world without any animals. The world would be a darker place than it already is. They provide us with an unmatched love, acceptance, joy, laughter through their comical nuances, comfort, provide company when we’re lonely, help us through grief but also cause grief when they leave this world. They are part of our lives and their lives matter just as much as ours.
Every life matters, whether humans or animals. No one’s life should ever be discounted. I’ve always felt more people need to speak up for babies/children, older people and those who are ill. Too many times, it is these groups of people who are attacked or hurt the most because of their vulnerability or inability to speak up for themselves.
As you celebrate World Animal Day, don’t forget this day of recognition is for all animals! Al animals are living, breathing beings who don’t deserve to be mistreated, abused, tortured or killed at the hands of humans.
Animals are sentient beings and need to be treated with compassion and kindness. Treat every day as World Animal Day.
Tina Evangelista-Eppenstein is a television talk show host, speaker, writer, and an unabashed animal advocate. Her love for animals and quest for the hard truth is what drives her passion for all things animals. She hosts the television show, “A Close Up Look at Animal Welfare Issues.” She adores her tripawd, Brody, who was a formerly abused pup who lost his leg because of cruelty inflicted upon him. If you’d like Tina to talk to your group or have a story, please email her at tevangelistaepp@yahoo.com. Like https:www.facebook.com/ACloseUpLookatAnimalWelfareIssues and be sure to check out AnimalWelfareIssues.com.
Would you put your pet’s life before a family member’s, Tina?
I always thought how crazy it is that we as pet owners spend so much on pets but there are still so many of them in shelters. All shelters aren’t equal. Some actually abuse animals when you think they’re helping them. It’s disgusting and need to be punished.
Most people working in shelters don’t require any type of background check and no skills are required. I’ve worked around shelter employees and some don’t treat animals very well.
Some have no problems euthanizing them. I’ve seen some give cats the heart stick and no one stopped them even when the director knew. Heart stick is a cruel manner in which to euthanize a cat or dog.
Rescues are probably worse than shelters because there is no regulation and anyone can run one especially with social media. Everyone’s asking for your money all the time. I get so sick of it.
I’ve seen some rescue operators get pissed at those who support them when they can’t get the funds they need. That doesn’t help them gain the trust of the public if they’re going to bite the hand that feeds their animals.
There are no qualifications to run a rescue either. No oversight. It’s wrong.
Their lives matter too. Just because someone says they run a rescue on social media, doesn’t mean the animals are out of harm’s way!
Animals’ Lives Matter Because They Share the Planet With Us- you are right!
I wish people would stop and think before eating animal meat. They were once a living breathing being as you said, Tina. I don’t know how anyone can eat something that once had a face.
It’s beyond barbaric to drop a live lobster into a boiling pot of hot water. Too many don’t see the correlation between the pets we cherish and the animals we eat. Both have emotions and suffer in pain. The difference is we don’t see cows and other animals living in hell and enduring a brutal slaughter.
All animals matter to me. I’m a vegan and will be for the rest of my life.
Good article!
I’m sorry about your dog Brody. How did it happen?
Chimpanzees are a lot like humans. They are happy, sad, mad, etc. Flint, the chimp you wrote about, was too sad to live without his mom. He probably relied too much on his mom. He couldn’t survive without her. Makes you cry. Also makes you see that animals have emotions like people.
Why can’t everyone see that?
20 billion billion animals in the world? That’s amazing. How rotten of us to treat them so poorly. Like you said, there are more of them than us but they have few to no rights. That’s so wrong.
Informative article.
Monarch butterflies matter too! I saw your show on them. I’ve raised a few myself. It’s a bit addicting, don’t you think? It is a miracle to see them change from a caterpillar into a “majestic monarch butterfly.” 😉
I enjoyed your tv show with Ron. Keep up the valuable work you do.
Animals are what makes life better and worth living in this chaotic world.
Isn’t it a balancing act? What I mean is we share the world with animals and insects. God gave us dominion over them. With that comes great responsibility! Some insects an animals have to die for one reason or another. Left unchecked they will kill each other, defoliate forests, and die of starvation from overcrowding. Like I said it is a balancing act. Hunting, pesticides, and euthanasia are ways of keeping the balance. It’s not inhumane to make the hard decisions for the good of a total overall balanced environment. It must always be done with everyone best interest taken into consideration. We all share this planet. Great article! Makes people think. We should have more civil discussions like this.
Very well said Tina. All animals do matter. Our laws don’t reflect how important their lives are. I’m going to share this article with everybody I know thank you