LETTER: Without A Voice

By Taylor Stapleton, Psychology

Walking through the aisle of the shoe store, my eyes fall on a stylish pair of boots. Ecstatic that I had found the perfect size, I rushed to try them on. Unfortunately, something wasn’t right. I realized that the leather felt a little too nice and the lining inside the boots was just a bit too soft. Normally, someone would look for this while buying new boots, but I knew this meant the materials were not man-made. Checking the labels and reading the materials, I saw that I was right. Dismayed and slightly disgusted I placed the shoes back on the shelf. I would have to look for another pair.

For as long as I can remember, I’ve always been a lover of animals. Pets grew up in the house with me and were my companions growing up as an only child. To this day, it pains me to ever have to see any animals bruised, battered and suffering. Volunteering in a shelter exposed to me to all that the horrors there were to see. It amazes me how many people disregard the general well being of animals, and how easily they are abandoned and abused. The most horrible part of this problem is the sad fact that animals are helpless victims, unable to defend or fight back.

Wearing fur coats or boots made of leather is a commonplace thing in our society. Once upon a time, it was necessary to use animals for clothes, but in this modern day and age all materials can be made synthetically. Most of these man made fibers are in fact so close to the real thing, that some can hardly tell the difference. So why do we continue to produce goods using animals? This is purely a personal choice with no real reason why. Many just prefer leather and real fur because it’s considered more “luxurious,” “fashionable” or for the simple fact it costs more money. Is this really important enough that animals need to be abused and killed just for these reasons?

When an animal is killed for fur, they are trapped in the wild by huge metal clamps left out in the wild. They slowly die an excruciating death and the trappers come later to pick up the carcasses. Some animals even chew their own limbs off, and still die later from injury. If the animals happen to be alive when the trappers come to collect them, they are clubbed to death since shooting them risks damaging the pelt. The traps will catch anything that comes across them, so most animals that die are killed without reason. Family pets such as dogs and cats have been murdered accidentally and in some cases even children have been injured by these cruel traps. Baby seals are a popular target for those looking to profit from fur trade. Hundreds of thousands are killed every year, and veterinarians have found [sic] that about 40 percent of the seals killed were still alive when skinned. The helpless babies are usually only two weeks old and unable to escape from their captors.

A well-known fact is that animals are used in testing products. This is a cruel and inhuman way of testing side effects. Most are killed or made severely sick. They are locked in cages, and suffer while numerous tests are performed on them. Certain diseases are purposely administered to animals to see exactly how the drugs work and how they can affect the body. They often develop tumors or other deadly side effects. Those that are used for testing products are usually killed to inspect the effects on the inside of the body. In this day and age, nothing needs to be tested on animals first. Technology has given us all the tools to use other alternatives needed to animal testing. A synthetic skin called Corrositex allows experimenters to test their products on a material that’s very similar to human skin, yet excludes animals from being the needed test subjects. Computer modeling also has a similar affect since replicas can be generated predicting how certain products will affect the body. The John Hopkins Center for Alternatives to Animal Testing specializes in researching and educating ways to stop this unnecessary form of animal abuse. With their help and that of many other foundations and research centers dedicated to this field, the future can bring a huge change in the involvement of animals in testing.

Every day, millions of people across the world consume meat products. While it’s important for our nutrition and a natural thing to do, too many animals suffer before and during the time they’re killed to make food. Chickens are stacked on top of one another in coops, cows are confined to small areas and [sic] unable to roam free. Cows are often killed by having their throats slit while still living, and they are left to bleed to death. The factories that raise the animals care only about the profit, and therefore try to keep as many animals as possible in small confined places. They are also neglected since soon they will be made into food, and this is their only purpose to the owners of the corporations. These animals literally suffer their whole lives just to make a hamburger or chicken wings. Animals have had limbs hacked off so they don’t run away, chili pepper put in their eyes to make them move faster, and most are left outside to freeze to death in the winter and overheat in the summer.

Household pets are another target to abuse. They are often left by the side of the road, abandoned when moving, or simply neglected to the point they are sick and starving. Animals are often found chained in the backyards with no food and water. If the owner decided not to take care of the animal, they could simply take them to a shelter where the pet could get the care and love it needs. Some are even cruel enough purposely harm or torture the pets. Rescued animals have been found with burns, broken limbs, internal injuries, loss of hearing or sight, and other horrible injuries. To many, animals aren’t considered as important as people, and many are treated like inanimate objects. The truth though, is that they are living, feeling creatures who deserve love and care as much as any human.

So what are some of the ways that we can help as an individual? Refusing to buy fur, leather, products tested on animals, products containing parts made from animals, and making sure meat comes from free-range farms are some of the important places to start. Donations to animals shelters help provide the money needed to cover expenses of rescuing and caring for strays. Spreading awareness about this problem will cause more people to stop and think about what they are allowing to happen.

I could never imagine harming an animal, knowing that they are living, feeling creatures. Many people do not actively harm animals, but they allow it to continue by purchasing products made from animals and products tested on them. This indirect cause of animals’ abuse can be just as bad as the purposeful abuse some cause. If enough people were to stop this and cause the companies to reconsider, hundreds fewer animals would be hurt every day. Together, we can help protect the innocent. It’s our job to speak for those who cannot speak up for themselves.
Taylor Stapleton
Psychology