Animal Activists

[Eleana]

I was just wondering if anyone here is part of an animal activist / rights group? i would like to join one but i dont know how to go about it.

[gen2]

It might be much more useful if you could volunteer to help round up a herd of 59 wild boar still on the run in Devon. That could go a long way to protect the local ecosystem.

[lankeela]

You'd be better channelling your energy into helping your local animal rescue society. So called 'animal rights groups' rarely seem to have the rights of animals at heart - they seem to be politically motivated and take part in activities that do not help animals but in some cases actually put them in danger.

Releasing minks into the wild for one, spraying horses and hounds during hunts, fire bombing cars belonging to people who work with animals for the benefit of human medicine research.

Let me say now I do not agree with experiments on animals and wish they could find another way of carrying out research, but if it is for medical reasons rather than cosmetic or household product testing then I realise that some animal testing is necessary.

[Eels]

I'd suggest you do a bit of research into what these groups get up to before deciding you want to become part of one. Mind you, if terrorism is your bag, go for it.

Otherwise, how about subscribing to IFAW or the (R/S)SPCA?

[spudqueen]

I agree with the above posts, some of these animal 'rights' groups don't seem to have animals rights at heart. If they did why would they release mink into the wild in this country, where they do so much harm by killing off native animals. By releasing these non-native animals they have killed many thousands of innocent native animals, so which animals 'rights' were they thinking of?

[andyjevs]

Forget about joining those lot and come pike fishing with me for the day....you'll have a blast !!!

[WendyS]

I know animal rights groups say they have the interests of animals at heart but they need to remember that human beings are also living creatures too, and firebombing, attacking and harrassing them is pretty hypocritcal. Whilst all of us would prefer that experiments didn't take place on animals, until a law is introduced which permits human beings to volunteer to become guinea pigs in their place, I'm not sure how we resolve this issue. What I am sure of is that there are probably lots of worthy animal charities around who would be delighted to have your support and assistance, from volunteering to be a dog walker, fund raiser, etc.and this would be a far more practical way of supporting the animals you profess to have an interest in.

[Eleana]

Helping out at an animal rescue centre is a good idea & I am looking into it but the reason i want to join an animal rights group is because i want to campaign to put an end to practices, customs & trades which cause animal sufferinng & i want to promote animal welfare.

Lankeela, you say that you understand animal research is necessary but i very much doubt you could back this up with any facts. Animal testing is unreliable - there can be huge differences in the responses to drug effects in humans and other animals. Aspirin is used as a relatively safe and effective painkiller for humans but can be fatal to cats; Penicillin is a widely used antibiotic in humans and yet it can kill guinea pigs; Arsenic is very dangerous for humans but does not present the same level of threat to rats, mice or sheep; insulin, a drug used safely by people with diabetes, can produce terrible deformities in mice, rabbits and chickens. Due to advances in technology there are now many alternative techniques which are much more accurate then testing on animals & do not cause suffering such as computer simulations, cell, tissue or organ cultures, complex artificial systems, epidemiology, QSARs or brain imaging that utilise human biological material or data so that the results are directly applicable to the human situation. For more information on animal testing please visit the BUAV's site;

http://www.buav.org/faqs.html

[Eleana]

cont...

Eels, i dont think its justified to generalise all members of animal rights groups as being terrorists, people seem to have a misconception of animal rights groups because they base their opinions from cases highlighted by the media, but you must take into account that the media generally only report on extreme cases. It is like saying all muslims are terrorists which is certainly not true.

With regards to the examples have been highlighted; although i support the principals behind the actions I do not agree with any activist action which endangers other animals (i.e releasing wild boar or mink into the wild which may result in the animals starving, being run over etc). This said, I dont have any sympathy for people who are attacked by activists if they are people who inflict animal cruelty, they should be punished.

[PowderKeg]

You cannot compare muslims to animal rights activists. The vast majority of muslims are muslims because their parents are muslims (and as such will have a broad range of views of their religion). Animal rights activists are self selecting and will have more in common with an "islamic terrorist" than your average muslim does. ie. terrorists believe the laws, mores and customs of society don't apply to them and moreover must be changed to suit their ideology. How is this different from an animal rights activist?

[PowderKeg]

You might want to consider (although it is probably too late as I think you have already gone over to the dark side) that reputable groups like the (R/S) SPCA have the ear of politicians whilst Animal liberaton groups have the eyes of the police upon them. Given that politicians make the law and the police enforce it which group is more likely to achieve your aims?

[clair3934]

why not join the R/SSPCA they are the largest animal welfare organisation in the UK, they really look after animals unlike animal rights organisations who just protest about things and tend to make very little difference appart from rubbing people up the wrong way, also drugs that are tested on animals are also used to help animals so the next time your pet dog or cat etc gets ill think about that fact before you decide to let the vet treat it

[Eleana]

Powderkeg....I am not comparing animal activists to muslims, I am comparing the generalisation made; some extreme animal activists act in ways which people may consider to be terrorist behaviour while other activists protest & do not use violence therefore cannot be classified as terrorists, in the same way that some muslims are terrorists and others are peaceful, you wouldnt say all muslims are terrorists because a small minority are yet you are quick to stereotype all animal rights activists as being terrorists simply because you've only heard about the extreme cases and form your judgements on those cases alone. Animal activists are nothing like Islamic terrorists; Islamic terrorists kill innocent people whereas animal activists only target people who inflict cruelty on other beings and as far as i am aware they have never killed a single person. Also, how dare you say you think i have already "gone over to the dark side"? I want to help protect animals, how can you view that as being wrong? The people on the "dark side" as you call it, are in fact the people inflicting cruelty on millions of innocent animals who have no way of defending themselves. take a look at the link i put in my last post, on that website it shows photos of the horrific and barbaric experiments performed on animals in the name of 'science', and after viewing these, tell me, would you condone using innocent human children against their will to be treated in the same way for medical / cosmetic reasons? if the answer is no, then explain to me why you think we as humans have the right to do this to animals?

[Eleana]

cont..

with regards to some animal activists being violent to achieve their aims an animal campaigner said the following; "I see the struggle for animal rights as no different from other struggles in history, such as against apartheid or slavery. Violence was a part of those movements and was both effective and morally justified". Although these are not my words i think this person was making a very valid point.

Clair3934....In response to your comment about animal rights protesters making 'little difference', you are mistaken. For example, In August 05 the owners of the Darley Oaks farm in Newchurch, which bred & kept Guinea pigs in appauling conditions to sell for scientific research, announced the farm's closure as a result of animal activist work. Another example is the ban on fox-hunting after persistant opposition from anti-hunt protesters.

with regards to you comment;

'drugs that are tested on animals are also used to help animals so the next time your pet dog or cat etc gets ill think about that fact before you decide to let the vet treat it'

I do not buy any cosmetics or household products which are produced by companies who test or are involved with animal testing but it would be cruel of me to deny my pets any medical treatment which may help remedy an illness because it may have been tested on animals in the past. But just because a medicine has been tested on animals it doesnt mean that the actual tests played any beneficial role in developing it, or that it wouldn't have been available if it had been developed using a safer, more reliable and humane technique. Noone can alter what has been done in the past but the important point is that animal testing should stop now.

[Drusilla]

I've been reading this thread with interest. You are obviously passionate about this cause and very knowledgable about your subject, which begs the question, how is it you don't know how to go about joining an animal rights group when you've already accumulated so much information from a number of sources?

I'm not convinced about the use of animal experimentation either, particularly as final human trials are usually conducted on young men and this fact alone means the results do not always give a realistic assessment of a particular drugs effect on women and in particular, on young children.

I also believe you have made the classic mistake of many animal rights protesters and compared the abuse of animals with abuses against our fellow humans. Not only will such statements lose you masses of support, I think it also insults the true nature of animals. It's a form of anthropomorphism, and suggests animals are desperate for you to help them, when the reality is they have absolutely no interest in your cares and your concerns about them. Human slaves did care and sadly continue to care passionately about the views of other people regarding the conditions they are forced to endure and I wish more people were actively campaigning against this diabolical trade, which is as widespread today as it has ever been.

[lankeela]

Well I think your posts have just confirmed my suspicions - I imagine you are already involved in so called 'animal rights activities' and just wanted another outlet for your unjustified outbursts which reasonable and responsible society will not tolerate.

I shall not be answering any more of your posts.

[stanleyman]

I don't see any support for you or your kind here, you have simply confirmed the fact that you are terrorists. Punishing people who you think are guilty of harm to animals, where do you get the right to convict people without a trial and punish them illegally?. A friend of mine worked in the personel department of one of these labs, what harm did she do? It wouldn't make any difference to you. Lynch mobs get convicted and I hope you all get what is coming to you. Tally Ho.

[clair3934]

I happen to know a professor at a university that had a bomb placed under his car to try to kill him luckily for him he was nowhere near the car when it went of, sadly though an inosent woman and her child (in a push chair) were walking past and were quite badly injured this happend a number of years ago but its very much like the july bombings dont you all think. Eleana its obvious that you will get no help here may I suggest that you take your views somewhere else to people that are easily led unlike the intelligent people on this site

[Eleana]

In response to your posts;

Drusilla; its not about whether or not animals are interested in our cares or concerns for them, its about ending their suffering, if animals were given the choice between a life of torture, fear & agony or a life free from pain & suffering what do you suppose they would choose? i doubt the slaves care about our views or concerns of them either, more likely they are interested in our help, which i dont blame them for, because I am strongly against any form of human slavery as well. You say that i have made the classic mistake of comparing human abuse to animal abuse, but as far as i am concerned they are both as bad as each other, I dont understand how anyone could think otherwise?

Lankeela;

Well I think your posts have just confirmed my suspicions - I imagine you are already involved in so called 'animal rights activities' and just wanted another outlet for your unjustified outbursts which reasonable and responsible society will not tolerate

If i was already part of an animal rights activist group then why would i be asking how i could go about joining one? if i was solely interested in an 'outlet for my outbursts' then i could simply ask people's views on animal rights issues. I would also like to know what i have written that could be considered as unjustified. I think your posts have confirmed my suspicions about you - you really dont know what you are talking about and you have not been able to raise any valid points in your posts in opposition to anything, so it makes no difference to me that you have chosen not to answer to anymore posts.

[Eleana]

Stanleyman;

I don't see any support for you or your kind here, you have simply confirmed the fact that you are terrorists.

How have i confirmed that 'me and my kind' are terrorists? I don't see that i have said anything that would classify me as a terrorist; i have not condoned car bombings etc or said that i would participate in those actions i simply said i have no sympathy for the people that are targeted if they inflict cruelty onto animals.

where do you get the right to convict people without a trial and punish them illegally

why do certain humans think they have the right to cause suffering & pain to animals? they were not put on the planet for us to use.

Lynch mobs get convicted and I hope you all get what is coming to you

I care strongly about the welfare of animals, i want to be part of a group that protests & campaigns against cruelty to animals, i have not hurt anyone and do not intend to hurt anyone to do this, so what is it exactly that you hope is coming to me?

[Eleana]

Clair3934..

I happen to know a professor at a university that had a bomb placed under his car to try to kill him luckily for him he was nowhere near the car when it went of, sadly though an inosent woman and her child (in a push chair) were walking past and were quite badly injured this happend a number of years ago but its very much like the july bombings dont you all think.

If this story is true then it is very sad and as i have mentioned early in this post i do not condone car bombings in anyway, but this is not all activists just a small minority, just like not everyone that attends a football match is a football hooligan. i would not want to be in a group that believes in such actions.

Eleana its obvious that you will get no help here may I suggest that you take your views somewhere else to people that are easily led unlike the intelligent people on this site

Intelligent people on this site? Maybe they would like to reply to this thread then as noone that has replied so far has shown any sign of intelligence.