Many animals are abused, mistreated, hunted, and have no way out. There is jut a small percentage of people who see and understand the severity of animal cruelty. Animals are subjected to being tested on for the pleasure of humans, forced to work in terrible conditions and being placed in slaughterhouses. If animals aren’t being used for those reasons, it gets no better when they go to homes with humans. Many homes abuse their animals and put them in animal fights for money. Ask yourself, are these things even legal? and yet people still get away with it. If humans were subjected to what animals go through, it would be inhumane and cruel, and many people would fight to stop it as quickly as possible. Animal cruelty is a serious issue. Animals need to be heard; we continue to move on and overlook it and we are their only voice. Our animals are being harmed and left to fend for themselves. This simple beauty of life, increasingly being placed in harm’s way or becoming an endangered species. Almost all of us grew up eating meat, wearing leather, and going to circuses and zoos. We never considered the impact of these actions on the animals involved. The controversial question of, “why should animals have rights,” is constant, but the bottom line is, animals are not ours to eat, wear, experiment on, or abuse in any other way.

Many simple pleasures created for humans all start with animal testing. Many brands and companies publicize that they don’t test on animals on their products. However, some of them do and get away with it, while we blindly use their products. Some makeup and hair care companies like: “Avon, Bobbi Brown, Covergirl, Estée Lauder, Head & Shoulders, L’Oréal, M.A.C. Cosmetics, Mary Kay, Maybelline, still use animals to test their products. The cleaning products you may use to clean your house all starts with the abuse of an animal. These cleaning brands still use animals as test subjects: Arm & Hammer,Clorox, Lysol, Windex.” Our everyday activities all depend on the life of another living thing. They suffer as they are being tested on and are kept in cages, until they are no longer needed or are dying. Animals who are tested suffer from the chemicals placed on them, resulting in skin conditions, weak immune systems, and physical abuse to different areas of their body.

Animals are also used for labor and the majority of the reasons why, are for the benefit of humans, to help with crops, for our enjoyment, and consumption. Some may say that the simple fact that they are alive is good enough, but it isn’t. Some animals are put in slaughterhouses and are killed for our consumption. Cows are a prime example of an animal that is commonly needed, but people don’t see what’s behind the scenes before the animal products are put in supermarkets. Cows are stripped of their newborns after birth, so the baby calf doesn’t take all the milk the mother produces. They are herded into small shelters and often not cleaned. Animals are physically abused in areas where, we as humans would rather not be touched at. They are overworked, just so they can provide what consumers demand.Our simple luxuries we take for granted like zoos, circus shows, horse ride carriages, and many more pleasantries put wear and tear on animals. Some animals are abused and put in poor conditions for our enjoyment. Many animals that we don’t consider as “wildlife” are the ones humans mainly take advantage of.

Animals that we do consider “wild animals,” are slowly becoming endangered by climate changes and humans, some are at a greater risk than others. Humans hunt exotic animals for no other reason than a prize possession or some part of the animal is valuable to us for money or other reasons. There are now 41,415 species on the International Union of Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List, and 16,306 of them are endangered species threatened with extinction. This is up from 16,118 last year. Increasingly each year animals become on the verge of extinction or an endangered species, and humans only contribute to the risk factors animals face everyday. It is our job to protect wildlife and make sure our animals continue to survive. Human produced factories omit greenhouse gases, which affect the environment, which directly affects animals. We also cut down trees, which is where many animals live, and we destroy their habitats. Between hunting and environmental changes, we are only contributing to the extinction of Earth’s animals.

Domestic animals that people adopt or buy, like cats and dogs, are the top victims of abuse in homes. They are beaten, starved, left days without anyone to take care of them, chained up outside or in cages and no one can hear them asking for help. The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) estimates that nearly 1 million animals a year are abused or killed in connection with domestic violence. Every year in the U.S., an estimated 6 to 8 million lost, abandoned, or unwanted dogs and cats enter animal shelters. Some of these dogs and cats are lucky enough to be adopted into loving, responsible, and permanent homes. Organizations like the humane society which is a no kill shelter, help animals to have a second chance at a better life.

Animals are vital to the survival of human beings. We should do everything in our power to help protect and treat them with care and love. Many movements and organizations are reaching out through social media and using the hashtag #BeCrueltyFree, to try and get people to help or donate. It only takes one tweet or shared post to get people’s attention and help. To spread the word to stop animal cruelty and help protect our endangered animals, and help prevent anymore becoming endangered. We as a society need to also speak up and convict those who abuse and harm exotic and domestic animals, and not turn a blind eye. Just because animals aren’t human beings doesn’t mean they are less important.