Who’s the Real Animal?
Imagine being two years old, forced to run as fast as you can; your legs are fractured but you can't tell because you're pumped full of illegal drugs and pain medicine that makes it unnoticeable. Imagine being eleven months pregnant and all you want to do is lay down but you're strapped to one spot furthermore your feet are hurting because you've spent the last six months standing on concrete. Imagine having your legs intentionally hurt with chemicals just so you can walk a different way. In reality, people believe this can never happen but it does every single day. Indeed, horses suffer through the endless pain of the practings of horseracing, PMU mare, and soring. In horseracing many horses are often raced as yearlings even though their skeletal systems are still growing and cannot handle the pressures of a track life. In the PMU industry, PMU mares are subjected to getting repeatedly impregnated for collection of their estrogen rich urine that menopausal women take. In soring, horses are left for days with chemicals left on their legs so they may walk with an exaggerated gait. All in all, horses suffer merciless abuse on account of entertainment. It leaves people to wonder...who’s the real animal?
Horse racing is a multibillion-dollar industry that is only rich with drug abuse, injuries, and horses bound for slaughter. Horses are often raced as yearlings even though their skeletal systems are still growing and cannot handle the pressures of a track life which include racing around a hard track at speeds of 30 mph or more. One study on injuries at racetracks concluded that “one horse in every 22 races suffered an injury that prevented him or her from finishing a race, while another estimated that 3 thoro...
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...when will all this stop? Could it possibly be that humans are the animals at the tracks at the shows, and at the farms? Despite all the attention to all of these issues, they still continue. And there are always people who bet at races, who attend these shows that allow soring, who buy the drugs that come from PMU mares. Are the horses really the animals or are they the victims? Who’s the real animal?
Works Cited
Peta, . "Horse Racing." . Peta, 20 Mar 14. Web. 26 Mar 2014.
Maryam, Louise. Do Horses Actually Love To Run?. Yahoo, 21 Mar 2012. Web. 27 Mar 2014.
"Premarin Horses Fact Sheet." . The Horse Fund, January 2014. Web. 27 Mar 2014.
Lambert, Kym. "Born to Die." . N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Mar 2014.
"Soring Horses:Unethical Practice." . AVMA, 13 Sep 2013. Web. 28 Mar 2014.
"Practice of Soring." . AVMA, 13 Sep 2013. Web. 28 Mar 2014.
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Animal activists and various animal rights/animal welfare support groups have been publicly declaring their beliefs against rodeos since the late 1800’s. Rodeo abolitionists believe PRCA members and contestants have always and always will mistreat their livestock. To support their opinion, activists use information such as the injury/death rate, veterinarians ignoring injured animals, and the belief that wranglers torment the animals into performing. The injury/death percentage is very low in PRCA rodeos. “PRCA has continuously called upon on-site, independent rodeo veterinarians at PRCA-sanctioned events
citizens have different ways they see horses. Citizens see horses as worker; food; pet and companions. Activist believe horse slaughter is barbaric; and believe congress's actions will lead to the reopening of slaughter houses in the U.S. (“Horse Slaughter May Return”). Many equestrians and breeders are against horse slaughter, but what happens if the people against slaughter actually caused the problem.
Horse racing, with chariots as well as riders, was an early form of competition in the early Olympic games in Greece. As well as the Greeks, the Roman empire enjoyed watching horse races. This sport became widely popular around the rest of Europe, Asia, and Northern Africa as well. In the 18th century, the first open field races were held for the public to see. In the United States, as horse racing became more and more popular, weights the horses could carry were standardized to the age of the horse. This assured that the younger horse with less muscle would not be carrying as much weight as the 5 year olds with a much larger muscle mass. Racing soon evolved from these long 4-12 mile races, to dash races where the horses were raced for shorter distances. Thus came the triple crown which included the Belmont Stakes, the Preakness Stakes, and arguably the most recognizable modern race, the Kentucky
In the latest years, greyhound racing has gained negative media attention, whereas in 2015 the abc four corners revealed that several owners and trainers were using live baits as a training form for the dog to gain a competitive advantage (Hanna, & Clark, 2015). Another issue concerning the sustainability of the industry is the mass greyhound killings because they were considered too slow (Hanrahan, 2016). Due to all the issues concerning the industry, New South Wales were set to ban Greyhound racing in 2016. Nevertheless, the ban got overturned due to political populism and the economic benefits and the numerous livings the sport provides for. The government now searches for other solutions to make the industry more sustainable. Still, frustrated
Robert Gonzales is only one of many people to commit animal cruelty. Kevin Brunson was also accused of harming an animal. He starved his dog, Rambo, until he weighed only fifty-one pounds. A normal dog his size would weigh around one hundred and twenty-five pounds. Rambo was seventy-four pounds underweight. A dog named, Lacey had scabbing around the eyes and other injuries from being abused. “Lashawn Whitehead of Greensboro, admitted to police that she beat her dog for fifteen minutes, then set it on fire. The dog ran away, and she was found. Her injuries were burned ears, a broken jaw, and teeth. She was adopted into a new loving family.” (Cawthon 2) All animals are affected when it comes to animal abuse. Horses have been reported to be starved and in very poor living conditions. Owners don’t clean stalls, feed the animals, or take care of the horses grooming needs. The horses become depressed to due to the lack of care they receive. Sixteen horses were found at Gina Rapuano’s Farm, Apache, Willy, and Destiny are merely three of the horses greatly in need of care. Apache was starved so much you could see his ribs; he was infested with worms, and needed hoof and dental care. Willy had trouble walking, and horrible eye infections. Destiny had such bad dental care that he could not eat properly, and was starving. “The horses eyes were dull; they were not alert. They t...
Levinson's, F. (2011, September 20). Horse Therapy - Changing Lives . Retrieved November 5, 2013, from Way of the Horse
Animal abuse can be looked at in many different forms but it’s mostly up to you to determine if you agree or disagree with it. Many people believe rodeos should be outlawed because of the visible abuse. It could be from a steer getting drug behind a horse or from probes that make bucking horses and bulls buck. Others believe that all actions are taken to insure the safety of the animals and the contestants. The real question is what do you believe?
... rodeo as cruel and abusive. But the rodeo today is changing with the hope of getting better. The bucking and roping stock are treated as prized animals. They even have their own bucking champions. The solution to any kind of animal abuse is in the continued scrutiny of the sport by the PRCA. As the sport evolves and the animals become more valuable it should cause better care for the animals.
For as long as there have been horse slaughterhouses in the United States, they have been an issue of controversy (Associated Press State and Local Wire, 8/7/01). Currently, only two slaughterhouses that produce horse meat intended...
In the 1970s the question of animal rights became a major social issue that more people started to take notice and action in. This discovery of the cruelty these animals go through, lead animal cruelty to become a serious issue in our world today. To understand how animals could be treated so unjustly one would need to know that many believed that animals could not feel pain. However, animals can feel pain just like humans can and using them for experimentation causes them extreme pain. “Each year, more than 100 million animals are killed in the U.S. laboratories for biology lessons, medical training, curiosity-driven experimentation, and chemical, drug, food, and cosmetics” (Peta 1). With countries having inadequate regulations to protect animal’s rights the chances of that number dropping are slim to none.
Executive Summary Every 60 seconds, an animal is abused. Dogs, cats, horses, and many other types of animals are being neglected and tortured everyday, yet resulting in few and minor consequences for the perpetrators. Animal abuse is prevalent in the United States and has been an ongoing issue since the 1970's, and prior to. Society as a whole has chosen to avoid the facts and arguments about animal cruelty, because to some it is seen as acceptable and typical. It becomes much more frowned upon when people actually see the results of the cruelty, especially in the media.
“Virtually 96 percent of their lives are spent in chains or cages,” and “11 months a year they travel over long distances in box cars with no climate control; sleeping, eating, and defecating in the same cage,” as stated by PAWS, Protective Animal Welfare Society, is one of the many organizations that strives to protect animals right and sheds light on this horrific situation that should be stopped at once. This is an insight of what the animals have to endure just for our entertainment. PAWS also discuses when these animals are eventually allowed out of their cages they undergo “extreme ‘discipline’ such as whipping, hitting, poking, and shocking with electrical prods,” for training purposes to ensure that the performance goes without any complications. The transportation of theses animals is cruel and unusual no matter how it is looked at.
Identifying the Problem: The problem to identify at hand is obvious; it’s the mistreatment of animals being used in the entertainment industry. Animals are ripped away from their natural habitats or bred in captivity to provide us humans with sources of entertainment. The article “Ten Fast Facts About Animals In Entertainment” explains that the majority of captivity-bred animals will not be returned to the wild. In fact, when a facility breeds too many animals, they are sometimes sold to laboratories, traveling shows, canned hunting facilities, or to private individuals (“Ten Fast Facts”). Private individuals, who inquire about wild animals, almost always lack the proper caregiving skills, and this leads to animals being neglected.