How To Do Animal Rights 2015

How to Do
Animal Rights
legally, with confidence
Second PDF edition
Contents
About This Guide
Author & Email
Animal Rights Motto
Introduction
1.1
The Broad Setting

- the big problem.
Mass Extinction
- we live in the Sixth Extinction.
Animal Holocaust
- we live in an enduring and worsening Animal Holocaust.
World Scientists' Warning to Humanity
- scientists attempt to alert the world to the impending catastrophe.
1.2
1.3
1.4
Philosophy: Key Topics
2.1
Animal Rights
- know what animal rights are.
Equal Consideration
- are animal and human moral interests equally important?
Animal Ethics
- defend your animal rights activism rationally.
Consequentialism
- the morality of your action depends only on its consequences.
Deontology
- the morality of your action depends only on doing your duty.
Virtue Ethics
- the morality of your action depends only on your character.
Comparing Philosophies
- comparing animal rights with ethics, welfare & conservation.
Deep Ecology
- contrasts with animal rights and gives it perspective.
2.2
2.3
2.4
2.5
2.6
2.7
2.8
7
9
11
12
16
21
23
29
30
31
33
37
How to Do Animal Rights
Campaigning: Methods for Animal Rights
3.1
How to Start Being Active for Animal Rights

- change society for the better.
Civil Disobedience
- campaign to right injustice.
Direct Action
- a stronger form of civil disobedience.
Action Planning
- take care that your activities are successful.
Lobbying
- sway the prominent and influential.
Picketing
- protest your target visibly and publicly.
Starting a Group
- find and organise your troops.
Leafleting
- reach out to influence people.
News Media
- use and handle the news media.
Internet
- communicate globally with the widest reach.
3.2
3.3
3.4
3.5
3.6
3.7
3.8
3.9
3.10
Activities for Animal Rights
4.1
Teacher
- an effective way of opening minds to ideas.
Animal Lawyer
- practice law to advance animals and their allies.
Undercover Investigator
- amass the evidence that animal advocates fire at abusers.
Video Activist
- seize people's attention with vivid reality.
Animal Preacher
- expound The Word for animals.
Animal Rescuer
- liberate abused animals.
Investigative Reporter
- probe questionable activities hidden from the public.
Media Watcher
- sway the shapers of public opinion.
Street Theatre Actor
- perform and entertain for animal rights on the streets.
Blogger
- use your creative writing skills for animals.
Philosopher
- philosophers do it by reasoning.
Paramotor Flyer
- look down on your opponents to see what they are up to.
Personal Activist
- includes the single most effective thing you can do for animals.
Author Playwright
- write short stories, novels and plays of the animal rights genre.
Animal Friendly Traveller
- prepare yourself for travel abroad.
Politician
- start your own animal political party.
Prisoner Supporter
- succour animal rights prisoners.
4.2
4.3
4.4
4.5
4.6
4.7
4.8
4.9
4.10
4.11
4.12
4.13
4.14
4.15
4.16
4.17
40
46
49
55
60
65
68
75
77
80
83
86
89
92
97
100
102
105
107
109
112
116
119
122
126
129
131
4.18
4.19
4.20
4.21
4.22
Public & School Speaker

- orate on behalf of animals.
Drone (UAV) Flyer for Animal Protection
- fly drones for aerial animal protection data gathering.
Scientific Investigator
- plan, scrutinise, analyse and report.
Solo Information Worker
- display info and eye-catching knowledge.
Voluntary Worker Abroad
- jump for animal rights into far-off cultures .
The Law & Animal Rights
5.1
Terrorism
- a few people wielding disproportionate pressure.
Violence or Nonviolence?
- can we licence violence?
The Law - US & Britain
- what might you be up against?
Police Arrest
- prepare by knowing what to expect.
5.2
5.3
5.4
Animal Statistics
6.1
Summary
- some of the billions people kill annually.
Meat Statistics
- how much meat do people eat?
Chicken Statistics
- how many chickens do people kill?
Pig/Hog Statistics
- people kill 23 million pigs a week.
Sheep & Goat Statistics
- how many sheep & goats do people kill?
Beef Cattle Statistics
- how many cattle do people kill?
Fish Statistics
- how much fish do people farm and catch from the sea?
Fur Animal Statistics
- the fur trade kills endless millions and threatens species.
Numbers of Animals in Biomedical Research
- how many animals do people experiment on in laboratories?
6.2
6.3
6.4
6.5
6.6
6.7
6.8
6.9
Personalities
7.1
Aristotle
- animals cannot reason so we can use them without consideration.
Thomas Aquinas
- God made animals for man and it is not a sin to kill them.
Jeremy Bentham
- the question is not can animals reason but can they suffer?
Nicolaus Copernicus,
- humanity does not occupy a privileged position in the cosmos.
Charles Darwin
- explained how humans are animals that evolved from animals.
7.2
7.3
7.4
7.5
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136
139
141
142
144
147
152
155
158
160
163
167
169
172
175
177
182
186
186
187
187
188
7.6
7.7
7.8
7.9
7.10
7.11
7.12
7.13
7.14
7.15
7.16
Rene Descartes
- propounded that animals are automata, a view adopted by science.
John Lawrence
- one of the earliest modern writers on animal rights.
Richard Martin
- he fought for laws and duelled for animals.
Henry Salt
- the first animal rights book.
Steven Best
- we are in a battlefield not at a bargaining table.
Andrew Linzey
- the face of Christianity embracing animals.
The McLibel Two
- laid bare the nasty deeds of quick food business.
Ingrid Newkirk
- a wheel needs all its spokes to make it go round.
Jill Phipps
- a hero whose actions will inspire.
Henry Spira
- the most effective activist of the modern animal rights movement.
Philosophers Three: Regan, Ryder, Singer
- activism comes in words as well as deeds.
Five Extras
8.1
Universal Declaration on Animals

- the hope is to recognise animals as sentient beings.
The Five Freedoms
- ideals of welfare more honoured in the breach.
Human Overpopulation
- the more people the more animal abuse.
Zoos
- what are zoos for?
Climate Change
- the greatest burden on our moral behaviour.
8.2
8.3
8.4
8.5
189
190
190
191
192
194
194
196
198
198
200
203
205
206
209
214
9 Epilogue
9.1
On Hopelessness
- or feelings of pointless inadequacy and ineptitude doing animal rights.
216
About This Guide

This document shows you quickly and concisely how to work for animal rights as a practical and legal
activity. It also informs you about animal-human problems and ethics so that you can defend your
actions rationally and confidently. The document was first published online in August 2013 as text
only. This present second edition, the one that you are now reading, was published online in August
2015, is slightly revised and has a number of my illustrations. It is based on the web site of the same
name that was first published online in 2008 at www.animalethics.org.uk.
You have permission to copy, rewrite, translate and distribute all or part of this
document globally by whatever means. Spread the word to other people about
how they can do animal rights effectively and legally.
Being active for animal rights is much the same as fighting for any other just cause. You do not have
to scream emotional abuse at people in the street, commit arson, or do anything illegal or criminal. In
any case, working legally secures better results in the long term. However, do not expect to find in this
document quick and unequivocal answers to problematic questions, for as Marc Bekoff says:
"For many questions about how animals should be treated by humans there
are no 'right' or 'wrong' answers. However, there are better and worse
answers." Animal Passions and Beastly Virtues. 2006:227
Read this document to:
Understand activist methods that will further your activism.
Discover practical animal rights activities you can do.
Know what animal rights means and how it differs from other outlooks.
Be aware of potential conflict with the law and how you can handle it.
Find inspiration from biographies of a selection of animal rights activists.
Recognise how humanity is devastating animal life globally.
Gasp at the numbers of animals humans kill every year.
Add topics to your armoury the well rounded animal activist should know.
We live in a human-made Animal Holocaust and mass extinction about which most people give no
thought. So let's defend life and promote a humane society.
Author & Email

I started writing How to Do Animal Rights in 2007 because there were no published books on how to
do animal rights and one needed writing. I'm an animal rights activist, conservationist and biologist,
with a degree in biology and psychology and a doctorate in animal behavioural ecology. Ben Isacat is
my nom de plume (please use it in any reference, rather than my official name of Roger Panaman)
and I live near Oxford, Britain. Email to Ben at benisacat@yahoo.com, and please type ANIMALS in
the subject field - don't want to lose your email in the spam!
Ben Isacat
August 2015
Animal Rights Motto

Use a forceful slogan. An original one for animal rights is the motto I composed especially for How to
Do Animal Rights. You are welcome to use it for all your animal rights work. Copy it freely.
The greatest threat to people is ignorance; the greatest threat to animals is
ignorant people.
The inspiration for this motto is a quotation attributed to H G Wells: "Civilization is a race between
education and catastrophe".
Chapter 1
Introduction
1.1
Broad Setting
Snappy Essence
Humanity must labour to expand its circle of moral consideration to include
all creatures.
"More than any other time in history, mankind faces a crossroads. One path
leads to despair and utter hopelessness. The other, to total extinction. Let
us pray we have the wisdom to choose correctly." Woody Allen (1)
The Big Problem

Animals need allies and making active allies for animals is what this document is about. Why do
animals need allies? Humans have been killing animals for millennia and now scientists acknowledge
that because of this and human-wrought habitat destruction we are living in a mass extinction of life
(2). Added to this is an Animal Holocaust in which increasing numbers of modern people endlessly
demand animals to eat, wear, kill for sport, experiment on, and more. In almost anyone's definition
this is a man-made disaster - a war on animals - undeclared and devastatingly carried out. These two
subjects are dealt with in more detail below.
Being Active
To be active for animal rights all you need to be is an ordinary person. You do not have to be an
'animal rights terrorist' (see Chapter 5: Terrorism), the stereotype bogeyman of the news media. The
media's animal rights archetype is a rare creature because for every bogey animal rights terrorist
there is a multitude of concerned people from all walks of life doing their bit for animals. You, too,
whether granny, city financier or unemployed anarchist, can make your contribution and be a real ally
of animals.
The Best Animal Rights Attitude
As an animal rights activist your attitudes and values will inevitably clash with those of other peopl e.
This is where you have to determine what your beliefs are based on. Confused beliefs, inaccurate
views and misconceptions fill our minds. The distinguished French writer Francois -Marie Arouet (1694
- 1778), popularly known as Voltaire, is credited with saying, "If we believe absurdities, we shall
commit atrocities." (3) One of the most disturbing visions in the history of human progress is the
spectre of the early vivisectors nailing live animals onto dissection boards and cutting them open at
leisure to see how they worked...before the era of anaesthetics. The vivisectors conveniently believed
that animals do not feel pain even though animals behave as though they do feel pain.
So what is our best attitude for being active for animals? Surely it is always to question what we know,
try to understand what we do not know and to keep a healthy scepticism about what people tell us.
Having the right attitude demands that we constantly question our beliefs, especially when we think
we are right, and never be complacent. This is especially important when we consider the moral place
of animals.
The Expanding Circle
Expanding the circle is an evocative metaphor that captures the progress of humanity as a moral
species. It is a phrase coined by the Irish historian and philosopher William Lecky (1838 - 1903) and
means that humanity is enfolding more beings into its moral group as worthy of respect and moral
consideration. Lecky's reputation gathers dust, yet the moral circle is expanding. Only a few
generations ago slaves were excluded from the heart of society and women were devalued chattel.
Slavery and woman's repression were once accepted as social norms. Animals are at a much greater
disadvantage in the struggle for moral equality because, unlike slaves and women, they are not of our
species and cannot fight for their own cause. The philosopher Peter Singer put Leckys metaphor to
use as the title of his book The Expanding Circle: ethics and sociobiology. 1981.
The Great Leap

Animals gain when we include them in our moral circle. Looking beyond that, there is another good
reason that is more human-oriented for granting rights to animals. Humanity is about to make a great
leap into the future; blasting off into space, deciphering genomes and implanting synthetic parts in our
bodies are some of the signs of this impending leap. These signs signal that we are saying good-bye
to our organic roots based on natural selection and are entering a new phase of evolution based on
science and technology. We are shaping a transformation of humanity into a powerful super-being
that one day (assuming humanity and science survive the next hundred years) will be unrecognisable
to the present generation. However, we must not allow any future-being to ravage every creature it
meets for its own ends, in the present style of humanity. We must instil in it, as far as we can, an
enlightened and compassionate morality as a force for good. To this end we must labour to expand
our circle of moral consideration to encompass all creatures, whatever and wherever they are in the
universe.
References
(1) Allen, Woody. My Speech to the Graduates. In Complete Prose. Picador: London. 1997.
(2) Leakey, Richard & Lewin, Roger. The Sixth Extinction: biodiversity and its survival. Weidenfield &
Nicolson: London. 1996.
(3) Possibly paraphrased from a speech in 1767.
1.2
Mass Extinction
Snappy Essence
Humanity is causing a mass extinction of life on Earth, a tragedy for
animals, comparable to the mass extinction of the dinosaurs. Few people
seem to k now or care about it.
The Sixth Extinction

As mentioned above, we are living in a period of mass extinction of life on Earth. This is the greatest
extinction since the mass extinction of the dinosaurs 65 million years ago. In the 3.5 billion year
evolution of life on our planet there have been five mass extinctions - when close to all species were
nearly wiped out. The most massive of these extinctions was the Permian Extinction some 250 million
years ago: seventy percent of land species and ninety percent of marine species went extinct in less
than a million years - close to an instant in Earth's 4.5 billion year evolution.
The common name for the present mass extinction is the Sixth Extinction, popularised in the 1995
book of the same name by Richard Leakey and Roger Lewin.
"Homo sapiens is in the throes of causing a major biological crisis, a mass
extinction, the sixth such event, to have occurred in the past half billion
years. And we, Homo sapiens, may also be among the living dead." Richard
Leakey & Roger Lewin (1)
The unique characteristic of the Sixth Extinction is that it is caused by a single species - us: Homo
sapiens. Scientists calculate that within a hundred years half of Earth's fauna and flora could be
treading down the road to extinction. Earth, home to millions of species, may be losing some 30,000
species a year according the World Wildlife Fund and the rate is increasing as humanity accelerates
its devastation of the biosphere. The problem is especially grim for rain forests because they harbour
the vast majority of land-living species and humanity is clear-felling forests fast. As the forests shrink
away the animals have nowhere to go and die out.
The Mega Devastators

Humanity has fashioned three mega-devastators that are causing the Sixth Extinction and their
combined influence is reaching a climax:
1. Global warming - by releasing carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.
2. Consumption of resources - which includes habitat destruction.
3. Human overpopulation - by which every one of us increases the first two devastators.
The magnitude of what humanity is doing became apparent in the 1970's. But still the mass extinction
crisis is invisible to most people, unaware about it or indifferent. Many scientists are so worried by this
lack of concern that in 1992 over 1,500 prominent specialists, among them several Nobel Prize
Laureates, endorsed the World Scientists' Warning to Humanity (see section 1.4). (2) But they have
made little progress waking people to the looming cataclysm. Likewise, the Doomsday Clock has
similarly fallen short. It was originally started in 1947 during the Cold War by a group of scientists
concerned about humanity's potential impending self-destruction and is meant to wake us up to fight
for our preservation. Currently the minute hand is set at about five minutes to midnight - just a few
minutes before annihilation.
Biocide?
Biocide, the massive destruction of life on a worldwide scale, is the ultimate of all human practical and
moral violations. Sceptics argue that there is not enough data to support the notion of a Sixth
Extinction or that this mass extinction is not of human origin so we need do nothing about it. Other
people accept the impending catastrophe and argue that humanity can slow the rate of extinction
through proper management of human activity and ecosystems. Still other people maintain that time
has expired and there is nothing we can do. But one thing is certain: the disaster of mass extinction is
so great do we dare not act? We could not have evolved without animals and they gave our species
food, clothing, shelter and tools. It is payback time. As W oody Allen says, "More than any other time
in history, mankind faces a crossroads. One path leads to despair and utter hopelessness. The other,
to total extinction. Let us pray we have the wisdom to choose correctly." (3)
Learn more: The Sixth Extinction by Niles Eldredge
(http://www.actionbioscience.org/newfrontiers/eldredge2. html).
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1.3
Animal Holocaust
Snappy Essence
Humanity has the attitude and practical capacity to destroy beings on a vast
scale. It mak es some people stop to consider their role in the Animal
Holocaust and even act against it.
"Their suffering is intense, widespread, expanding, systematic and socially
sanctioned. And the victims are unable to organize in defence of their own
interests." Henry Spira (1)
What is the Animal Holocaust?

Mass extinction is not the only human scourge on animals; animals live in a continuing holocaust. The
Animal Holocaust is the mass destruction of animals by humanity. It is a direct comparison with Nazi
mass murder, particularly of Jews. The animals most often referred to in the Animal Holocaust are
domesticated animals that people raise for food. However, more generally, Animal Holocaust victims
include any animals and their populations that humans control, systematically abuse, or destroy, such
as fur-farmed animals, laboratory animals and free-living wild animals.
The Animal Holocaust resembles the Nazi perpetrated Holocaust in the use of business-like mass
slaughter, mediated by transports (trains), factory farms (concentration camps) and slaughterhouses
(death camps). Other pertinent comparisons of animals with human Holocaust victims are performing
experiments on animal inmates and turning them into commodities, such as fur (skin goods) and fats
(soap). Perhaps the most telling comparison is the contempt for the victims' humane treatment and
11
the widespread disregard for their rights. People today generally do not t hink of animals as beings
who are mutilated, tortured or slain; animals are merely 'animals', there for the purpose of satisfying
human needs.
The Animal Holocaust is treated in modern books such as Charles Patterson's Eternal Treblink a. (2)
The book's title comes from a quote attributed to author and Holocaust survivor Isaac Beshevis
Singer, "To animals, all people are Nazis. For them it is an eternal Treblink a."
Sterile Comparison
The Holocaust and the Animal Holocaust are equally real and abhorrent. But comparing them, and
thereby getting some people upset, is often a fruitless waste. We must remember the Holocaust, but
we can tackle the present and unrelenting Animal Holocaust without reference to anything else
because it is a persistent evil in its own right.
Incredible Killing
No one knows the true figure of how many animals people kill every year, but to get a glimpse see
Chapter 6: Animal Statistics. Staggering totals include the two million pigs killed every week in the
United States and over 12 million pigs killed every week in China (3) and the fifty billion chickens
killed worldwide every year. (4, 5) Humanity has killed literally trillions of animals since the Second
World War and we are killing them at an accelerating rate as our population increases and the
mechanisation of mass animal killing gathers pace. The German philosopher Martin Heidegger (1889
- 1976), disgraced for his membership of the Nazi party, is cited in a 1949 lecture of his as saying:
"Agriculture is now a motorized food industry, the same thing in its essence as the production of
corpses in the gas chambers and the extermination camps..." (6)
Some animal rights groups juxtapose imagery of the Holocaust and the Animal Holocaust to publicise
their campaigns and shock people into admitting the scale and existence of the human abuse of
animals. Their message is that animals are not ours to abuse and we must treat them with respect.
However, this juxtaposition has angered many people who see it as an inappropriate and corrupting
comparison, tasteless and trivialising because of humanity's (assumed unique) moral bas is. They say
that the Holocaust/Animal Holocaust juxtaposition may gain the cause of animal rights some attention
but will lose it support in the long-run. Whether or not you agree, the comparison shows that humanity
has the arrogance to destroy beings on a vast scale. It makes some of us stop to consider our role in
the slaughter and act against it.
References
(1) Spira, Henry. Fighting to Win. In Peter Singer (ed): In Defense of Animals. Basil Blackwell: New
York. 1985:194-208.
(2) Patterson, Charles. Eternal Treblink a: Our Treatment of Animals and the Holocaust . Lantern
Books: New York. 2002.
(3) Live Swine Selected Countries Summary. Production (Pig Crop). In Livestock and Poultry: World
Markets and Trade. United States Department of Agriculture, Circular Series DL&P 2-07
November 2007. www.fas.usda.gov.
(4) Livestock and Poultry: World Mark ets and Trade. United States Department of Agriculture.
www.fas.usda.gov.
(5) The World Egg Industry - a few facts and figures. International Egg Commission.
(6) Lacoue-Labarthe, Philippe. Heidegger, Art and Politics. 1990:34. (This quote is sometimes misattributed to Heidegger's 1954 essay, The Question Concerning Technology.)
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1.4
Over 1,500 leading scientists from around the world published this World Scientists' Warning to
Humanity in 1992 to alert everyone to the coming global catastrophe. Their Warning is reproduced
here.

Human beings and the natural world are on a collision course. Human activities inflict harsh and often
irreversible damage on the environment and on critical resources. If not checked, many of our current
practices put at serious risk the future that we wish for human society and the plant and animal
kingdoms, and may so alter the living world that it will be unable to sustain life in the manner that we
know. Fundamental changes are urgent if we are to avoid the collision our present course will bring
about.
The Environment
The environment is suffering critical stress:
The Atmosphere
Stratospheric ozone depletion threatens us with enhanced ultraviolet radiation at the earth's surface,
which can be damaging or lethal to many life forms. Air pollution near ground level, and acid
precipitation, are already causing widespread injury to humans, forests and crops.
Water Resources
Heedless exploitation of depletable ground water supplies endangers food production and other
essential human systems. Heavy demands on the world's surface waters have resulted in serious
shortages in some 80 countries, containing 40% of the world's population. Pollution of rivers, lakes
and ground water further limits the supply.
Oceans
Destructive pressure on the oceans is severe, particularly in the coastal regions which produce most
of the world's food fish. The total marine catch is now at or above the estimated maximum sustainable
yield. Some fisheries have already shown signs of collapse. Rivers carrying heavy burdens of eroded
soil into the seas also carry industrial, municipal, agricultural, and livestock waste -- some of it toxic.
Soil
Loss of soil productivity, which is causing extensive Land abandonment, is a widespread by-product
of current practices in agriculture and animal husbandry. Since 1945, 11% of the earth's vegetated
surface has been degraded -- an area larger than India and China combined -- and per capita food
production in many parts of the world is decreasing.
Forests
Tropical rain forests, as well as tropical and temperate dry forests, are being destroyed rapidly. At
present rates, some critical forest types will be gone in a few years and most of the tropical rain forest
will be gone before the end of the next century. With them will go large numbers of plant and animal
species.
Living Species
The irreversible loss of species, which by 2100 may reach one third of all species now living, is
especially serious. We are losing the potential they hold for providing medicinal and other benefits,
and the contribution that genetic diversity of life forms gives to the robustness of the world's biological
systems and to the astonishing beauty of the earth itself.
Much of this damage is irreversible on a scale of centuries or permanent. Other processes appear to
pose additional threats. Increasing levels of gases in the atmosphere from human activities, including
carbon dioxide released from fossil fuel burning and from deforestation, may alter climate on a global
scale. Predictions of global warming are still uncertain -- with projected effects ranging from tolerable
to very severe -- but the potential risks are very great.
13
Our massive tampering with the world's interdependent web of life -- coupled with the environmental
damage inflicted by deforestation, species loss, and climate change -- could trigger widespread
adverse effects, including unpredictable collapses of critical biological systems whose interactions
and dynamics we only imperfectly understand.
Uncertainty over the extent of these effects cannot excuse complacency or delay in facing the threat.
Population
The earth is finite. Its ability to absorb wastes and destructive effluent is finite. Its ability to provide
food and energy is finite. Its ability to provide for growing numbers of people is finite. And we are fast
approaching many of the earth's limits. Current economic practices which damage the environment, in
both developed and underdeveloped nations, cannot be continued without the risk that vital global
systems will be damaged beyond repair.
Pressures resulting from unrestrained population growth put demands on the natural world that can
overwhelm any efforts to achieve a sustainable future. If we are to halt the destruction of our
environment, we must accept limits to that growth. A World Bank estimate indicates that world
population will not stabilize at less than 12.4 billion, while the United Nations concludes that the
eventual total could reach 14 billion, a near tripling of today's 5.4 billion. But, even at this moment, one
person in five lives in absolute poverty without enough to eat, and one in ten suffers serious
malnutrition.
No more than one or a few decades remain before the chance to avert the threats we now confront
will be lost and the prospects for humanity immeasurably diminished.
Warning
We the undersigned, senior members of the world's scientific community, hereby warn all
humanity of what lies ahead. A great change in our stewardship of the earth and the life on it,
is required, if vast human misery is to be avoided and our global home on this planet is not to
be irretrievably mutilated.
What We Must Do
Five inextricably linked areas must be addressed simultaneously:
1.
We must bring environmentally damaging activities under control to restore and protect the
integrity of the earth's systems we depend on. We must, for example, move away from fossil fuels
to more benign, inexhaustible energy sources to cut greenhouse gas emissions and the pollution
of our air and water. Priority must be given to the development of energy sources matched to third
world needs -- small scale and relatively easy to implement. We must halt deforestation, injury to
and loss of agricultural land, and the loss of terrestrial and marine plant and animal species.
2.
We must manage resources crucial to human welfare more effectively. We must give high priority
to efficient use of energy, water, and other materials, including expansion of conservation and
recycling.
3.
We must stabilize population. This will be possible only if all nations recognize that it requires
improved social and economic conditions, and the adoption of effective, voluntary family planning.
4.
We must reduce and eventually eliminate poverty.
5.
We must ensure sexual equality, and guarantee women control over their own reproductive
decisions.
The developed nations are the largest polluters in the world today. They must greatly reduce their
over-consumption, if we are to reduce pressures on resources and the global environment. The
developed nations have the obligation to provide aid and support to developing nations, because only
the developed nations have the financial resources and the technical skills for these tasks.
Acting on this recognition is not altruism, but enlightened self-interest: whether industrialized or not,
we all have but one lifeboat. No nation can escape from injury when global biological systems are
14
damaged. No nation can escape from conflicts over increasingly scarce resources. In addition,
environmental and economic instabilities will cause mass migrations with incalculable consequences
for developed and undeveloped nations alike.
Developing nations must realize that environmental damage is one of the gravest threats they face,
and that attempts to blunt it will be overwhelmed if their populations go unchecked. The greatest peril
is to become trapped in spirals of environmental decline, poverty, and unrest, leading to social,
economic and environmental collapse.
Success in this global endeavor will require a great reduction in violence and war. Resources now
devoted to the preparation and conduct of war -- amounting to over $1 trillion annually -- will be badly
needed in the new tasks and should be diverted to the new challenges.
A new ethic is required -- a new attitude towards discharging our responsibility for caring for ourselves
and for the earth. We must recognize the earth's limited capacity to provide for us. We must recognize
its fragility. We must no longer allow it to be ravaged. This ethic must motivate a great movement,
convince reluctant leaders and reluctant governments and reluctant peoples themselves to effect the
needed changes.
The scientists issuing this warning hope that our message will reach and affect people everywhere.
We need the help of many.
We require the help of the world community of scientists -- natural, social, economic, political;
We require the help of the world's business and industrial leaders;
We require the help of the worlds religious leaders; and
We require the help of the world's peoples.
We call on all to join us in this task.
15
Chapter 2
Philosophy: Key Topics
2.1
Animal Rights
Snappy Essence
Animal rights are benefits people give to animals to protect them from
human use and abuse. Rights can tak e moral, legal and practical forms.
Animal rights are benefits people give to animals. Benefits include the right of protection from human
use and abuse and rights can take moral, legal and practical forms. People who support animal rights
believe that animals are not ours to use as we wish, for whatever purpose, be it for food, clothing,
experimentation or entertainment. Animal rights supporters believe that we should consider the best
interests of animals regardless of whatever value the animals may have for us.
"To spread the concept [of animal rights] beyond our species is to
jeopardize our dignity as moral beings, who live in judgement of one another
and of themselves." Roger Scruton. Animal Rights. City Journal. 2000.
Alternatively:
"...animal rights must not only be an idea but a social movement for the
liberation of the world's most oppressed beings, both in terms of numbers
and in the severity of their pain." Steven Best. Essay: Animal Rights and
the New Enlightenment.
But what are animal rights specifically? How do animal rights compare with human rights? Are rights a
remedy for all moral problems?
Background to Rights
One of the first to distinguish rights was the English philosopher John Lock (1632 - 1704), who
thought that people were entitled to the rights of life, liberty and property. People often base their
concept of rights on a belief in natural rights: that they are given by God or were somehow enjoyed
long ago, when people lived in a state of nature before they became civilized. Furthermore, they
assume that these rights are universal, that is that they apply to everyone automatically, indisputably
and irrevocably. Alternatively, you could claim that human rights are neither natural nor universal;
rights are only what people are willing to confer as they see fit on others, being the granting of
particular benefits by people to people.
16
Modern human rights have four features in that they are said to be:
1. Natural - rulers do not invent them.
2. Universal - they apply to everyone.
3. Equal - they are the same for everyone.
4. Inalienable - no one can lose them.
Rights are usually contracted between a country's government and its citizens, like the right to vote,
the right to fair trial and the right to free speech, and vary from country to country. Many states make
utterances about giving their citizens rights but do not fully grant them.
Major Dates for Rights
1776 The Declaration of Independence of the United States recognised the right to 'life, liberty and the
pursuit of happiness'. This was the world's first major published statement of human rights.
1789 The National Assembly of France approved rights for the common man, including equality
before the law, equal opportunity, freedom from arbitrary imprisonment, freedom of speech and
religion, security of property, and taxation commensurate with ability to pay.
1948 The United Nations affirmed their Universal Declaration of Human Rights, setting out over two
dozen rights, including the right of individuals to life, liberty, education, equality in law, and freedom of
movement, religion, association and information.
Animal Rights
The justification for conferring rights on animals is that animals are in many important ways like
humans. Animals are sentient creatures who are subjects of a life: they feel pleasure and pain,
experience emotions, remember, anticipate, learn, and what happens to them is important for them,
unlike what happens to a rock or a stone. So, if you argue that humans deserve rights, it is rational
that animals also deserve rights.
Animal interests, however, are not always the same as human interests. Thus the range of rights that
animals need is not always the same as the range of rights that humans need. Animals are not in
need of equality before the law, or freedom of speech and religion, or of fair taxation. Nor do animals
have an interest in voting or being literate. Hence, it would be meaningless and silly to give animals
rights to these affairs. However, this should not prevent people from bestowing relevant and
appropriate rights on animals.
Relevant rights for animals can be any benefits appropriate for them that people wish to bestow on
them. Relevant rights for animals can include:
The right to live free in the natural state of the animals' choosing.
The right to express normal behaviour (eg food searching, grooming, nest building).
17
The right to life (ie not be killed for human food or other human use).
The right to reproduce (ie pass on their genes to the next generation).
The right to choose their own lifestyle (eg not for people to coerce them into experiments
or entertainment).
The right to live free from human induced harm (eg hunger, thirst, molestation, fear,
distress, pain, injury or disease).
If you believe animals have such rights then you would have a doubtful basis for exploiting animals.
You would have a moral duty to support those rights and would be morally c orrupt if you did not. If
animals have these rights, how could you justify, say, eating animals, using them for sport or keeping
them in zoos? In practical terms you would have to live your life accordingly, such as become a
vegetarian or vegan.
Fundamental Animal Rights Positions
As for the actuality of giving rights to animals there are three fundamental positions: abuse, welfare
and liberation.
1. Abuse
Animals have no moral status. We owe nothing to animals except to make use of them as and how
we like. This is the position many people held in past centuries and many people still hold today,
especially in China and surrounding countries.
2. Welfare
Animals should have welfare. We should treat animals kindly, but humans always come first when
there is a conflict of interest, because humans are superior and animals are a resource for humanity.
Welfarists acknowledge the need to use animals but try to alleviate 'needless' animal suffering. This is
the position most people in the West support today.
3. Liberation
We should liberate animals. This is the avant-garde position: animals deserve moral status similar in
some way to human moral status. There are two types of animal liberationist and both want to abolish
the use of animals on moral or other grounds. New welfarists regard abolition as a long-term goal
and meanwhile try to ease as much animal suffering as possible by introducing practical welfare
measures. The 'hard-line abolitionists believe welfare is a waste of time and pitch straight for abolition
of animal use on the grounds that if there is no abuse then there is no need for welfare. Liberationists
have a lifestyle quite different to the majority of people, being vegan or vegetarian and reject goods
and services based on animals.
Variations on Animal Rights
The concept of animal rights has different levels of definition. So to make any discussion meaningful
and avoid talking at cross purposes you need to clarify what people have in mind when they speak
about animal rights. For example you can distinguish three basic views: absolute, equal and relative.
1. Relative Animal Rights
We should avoid causing animals 'unnecessary' suffering, but human welfare is more important than
animal welfare and we should overrule the interests (rights) of animals if we have good reason to do
so. Animal welfarists hold this view.
2. Equal Consideration
We should give equal consideration to the comparable interests of animals and humans. When
making a moral decision about the suffering of a dog and a human, neither want pain inflicted on
them, so we should give the same weight of consideration to the dog as we would to the human. If we
are not prepared to make a human suffer then we should not make a dog suffer. People of a utilitarian
philosophy may hold an outlook like this.
3. Absolute Animal Rights
We should always protect the rights of animals, even when doing so is troublesome personally and
difficult for society. People should not experiment on dogs to develop a possible life-saving drug
(other experimental methods should be found) even if it might mean delaying the drug's development
by some years. This is the view that animal rightists hold.
18
You need not confine yourself to these three levels when discussing animal rights. Make up nuances
as you like, such as broadening animal rights to apparently non-sentient animals, or to the whole of
inanimate nature, or by coming up with different definitions of animal rights.
Are Rights a Cure-all?
Rights should be absolute if they are to protect individuals; they cannot be suspended or hacked
about to fit in with what someone may happen to want. Yet there seem to be cases for overriding
rights during moral dilemmas, such as killing some individuals to save others. This might be when
mice are spoiling a harvest and setting off a famine, or when coyotes or foxes are eating the last
individuals of an endangered species. How should we react to conflicts of interest like these? We
might respond by temporarily adopting another philosophy, like utilitarianism - that you should act to
bring about the greatest good to the greatest number of individuals. Therefore rights may not be a
panacea that can cope with all moral conditions all the time; now and then we may have to look
outside rights for other solutions to guide us when dealing with moral issues.
Another problem with rights is that sometimes people s ay animals have intrinsic value: an importance
in themselves irrespective of their value to humans. You might claim that all sentient beings are
entitled to rights because they have equal intrinsic value. But does intrinsic value really exist in itself?
Intrinsic value might simply be subjective, what people say has value to themselves. If you do not
believe in intrinsic value then you might have to pursue animal liberation via utilitarianism, not through
animal rights. As a utilitarian you could claim that sentient animals have interests and thus no species
(that is humanity) is more important than any other; therefore, we should give equal moral
consideration to every creature's relevant moral interests.
For & Against: argue your case
Listen to people's arguments for and against animal rights. Break down their arguments into simple
statements and add them to the following common outlooks to help argue your own case.
1. Drawing the Line
Claim: If we grant rights to animals then eventually even insects and plants will have rights. That
would be ridiculous.
Claim: Animal rights encompass animals who are sentient (chiefly mammals and birds, but also
advanced invertebrates like the octopus, Octopus vulgaris). It is Deep Ecology that makes the case
for giving rights to all of nature.
2. Dependency on Animality
Claim: Giving rights to animals will severely disrupt society. We would have to undergo enormous
changes if we give rights to animals. Every use of animals would have to stop and we would not be
able to live normal lives.
Claim: Most people may want to give absolute animal rights where they can and relative animal
rights where they cannot. We must do this with good intention and careful consideration.
3. Moral Sense
Claim: Animals have no sense of morality. So they do not need moral rights.
Claim: People should support animal rights because people are moral. Whether or not animals have
a sense of morality is not the issue.
4. Comprehension
Claim: Only creatures who comprehend rights can benefit from them. Only humans understand
rights so only humans can have rights.
Claim: Children and severely mentally impaired people cannot understand rights, yet we do not
deny them rights. Therefore we should not hold back from giving rights to animals because they
cannot comprehend them.
5. Reciprocation
Claim: The giving of rights implies reciprocation. You have the right to life so you must respect the
right of others to life. But animals cannot reciprocate so they should not have rights.
Claim: Animal rights are about how humans should treat animals, not about how animals should
treat humans. In any case, we respect the rights of our future unborn generations and they cannot
reciprocate.
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6. Biology vs Rationality
Claim: Humans kill and eat animals because we evolved to survive by exploiting our environment. It
is therefore senseless even to consider giving animals rights and we should continue to exploit them.
Claim: Unlike other animals, we are now not constrained entirely by biological evolution. We can
reflect on how we should act and choose how to behave. Therefore we can behave morally and give
animals rights.
7. Food & Territory
Claim: We are all part of the natural food web: animals eat each other and we eat them. Being part
of the natural food web we should not give animals the right not to be eaten by us.
Claim: Animals kill each other because they have to, either for food or to protect their food supplies,
or they would die. But we can rationalise and decide not to eat animals. Vegetarians do not die for
lack of meat.
8. Mental Capacity
Claim: People have grater mental capacities than animals. Therefore giving animals rights would
demean humanity and we must reject animal rights.
Claim: We do not use or abuse people who are severely mentally retarded or in a permanent
vegetative state. Many animals have mental abilities far better than these people. So we should not
withhold rights from animals.
9. Species Differences
Claim: Animals and humans are obviously different. So we should treat animals differently from us.
Claim: There is no clear cut acceptable difference (whether intelligence, shape or posture) that
distinguishes animals from humans on moral grounds. So there is no moral line you can draw that
separates animals and humans.
10. Pain & Suffering
Claim: Animals can experience pain and suffering. But this does not mean we have to give them
rights, only that we should not be cruel to them. We can treat animals well and give them adequate
legal protection without giving them rights.
Claim: All children have rights under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child,
ratified by nearly 200 countries. Mentally handicapped people have rights as people. Now we must
broaden our circle of compassion to animals by giving them rights.
11. Sentience
Claim: Animals are not sentient: they cannot speak, have no thoughts, feelings, desires, emotions
or interests. Therefore we should reject animal rights.
Claim: We should not make our ignorance of animals a basis for insensitivity. But we know that
some animals at least have ideas and a measure of speech, and that animals have feelings, like a
need to care for their young, remain with their group and feel safe and well. Therefore we should give
animals rights.
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2.2
Equal Consideration
Snappy Essence
Equal consideration of moral interests is a moral principle asserting that we
should give equal consideration to the evaluation of the moral welfare of
every individual.
In the context of animal-human relations, equal consideration of interests means giving equal
deliberation to the relevant moral welfare of animals as well as humans. Equal consideration of
interests is not a new idea, but Peter Singer gave it wide circulation in his 1975 book Animal
Liberation and defines it thus:
"Essentially this means that if an animal feels pain, the pain matters as
much as it does when a human feels pain - if the pains hurt just as much.
How bad pain and suffering are does not depend on the species of being
that experiences it." Singer-Posner debate. Slate Magazine. June 2001.
The strong version of equal consideration of interests says that animal and human interests are
equally important and when there is moral conflict of interests you must consider animal and human
interests equally. Humans should not take precedence over animals automatically and without
thought.
Equal Consideration versus Animal Liberation
Many people often use the terms animal rights and animal liberation interchangeably. This might be
all right sometimes, but in a strict sense animal liberation is made up of two different approaches to
liberating animals: equal consideration of interests and animal rights.
Singer advances animal liberation through equal consideration of interests. Although he often talks
about animal rights he does so only as shorthand, what he really means is liberating animals by giving
them equal consideration.
Equal Consideration versus Animal Rights
Considering the moral interests of all animals equally is not the same as giving rights to animals. If
you maintain that animals and humans have the same moral rights that forbid harm to them, then you
cannot, say, experiment on them. However, if you maintain that animal and human interests are
morally equal regarding experimentation, then you can experiment equally on humans as on animals.
If you are not prepared to experiment on one then you cannot experiment on the other.
The table below points out some of the differences between equal consideration and animal rights.
Comparable Interests
You must apply equal consideration to interests that are comparable. All animal species and humans
share certain major interests in that they need nutrition, freedom of movement and social interaction
with peers, for example. However, animals and humans do not share all interests. Animals do not
need freedom of speech or freedom of religion. Freedoms of speech and religion are human interests
that are not comparable interests with animals, so do not consider them. This may seem obvious, but
some people like to confuse the issue by trying to compare irrelevant interests (we should not give
rights to pigs because pigs do not need free speech).
Some Advantages & Disadvantages
Three advantages of applying the principle of equal consideration when deciding animal -human moral
conflicts are:
Equal consideration counters the view that certain overriding attributes automatically decide in
favour of humans, like possessing certain mental abilities, language, high intelligence, or
membership of Homo sapiens.
Equal consideration avoids giving moral equality to animals on all issues. You do not have to
consider a claim by dogs for equal access to sports or by cats for equal opportunity in arts.
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Only comparable interests count. So you can limit your consideration to basic clai ms, such as
to life, liberty and procreation.
Equal consideration avoids giving equal moral status to all creatures. For example, we
assume (perhaps wrongly) that insects experience pain in a lesser way than mammals, so
that if you cause insects pain you might be harming them less than if you cause chimpanzees
pain.
Table 1. Equal Consideration of Interests vs Animal Rights
Equal Consideration
Definition
What you
should do
Asserts
Animal Rights
A moral principle stating that you
The bestowal of moral benefits (ie
should weigh the comparable

moral interests of all creatures who
will be influenced by your actions.
rights) on animals to protect them

from human exploitation.
Consider equally the comparable

moral interests of all creatures
Obey the rights that animals have

(eg if animals have a right not to be
affected by your actions.
abused by people, then you should

not abuse them).
Where comparable interests are

involved, you can either exploit
animals and humans equally or
You cannot exploit animals. You

have a moral duty to support the
rights of all animals.
should not exploit either.

Weaknesses
You must guess which interests

are relevant and how to evaluate
them.
Not all animals need the same

rights (eg monkey vs crab), which
make for lots of different rights to
remember.
Can trace
historical
roots to
Utilitarianism (see Chapter 2:

Consequentialism).
Deontology (see Chapter 2:

Deontology).
A couple of weaknesses applying equal consideration are:
Equal consideration does not tell you what interests to consider. Basic interests like staying
alive and avoiding pain are obvious, but you have to decide what other interests may be
relevant. Children, adults, and mentally retarded adults do not always share the same
interests. At least these people are the same species as us. The difficulty of knowing which
interests to consider is compounded when we try to know what is right for other species.
The principle of equal consideration does not tell you how to evaluate relative weights of
interests. Not everyone might accept that humans and animals have morally equal weight on
every comparable interest. Staying alive and avoiding pain would appear to be equally
important for animals and humans, but for some reason you might decide to attach more
weight to these interests to favour humans.
Certainly, the equal consideration of moral interests is a principle by which we can debate the moral
standing of animals, along with equally key concepts, like sentience and speciesism.
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2.3
Animal Ethics
Snappy Essence
Animal ethics is the systematic study of how we ought to treat animals and
therefore is central to animal rights.
"Thinking through, critically and carefully, what most people take for granted
is, I believe, the chief task of philosophy, and it is this task that makes
philosophy a worthwhile activity." Peter Singer (1)
When you are active in animal rights you should know why you are being active and be able to defend
your actions rationally. Simply being emotional about animals is not enough because the opposition
may be equally emotional back at you, resulting in a stalemate. However, by stating your case
rationally you can convince people of your cause and win convert s. This is an important part of doing
animal rights. Even the most emotional opponents, if they can be made to see sense, are susceptible
to rational arguments. This entry sets out the rational background for animal rights so that you know
where you are philosophically and have an idea of where you are going.
Ethics
If you question methodically the meaning and purpose of life you are a philosopher, whether amateur
or professional. Ethics is the part of philosophy that asks how people should live their lives and how
they should do good and right to each other. Animal ethics is the same but includes animals. Robert
Garner in his book Animal Ethics says "Animal ethics seeks to examine beliefs that are held about the
moral status of non-human animals." (2). You can define animal ethics more broadly, however, by
saying that it is about acting for the moral good of animals (including humans) by understanding
animal-human moral issues through knowledge and reasoning. Thus animal ethics is a practical
pursuit as well as a cognitive study.
Importance of Animal Ethics
Our relationship with animals is based on beliefs we absorb from our upbringing and social customs.
We accept these beliefs, often on trust from our elders, without challenging or analysing them. But
unexamined beliefs when acted out can do enormous harm (Voltaire pointedly said, "If we believe
absurdities we shall commit atrocities.") Everyone has some contact with animals directly or indirectly,
23
whether farming or shooting animals, eating them, feeding their pets factory farmed animals, going to
the zoo, using substances tested on animals or washing with animal-based soap. Yet most people do
not realise the suffering and destruction humanity imposes on animals because it goes on largely out
of sight and where it peaks above the surface it is tolerated as normal.
Here is the point. The harm humans are doing to animals amounts to a holocaust that we must
address (see Chapter 1: Animal Holocaust). If we are to make civilized progress we must
comprehend what we are doing to animals and think about how we should be treating them. All of us
must justify and defend our relations with animals in light of animal ethics. An ethical issue is when
you think a harm or wrong is happening and something should be done about it. If we harm people
then we must justify why we harm them and if we cannot justify our actions then we must not harm
them. In the same way, with animal ethics we must critically question our conduct with animals. We
must ask what we are doing to animals, why we are doing it, how should we and how can we do
better - and take action.
Key Concepts
When thinking about animal ethics these key concepts are helpful.
Sentiency: being able to suffer and feel pleasure.

Moral rights: conferral of protection or privilege.
Moral status: worthy of moral consideration and moral rights.
Interests: a stake in fulfilling a life's natural potential.
Intrinsic value: a value something has independent of its usefulness.
Equal consideration of interests: giving equal weight to everyone's moral interests.
Speciesism: prejudice favouring your own species.
Specismo: an alternative word for speciesism, like macho. Italian and pronounced speh-chismo.
Utilitarianism: theory that states an action is morally right if it benefits , with the greatest good,
the largest number of beings.
Some History
That animals are made for human use is a traditional attitude, at any rate in western society, and held
at least from Old Testament times up to Darwin (1809 - 1882). Aristotle (384 - 322 BC) thought
animals exist to provide humans with food and other provisions; Aquinas (1225 - 1274) claimed that
killing animals is acceptable and we can treat them in any way useful to us; and Descartes (1596 1650) asserted that animals are mindless robots which cannot suffer, the corollary being that we can
do almost anything to them without thoughts of morality.
People have always had to emphasise differences between man and beast to maintain and defend
their belief in human superiority. The rationally inclined assert that animals lack reason, intelligence,
language and creativity. The spiritually inclined believe animals are not made in the 'image of God'
and, although some of them appreciate and admire animals as God's creatures, many of them are
largely unresponsive to animal misfortune and distress. Generally, people protect some animals, but
only if the animals belong to people as property.
Darwin, however, significantly helped begin the demolition of human cent redness by convincingly
arguing that animals and humans evolved from the same ancestors (although he did not dare write
this overtly). Common evolutionary descent explains why humans share the same appearance as
animals, especially with the apes. This shocked the Victorian public of Darwin's day but his
evolutionary theory in outline is now widely accepted.
Thus an ethical dilemma arose. Animals and humans are similar. So if humans have moral status
then animals should have moral status too. For most of the history of western philosophy just about
everyone passed off the moral status of animals as a trivial and insignificant question. However, since
the 1970's an energetic debate has been waging about animal moral status, ignited by firebrand
philosophers, such as Peter Singer (see Chapter 7).
The animal moral status debate is founded on basic, common moral principles: it is wrong to cause
suffering and it is wrong to discriminate against others by giving greater importance to your own
group. Apply these principles consistently, says Singer, and they lead to the logical conclusion that we
24
should morally treat animals like humans, provided the animals have relevant similarities with
humans.
Some animal-oriented philosophers say the only important morally relevant similarity of animals with
humans is that both can feel pain and suffer, that is that they are sentient. The writing of the great
English philosopher Jeremy Bentham (1748 - 1832) is often quoted (even though he wrote it only as a
footnote!):
"The day may come, when the rest of the animal creation may acquire the
rights which never could have been withholden from them but by the hand
of tyranny. ...the question is not, Can they reason? not, Can they talk? but,
Can they suffer?" (3)
So we must distinguish the relevant similarities of animals and humans (eg sentiency) and not use
inaccurate attributes to justify excluding animals from our moral consideration (animals are not
bipeds). Relevant similarities in moral terms boil down to basic requirements, such as the right to
reproduce and pass on your genes, the right to liberty, and the right not to be forced to suffer for the
gain of others (as in experimentation and farming).
However, many people today still cannot accept animals on the same moral level as humanity, even
while acknowledging the contributions of Darwin. But thanks to Singer and some fellow philosophers it
is said that there is more controversy and discussion about animals today than during all past times
combined.
How to Proceed?
When we make a judgement about the rights or wrongs of a situation our views and actions must be
based on knowledge and reason. We must examine our thoughts and feelings carefully. We cannot
rely completely on our intuition or feelings because people may be manipulating us for their own
purpose without our realising it. We cannot rely on faith, religion, authority, the law, social standards,
tradition, fashion, fantasy, immediate impression, emotional illogic, magic and many other reasons
that are not necessarily rational.
Reasons for acting ethically can be simple or complex, tempered by intuition or emotion, or whatever.
But our reasons for acting ethically must be consistent, comprehensive and based on fact, that is on
the truth of the matter as far as we know it. Our reasons for acting ethically must work the 6C Way.
Clearly - can be understood

Concisely - not verbose or diffuse
Compatibly - agreeing with basic sensitivity of what is right and good
Consistently - without contradictions
Constructively - extending our judgement to new or ambiguous areas by building on what we
already understand and accept
Comprehensively - not ad hoc but relevant to all kinds of problems
Ethical Theories
Ethical theories help us in two ways: to organise our thoughts when deciding which moral action to
take, such as about animal rights, and to understand better other people's moral position. People
down the centuries have asked three common moral questions and philosophers have developed
three influential theories that attempt a solution. Most ethical positions can be understood in relation
to these ethical theories, also called moral systems or moral frameworks.
The three moral questions people ask and the ethical theories philosophers have worked out are:
1. What outcome should I aim for? (or Consequentialism aka Consequence Ethics)
2. What am I required to do? (or Deontology aka Duty Ethics)
3. What should I do as a virtuous person? (or Virtue Ethics aka Virtue Theory)
1. What outcome should I aim for?
Consequentialism says you should act to bring about the best results or consequences.
Consequentialism is goal-directed. It asserts that only the good outcome of your goal or action is
25
important, not how you achieve your goal. You need not be dutiful or virtuous - you might even lie,
cheat or whatever - so long as the result is morally good.
Say you see a couple of sheep or pigs escape from a slaughterhouse and believe that taking them
back to be killed is immoral, so you snatch and hide them and lie that you do not know where they
are. Your action focuses on results, the saving of the animals from slaughter. You would believe the
outcome is morally more important than stealing and lying.
Consequentialism can also be called by the less cumbersome name of consequence ethics; its
traditional name in philosophy is teleology, from the Greek teleos meaning end or purpose.
2. What am I required to do?
Deontology states that you should do whatever is your duty, even if by doing it you harm yourself or
others by suffering the consequences. For King and country, right or wrong, is a deontology dictum.
Deontology counters consequentialism; doing what you consider is your obligation (duty) is more
important than the outcome of your action.
As a rancher you might hate shooting predators but accept that you have an obligation to protect your
cattle regardless of your action's impact on wildlife. Or you might release laboratory animals waiting to
be experimented on because you see your action as your duty to animalkind. (Alternatively you might
condemn releasing laboratory animals because you believe your first duty is upholding the law and
the standards of society as you see it - moral theories can work both ways!)
You can call deontology also by the more descriptive term of duty ethics.
3. What should I do as a virtuous person?
Virtue ethics claims that making good ethical decisions is based on being a virtuous person and
holds that possessing admirable personal qualities - such as compassion, kindness, respect,
toleration, honesty and courage - makes you virtuous. Thus, virtue ethics tries to bring in all the
qualities of being human to influence your ethical considerations.
Being a virtuous person you might, for instance, approve or reprove individuals or companies and
support only those that do not harm animals or nature. Indeed, do these individuals or companies
have virtuous qualities themselves? Do they advance or oppose virtue? Are they progressive,
admirable and responsible or insensitive, negligent and dishonest?
Virtue ethics, also called virtue theory or value theory, flourished in ancient Greece and Aristotle (BC
384 - 322) is often cited as its main philosophical representative. He argued that a virtue is the mean,
or middle path, between two vices, like courage is midway between, and therefore better than,
fearlessness or cowardice. Virtue ethics expired in the fourth century AD when moral theories
purporting to be given by God supplanted it. However, the 20th century brought virtue ethics back to
life and modernised it. Modern virtue ethics does not emphasise specific moral traits but says you
should be virtuous in all aspects of your life and be a good person all the time.
Ethical Theories Compared
Table 1 below contrasts and highlights some main features of consequentialism, deontology and
virtue ethics. Each theory focuses on a different attitude to morality, reveals a unique insight into
moral problems and suggests a different way for resolving moral questions. Consequentialism,
deontology and virtue ethics overlap with one another and they each come in several alternative
versions (not shown here).
Choosing an Ethical Theory
Which ethical theory (consequentialism, deontology or virtue ethics) should you follow to help you
resolve an animal rights issue, or indeed any ethical matter? The answer may partly depend on your
personality. You might be more concerned about the consequences of your action than be oriented to
notions of doing your duty, or vice versa. Or you might be more concerned about being virtuous.
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Table 1. Comparison of
Consequentialism, Deontology & Virtue Ethics
Consequentialism
Deontology
Virtue Ethics
Asks
How can I make the

best outcome?
What are my duties?
How will my actions

support my being a
virtuous person?
Morality
Is
Achieving the best

results.
Carrying out my duty.
Being a virtuous
person.
Focuses
On
The best outcome I can

make.
The duty I am required

to do.
What the virtuous

person should do.
Main
Concern
Is
The value of results not duty or quality of

character.
Doing my duty whatever the

consequences and
My moral character not consequences or

duty.
whatever my character.
Aims to
Produce the most

good.
Perform the right duty.
Develop moral
character.
Example
Utilitarianism.
Rights-based ethics.
Buddhism.
Another suggestion commonly put forward for choosing which ethical theory to follow is to use one
that feels most natural for your particular set of circumstances. It might be useful to use:
A Consequence theory - for dealing with large numbers.
You might have to decide to save a majority of some animals at the expense of a minority of other
animals - good consequences for some animals, bad consequences for other animals.
A Duty theory - for dealing with conflicting obligations.
As a livestock farmer you are likely to believe that you have an obligation to send livestock for
slaughter to feed people. Thus your primary duty would be to people and a lesser duty would be
to your flock.
A Virtue theory - for dealing with personal decisions.
You would apply the range of your mental and emotional faculties to act as a virtuous person
would act. So, for example, should you eat animals? You might reckon that as a virtuous person
you should be compassionate to all creatures and not cause suffering; therefore y ou should not
eat animals.
There is a third accepted way for choosing which ethical theory to follow. The ethical theories outlined
above sometime complement one another. So if two or all three of them support your proposed moral
judgement and subsequent action then you can feel more confident of being on the right moral track.
People may want to stop whaling because it will upset the ecosystem (consequentialism), or because
whaling is illegal (deontology), or because enlightened people do not support whal ing (virtue ethics).
Thus you would consider each ethical theory in turn to find the best overall solution.
27
Even if you favour one ethical theory over the others, keep in mind all three theories so that you are
better aware of how ethical disagreements can arise, that is when one person advocates one ethical
theory that clashes with someone else advocating another ethical theory. A foxhunter or bullfighter
might defend their actions as a preservation of tradition; alternatively, you might claim that no one
sympathetic to animals would kill foxes or bulls for sport. This can be seen as a case of deontology
versus virtue ethics.
Do Philosophical Ideas Work?
Generations of people acquire philosophical ideas and values without realising they are doing so and
without knowing where their ideas and values come from. Many of our ideas and values originated
from individuals who lived, thought and died before us, examples are John Lock and Karl Marx. Few
things in human society are bigger than revolutions and revolutions are made of philosophical ideas.
John Locke (1632 - 1704), English physician, public servant and philosopher, significantly helped lay
the foundations of liberal society. In his lifetime his ideas about government, tyranny and the rights of
man were pivotal in replacing the English monarch in the 'Glorious Revolution' of 1688. Even after his
death Locke's ideas played a leading role guiding the American and French revolutions. The other
pre-eminent thinker was a German emigre who settled in London and spent much of his time writing
there at the British Library. Karl Marx (1818 - 1883) wrote the intellectual foundation of Communism
that fuelled the Communist revolutions of Russia and China in the 20th century.
Hundreds of millions of people today still live under the ideas of these two thinkers, ample
demonstration of the power and pervasiveness of philosophical ideas. If you are not convinced, where
might your ideas of soul and man's place in animal life come from? (Clue: look to Aristotle and
Darwin.)
References
(1) Singer, Peter. Applied Ethics. Oxford University Press: Oxford. 1986:226.
(2) Garner, Robert. Animal Ethics. Polity Press. 2005:12.
(3) Bentham, Jeremy. An Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation. 1789, chapter xvii.
Further Reading
An excellent, very readable book, that includes animal rights and environmental ethics, is Noel
Stewart, Ethics: an introduction to moral philosophy. Polity Press. 2009. For more ideas and thoughts
be sure to read the online writings of Peter Singer at http://www.utilitarian.net/singer.
28
2.4
Consequentialism
Snappy Essence
Consequentialism is a theory that evaluates moral actions only by their
consequences, not according to duty or by being a virtuous person.
What makes your animal rights action good or bad, right or wrong? Consequentialism (or the more
descriptive term consequence ethics) is a moral theory stating that the morality of your action
depends only on its results or consequences. Consequentialism is goal-directed because only the
outcome of your action is important, not how you achieve it. You need not be dutiful or virtuous - you
might even lie, cheat or whatever - so long as the result of your action is morally good.
Consequentialism also goes by the name of teleology, from the Greek teleos meaning end or
purpose. You can better understand animal rights and the actions of other people by reflecting on this
moral theory.
Say you develop a vaccine that could save the lives of thousands of animals. But as part of the
vaccine's development you must test it on hundreds of laboratory animals and they might die as a
result. Consequentialism says it is the end result that is important, in this case you may be saving the
lives of many more animals than you might kill, so you might decide it is morally right to go ahead with
your tests. Or say a pig escapes from a slaughterhouse. You believe it is immoral to take him back to
be killed, so you hide him and lie that you do not know where he is. Saving the pig from slaughter is
morally more important to you than telling lies. Your action focuses on its result.
Consequentialism is one of three primary philosophical theories about what constitutes the right
action; the other two theories are deontology and virtue ethics. Two varieties of consequentialism are
utilitarianism, by which you act to maximise the good for others, and ethical egoism, when you act
solely for your own interests.
Consequentialism is a great help to guide how we should act, but like any moral theory it has a
number of criticisms, and among them are the following.
Should you base your moral actions on what you vaguely suppose might happen? Given that we have
a tendency to make wrong decisions, consequentialism might be especially unreliabl e when we
cannot clearly see what the result of our moral action might be.
Consequentialism sometimes goes against people's sense of justice. Not all ends justify the means ;
the end result of your action, no matter how well-intentioned, may not justify doing a wrong to achieve
it. Protecting cattle is worthy, but killing populations of badgers vaguely suspected of infecting cattle
with tuberculosis is surely morally wrong (happy farmers but lots of dead badgers). Developing a
vaccine to inoculate badgers instead of killing them could be a better outcome.
Consequentialism is concerned only with good results and disregards the motivation for your actions.
Yet what you do might still be said to be moral as long as you do it with good intentions, even if you r
action turns out badly for some reason.
We cannot always judge actions by their results. Some actions seem intrinsically wrong, like killing off
innocent people, children or whole populations of animals, even if at times the results seem
appropriate.
Even though consequentialism has its weaknesses it is nevertheless a vital mode of thinking when
you are involved in practical animal rights. Compare it with the entries of Deontology and Virtue Ethics
in Chapter 2. Also see the entry Comparing Philosophies for comparisons of the three primary ethical
theories.
29
2.5
Deontology
Snappy Essence
Deontology is a theory that evaluates moral actions based only on doing
ones duty, not on the consequences of the actions.
We are often faced with moral questions concerning animals. Deontology (or the more descriptive
term duty ethics) can guide us about what kind of action to take concerning animal rights problems,
and with many other moral problems too. The term deontology derives from the Greek deon, for that
which is necessary or binding, a duty, and logos, meaning logic.
Deontology asserts that the right moral action is founded on an objective duty or obligation. When you
do your duty you behave morally; when you fail to do your duty you behave imm orally. Deontology
asserts that you should do your duty even if you or others suffer as a consequence. 'For King and
country, right or wrong', is a deontology dictum, and you could equally say 'for animal liberation, right
or wrong'.
Here are two examples of acting deontologically. A rancher might hate shooting predators but accepts
that he has an obligation to protect his cattle regardless of his action's impact on wildlife. A researcher
might keep an animal in pain because he believes he has a responsibility to find a cure for a disease.
Alternatively, however, as your duty to animalkind you might devote yourself to saving wildlife from
ranchers or might release laboratory animals used in experiments - moral thinking can work in more
than one direction!
Deontology is one of three fundamental ethical theories that can guide our thinking about moral
questions and how we might resolve them. The other two theories are consequentialism and virtue
ethics. Deontology opposes consequentialism by which only the outcome or consequence of your
action is important.
Deontology appeals to an apparently objective source of duty for its authenticity. Deontologists
variously believe their duty comes from God, from intuition, from what is 'naturally' right, from the law
of their country, from what their society holds as true, from what their leaders say, or from some other
apparently 'objective' source.
An ostensible strength of deontology is that it applies equally to everyone. That is, if you have a duty
to act in a certain situation then everyone else in the same situation has a duty to act likewise. Some
criticisms of deontology are the following.
Where do duties and obligations come from? Duty ethicists say duties are determined objectively and
absolutely, not subjectively. However, duties might really be behaviours demonstrated over long
periods to give the best results and are now honoured in practice and law. In this case, deontology is
really a form of Consequentialism, by which moral actions depend only on their consequences.
Emphasise duty and the greatest atrocities are possible, especially in time of war. You might do your
duty for animals without regard for any pernicious consequences of your actions. But doing your duty
without regard for consequences will at times harm others, perhaps irreparably.
Devotion to duty does not take into account the role of compassion and other emotions. Morality
based on rational duty alone, without empathy or pity, could be a moral dead end.
As another criticism of deontology is how can you settle conflict between opposing moral duties? Two
common moral duties are to save lives and to tell the truth. You may wish to save a lamb who
escaped from a slaughterhouse but cannot lie to the authorities. One course of action is to choose the
lesser evil (either save the lamb and lie, or not save the lamb and not lie). But then you will be
considering consequences, whereas deontology aspires to be moral guidance resting on duty alone.
To expand on this entry, compare it with the entries on Consequentialism and on Virtue Ethics. Also
see the entry Comparing Philosophies.
30
2.6
Virtue Ethics
Snappy Essence
Virtue ethics is a theory that evaluates moral actions based on what a
virtuous person should do, disregarding the consequences of the actions or
the duty to carry them out.
Good and right moral acts, according to the moral theory virtue ethics, do not depend on the
consequences of your action nor on doing your duty, but instead arise from being a virtuous person.
Virtue ethics (also called virtue theory or value theory) prompts the question of how should a moral
person act. It replies that a moral act is right if founded on a morally virtuous character and wrong if it
stems from a corrupt, depraved or vicious character.
Virtue ethics is an ethical theory about the kind of person you are and as such it differs from the two
other basic ethical theories, that of consequentialism (acting for the best outcome) and deontology
(doing what duty says you should do). Whereas both these two other theories ask what is the right
thing to do, virtue ethics instead brings personality into consideration.
Virtue ethics says you cannot isolate the making of ethical decisions from your personality. Your good
actions are the result of good character and possessing admirable personal qualities makes you a
virtuous person. Virtue ethics assumes that moral education is important and that childhood is a
critical time for developing virtuous character. A person of good character is someone who has good
admirable personal qualities, such as empathy, compassion, kindness, loyalty, honesty, prudence,
wisdom and courage. Virtue ethics says you should always improve your character to make moral
judgements through wisdom and you should always act appropriately morally with the right intention.
A virtuous person is said to hold these moral values:
Beneficence: doing moral good to others.

Autonomy: maximising the moral rights of others to make their own decisions.
Equality: viewing all others as moral equals.
Finality: taking moral action that overrides the demands of law, religion or social customs.
Justice: treating all others morally fairly.
Non-maleficence: causing no harm.
Respect: consideration for the moral rights of others.
Tolerance: understanding and accepting the viewpoints of others.
Universality: basing your moral actions on decisions that hold for everyone, everywhere, for
all time.
As a virtue ethicist you might, for instance, approve or reprove individuals or companies. You might
only support the ones that do not harm animals and nature. Are these individuals or companies
advancing or opposing virtue? Are they progressive, admirable and responsible entities? Or are they
insensitive, negligent or dishonest? Do they support virtuous or immoral values? Again, as a virtuous
person, you could abstain from eating animals and from wearing fur and could keep a low
environmental impact lifestyle.
Virtue ethics flourished in Ancient Greece and Aristotle (BC 384 - 322) is often cited as its main
philosophical representative. He said the opposite of a virtue is a vice, and that a virtue lies between
two vices, that is between two extremes; courage is better than fearlessness and cowardice. Aristotle
argued that a virtue is the mean or middle path between two vices. Virtue ethics expired in the fourth
century AD when moral theories purporting to be given by God supplanted it. However, the 20th
century brought it back to life and modernised it. Modern virtue ethics does not emphasize specific
moral traits but says you should be virtuous in all aspects of your life and be a good person all the
time.
An advantage of virtue ethics over consequentialism and deontology is that it brings in all the qualities
of being human - like reason, responsibility and emotion - to influence ethical consideration. You can
apply virtue ethics in situations where you ask what sort of person you should be.
31
Some criticisms of virtue ethics are these. What is a good virtue? Some Ancient Greeks said virtues
exist in their own right independently of man and are indisputable. Many people today hold that a
virtue depends on people's attitudes and since attitudes vary from person to person and from society
to society, so virtues must also vary. Thus there is no indisputable list of virtues and a virtue to one
person or culture may be a bane to another. Virtue ethics is therefore relative. It is not a consistent
guide on how to act.
Another criticism is that admirable personal qualities or traits do not in themselves tell us how to deal
with moral problems. As a virtuous person you would not innately know the right thing to do. You
would then have to turn to some other moral theory for guidance, like consequentialism or deontology.
Therefore you might claim that virtue ethics is not a basic ethical theory and is redundant.
A final criticism is that even the most virtuous people make wrong moral decisions. So virtue ethics is
not infallible.
Also see the entry Comparing Philosophies, and compare Virtue Ethics with the entries
Consequentialism and Deontology.
32
2.7
Comparing Philosophies
Snappy Essence
This page compares animal rights with animal ethics, animal welfare, new
welfarism, and nature conservation.
How do related animal philosophical outlooks compare with eac h other? Compare animal rights with
three fundamentally different approaches: animal ethics, animal welfare (and new welfarism), and
nature conservation.
Animal Rights vs Animal Ethics (Table 1)
A primary difference between animal rights and animal ethics is that animal ethics is a theoretical
academic pursuit that seeks to understand how humans should relate to animals. It does not
advocate any particular ideology or doctrine. It analyses animal rights as one of many viewpoints but
does not advocate it. Animal rights, on the other hand, can be studied academically, and it is also a
practical doctrine about relating in a certain way to animals. A musical analogy is appropriate: animal
ethics is a bit like exploring musical theory whereas animal rights is like playing a specific musical
instrument. Table 1 explains more by summarising important points.
Table 1. Comparison of Animal Rights & Animal Ethics
Animal Rights
Animal Ethics
A practical pursuit of applying morality to
An academic field of study that seeks to
everyday situations.
determine how we should behave to

animals.
Concentrates only on rights, a sub-set of

animal ethics.
Includes animal rights but has broader

scope, eg overlaps with environmental
ethics and utilitarianism.
Asserts that using animals for human gain

is morally wrong.
Asks how we should treat animals and

provides a number of approaches.
Is a doctrine about how we should treat

animals.
Is impartial and does not offer any

particular moral viewpoint about animals.
Asserts that we have a duty to give animals
Attempts to resolve moral animal-human
rights and we should respect those rights.
issues using a number of schemes.
Concentrates on sentient animals.
Applies to all animals.
Animal Rights vs Animal Welfare (Table 2)

Animal rights overlaps with animal welfare. But although both outlooks share similarities they have
important differences that set them apart and make them conflicting philosophies, as Table 2 shows.
Animal rightists often disparage of animal welfare because the two philosophies are worlds apart in
important respects. As the radical animal rights academic and activist Stephen Best says:
33
"Animal 'welfare' laws do little but regulate the details of exploitation." The
Epiphanies of Dr Steven Best, Claudette Vaughn. Vegan Voice. 2004.
An important difference in the practice of animal rights and animal welfare is that one is subjective
and the other is objective. We cannot measure animal rights impartially or scientifically. It is a concept
and a personal moral choice. It resembles the conviction of the German philosopher Immanuel Kant
(1724 - 1804) that we should not harm humans even in the interests of the majority (a deontology
philosophy). Animal rights takes Kant's view a step further and applies it to animals. As an ethical
concept animal rights is close to deontology, which Kant advocated.
Animal welfare, on the other hand, has the advantage that we can measure it objectively and
manipulate it scientifically. To find which kind of bedding chickens prefer, we can count the number of
chickens who seek to live on a straw floor or a wire mesh floor. Then we might provide the chickens
with their choice, economic and other constraints permitting the animals' welfare. In terms of ethics,
we can see animal welfare as part of consequentialism that is conceptually underpinned by
utilitarianism.
Table 2. Comparison of Animal Rights & Animal Welfare
The Rights Position
The Animal Welfare Position
Morality
Using animals is morally wrong.
Using animals is morally right.
Benefits
We should not use animals to

benefit ourselves.
We can use animals to benefit

ourselves.
Interests
We should not invariably overrule
Our interests are always more
the interests of animals with

human interests.
important than the interests of

animals.
Pain
We should not inflict pain or death

on animals.
We should not cause animals

'unnecessary' pain or death.
Humane
We should always treat animals
We should treat animals as
Treatment
humanely and eliminate the

human-made causes of animal
suffering.
humanely as convenient to us.
Aims for
Abolition of animal use.
Stronger laws to protect animals.
Example
People for the Ethical Treatment of
American Society for the
Organisations
Animals. Humane Society of the

United States.
Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

Royal Society for the Prevention of
Cruelty to Animals.
34
New Welfarism
Animal welfare has a variation called new welfarism, in outlook a cross between animal rights and
animal welfare. New welfarism is the view that the best way to prevent animal suffering is to abolish
the causes of animal suffering, but that abolition is an ideal long-term goal and meanwhile we must be
pragmatic and improve the conditions of animals by advancing their welfare. Thus, for instance, new
welfarists want to phase out fur farms and animal experiments but in the short -term they try to
improve conditions for the animals in these systems, so they lobby to make cages less constrictive to
reduce the numbers of animals used in laboratories.
New welfarism stands somewhere between animal welfare and animal rights.
Animal welfarists believe people should use animals but treat them well.
Animal rightists say people should not use animals and we must abolish the causes of
animal suffering, for if there is no suffering then there is no need for welfare.
New welfarists take the view that they support abolishing the causes of suffering but argue
pragmatically that it will take a long time to achieve abolition and meanwhile they must do all
they can to support the welfare of animals.
A major criticism of new welfarism by animal rightists is that it does not stop the exploitation of
animals, even supports it, and therefore is a useless philosophy and the ultimate act of betrayal for
animals. New welfarists respond by claiming that new welfarism is more achievable, and therefore of
more immediate benefit to exploited animals, than the long-term and perhaps impossible goals of
abolition, such as demanding complete closure of anti-animal industries and changing the entrenched
habits of billions of people.
Animal Rights vs Conservation (Table 3)
Animal rights and nature conservation have similarities and differences. Both became popular with the
public in the late 1970's. Both oppose human-centredness, although not all conservationists do. Both
believe that wild animals have intrinsic value (worth or importance independent of human values),
though not an attitude shared by all conservationists. And both support conserving the environment,
but for different reasons - conservationists for the sake of greater conservation, animal rightists for the
animals who live in it. For the differences see Table 3.
35
Table 3. Comparison of Animal Rights & Nature Conservation
Animal Rights
Conservation
Concerned with the individual animal as

well as with animals in general.
Focuses on levels above the individual populations, species, ecosystems and the
biosphere - except when just a few
individuals are the only survivors of their
population or species.
Refers usually to sentient animals, not

necessarily to all animals, such as jellyfish
Encompasses all creatures (plants etc) and

includes the physical part of nature, eg air,
or sponges, and not to plants.
water and energy.
Tries to minimise suffering of animals,

especially when humans cause it.
Conservationists say pain and death are a

part of life which individuals must endure
and that it is preferable that individuals
suffer so long as their population or species
survives.
Concerned with animals in areas of human

activity, such as agriculture, laboratories,
fur trade, zoos and circuses.
Not concerned with animals in areas of

human activity unless the animals are taken
from endangered populations or species.
Conclusion
Can you be an exclusive animal rightist, welfarist or conservationist - or for that matter, an exclusive
deep ecologist (see next section: Deep Ecology)? Actually, being exclusively one or another may be
the most difficult course. A better approach is to see these philosophies not as necessarily mutually
exclusive but as reinforcing one another. We can surely be benignly flexible and adopt the best ideas
and activities from each of them depending on the particular circumstances we encounter. Certainly,
knowledge about each of them and their antitheses helps us understand the outlook of other people.
36
2.8
Deep Ecology
Snappy Essence
Deep ecology is a philosophical and practical guide that opposes the
destruction of nature by materialism and consumerism. It maintains that
humanity must change its harmful ways or it will destroy itself and all life.
Deep ecology gives us an extra perspective on animal rights.
Deep ecology contrasts with animal rights and helps us see animal rights in perspective. Deep
ecology is concerned with fundamental philosophical, practical and personal questions about the
ways humans relate to their environment. It relates to animals because of course animals are part of
our environment.
Some environmental activists, along with some sections of political parties, support the philosophy of
deep ecology and use it as a philosophical basis for change. As a guide for personal growth, deep
ecology invites each individual to intermesh with and identify with all living creatures. But we are not
just saving other species and ecosystems; we are really saving ourselves, because nature is a part of
us. Deep ecology says that humans are not isolated objects but are part of the whole of Nature.
Deep ecology opposes the exploitation and destruction of the natural world by materialism and
consumerism. It says we should minimise our impact on the world and it appeals for a change in the
way we think about the world. Deep ecology predicts that if we do not shift our basic values and
customs we will destroy the diversity and beauty of the world's life and its ability to support humanity.
The ideas of deep ecology came about against the background of the nascent Environmentalism of
the 1960's. Deep ecology is primarily associated with Norwegian philosopher Arne Naess (1912 2009). The 'Deep' in deep ecology refers to a fundamental or wise questioning of attitudes to nature.
Deep ecology questions the root causes of the degeneration of the variety and richness of the world.
It calls for a more enlightened approach for humanity to live within the bounds of Nature rather than to
depend on technological fixes as remedies for our exploitation/destruction of nature.
Naess coined the term deep ecology in 1973 in contrast to shallow ecology, a lesser form of
environmentalism and typical of societies worldwide today. The nature of shallow ecology has a
utilitarian and anthropocentric attitude, based on materialism and consumerism. Shallow ecology
focuses on using the world's natural resources for unlimited human growth and comes up with
technological solutions to offset environmental problems thus made. For example, shallow ecology
promotes recycling of commercial and industrial waste instead of emphasising the prevention of the
generation of waste in the first place. Again, shallow ecology supports placing ever increasing
demands on the land to produce more food instead of stressing the improvement of human birth
control to reduce human numbers.
The Eight Tenets of Deep Ecology (Table 1)
Naess and colleagues proposed eight tenets to form the basis of deep ecology thought. Their
intention was for these points to be agreeable to people from any philosophical, political or religious
background. The table below paraphrases the eight tenets and contrasts them with tenets that
anyone might make up for shallow ecology.
A criticism of deep ecology from the animal rights point of view is that it asserts we can use animals to
satisfy our basic needs (Tenet 3). However, deep' (ie abolitionist) animal rights philosophy forbids the
use of animals. Even if we used just the occasional animal solely 'to satisfy our basic needs', then the
billions of humans in the world would use up countless animals every month.
Another criticism of deep ecology is that governments of every country spurn it for shallow ecology,
which they probably see as more workable. Therefore deep ecology at the level of large organisations
is a failed philosophy (or...just perhaps...one that is still in waiting).
Can you be an exclusive animal rightist, welfarist, conservationist or deep ecologist? Actually, being
exclusively one or the other may be the most difficult course. An alternative approach is not to see
these philosophies as mutually exclusive but as reinforcing one another. We can surely be benignly
37
flexible and adopt the best ideas and activities from each of them depending on the particular
circumstances we encounter. Circumstances force us to be hard-headed at times. Certainly,
knowledge about each of these outlooks and their antitheses helps us understand the outlook of other
people.
Table 1. Deep Ecology

Eight Tenets Paraphrased vs Shallow Ecology's Equivalent Tenets
The Eight Tenets of Deep Ecology Paraphrased
The 'Eight Tenets' of Shallow Ecology
1. All creatures on Earth have intrinsic value.
1. All creatures on Earth have value only for

their usefulness to humans.
2. The whole diversity of living beings, simple as

well as complex, contributes to life's richness.
2. Complex creatures (ie humans) are more

important than simpler ones.
3. Humans should use other beings only to

satisfy their basic needs.
3. Humans should always use all resources

for their material and economic advantage.
4. The health of non-humans depends on

decreasing the number of humans.
4. The human population can increase

without restraint.
5. Human interference with the world is

excessive and worsening.
5. Technological progress will solve all

problems.
6. Human policy (economics, technology and

ideology) must change radically.
6. Materialism and consumerism should

govern human society.
7. Quality of life is more important than standard

of living.
7. The standard of living should keep rising.
8. Every human who believes in these points

must work for change.
8. Leave environmental problems for the

experts to solve.

Make a note of people's opinions, break them down into simple assertions and add a counter
argument to help you defend your corner.
1. Harmony vs Industry
Claim: Deep ecologists want to stop industrial and technological development in order to embrace a
lifestyle that is entirely in harmony with nature. But this would ruin mankind because industrial and
technological disintegration would cause great upheaval.
Claim: We should continue humanity's industrial and technological development but in such a way
as radically to take the pressure off biodiversity, particularly by reducing the human birth rate.
38
2. Anti-human
Claim: Supporters of deep ecology say that it is best for nature if humanity disappeared from the
face of the Earth. So, deep ecology is anti-human.
Claim: Deep ecology deplores anti-human statements. Deep ecology affirms that all beings,
including humans, have inherent value
3. Aboriginal Harmony
Claim: As deep ecologists we should look more to aboriginal people because their values and
practices could help us live more wisely.
Claim: It is a myth that aboriginal people lived in harmony with nature. They exploited their
environment to their full advantage. There is little we can learn from them.
39
Chapter 3
Campaigning: Methods for Animal Rights
3.1
How to Start Being Active for Animal Rights

Snappy Essence
Being active for animal rights you are campaigning to change society by
persuading and motivating people to act for the better, as you see it. You
need to k now what you want to achieve, how to do it, a will to act and drive
to k eep you going.
"Campaigning can be as easy as writing to your local newspaper's letters
page, or as elaborate as being at the centre of a busy group." Animal Aid (1)
Campaigning is about changing society for the better by persuading and motivat ing people to act in
some way. Much of the change in society by campaigning comes from a few largely unknown but
dedicated people working hard out of sight. A small number of committed activists can stimulate big
changes: a few people chucking tea cases into Boston harbour are widely credited for leading the way
to the independence of the United States from Britain.
So how do you start being active for animal rights? It is said that people enjoy most what they are
good at doing. So pick activities you enjoy, such as indoor or outdoor work, noisy public
demonstrations or the quite publishing of articles, getting together with your mates or working
solitarily. Whether you are acting as a group or alone this chapter offers you background and some of
the essential techniques for campaigning.
Legality
You do not have to do anything illegal to work for animal rights . Of course, there are always
exceptions. One exception is an open rescue (Chapter 4: Animal Rescuer), but even this is built on
legitimate foundations. A steady legal course of action, on the other hand, often yields better results in
40
the long-term. You might want to explode onto the animal rights scene - only to fizzle out quickly. Only
fanatical terrorists (Chapter 5) do not tire of throwing bombs and setting fire to buildings. The main
thing you need for campaigning is a will to act and drive to keep you going. Winston Churchill said
"Persevere to conquer!"
You Have a Right to Campaign
In democratic countries we have the right to be involved in decisions that affect society and our lives.
Whether you are a student, worker, mother or pensioner we can all campaign to make our voices
heard. Each of us has the right to face the population and campaign to bring about changes we think
are necessary. Equally, we have the right to influence decision-makers, especially people in powerful
positions. We have the right to try legally to make them all do what we think is best, whether we want
change locally or globally, whether our action is high profile or low key.
How to Succeed
Half of successful campaigning is knowing what you want to achieve; the other half is knowing how to
campaign. Animal rights campaign tactics are no different from tactics employed by campaigners in
other endeavours in this and past centuries. To make their demands heard, activists in other spheres
employed techniques like picketing, lobbying and demonstrating, and today have some novel tools in
their arsenal, like the Internet and its diverse tools. Do not stop at the end of this chapter when finding
out how best to campaign for your cause. Seasoned campaigners say there are tried and tested
techniques for campaigning based on the experience of many good activists. Read what they have to
say in books and on the Web.
Seasoned campaigners also say there is no infallible guarantee of results! You have just got to jump
in somewhere, even if the way ahead is not always clear, and fight your corner. So get stuck in, enjoy
and good luck.
Where to Begin?
Sometimes the most difficult part of taking action is choosing what to champion from the many
possible issues. As a starting point, unless something has already fallen into your lap, you can
categorise animal rights controversies in a number of ways (which inevitably overl ap) and specialise
in one that interests you. For example:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Attire: eg fur, perfume, jewellery, clothing.

Entertainment: eg circuses, rodeos, zoos, animal baiting.
Experiment: eg biomedical research, toxicity testing, education.
Food: eg caged chickens, veal, foie gras, bush meat, vegetarianism.
Hunting & Sport: eg chasing, trapping, canned hunting, baiting.
Unintentional: eg motorist kills, habitat destruction, climate change.
Trade: eg zoos, pets, quack medicine, body parts, trinkets.
Zoos/Conservation: eg road-side zoos, national zoos, wildlife 'culls'.
Or try picking out a sub-division of practical animal rights from the following of examples.
Some Practical Areas of Animal Rights
General Animal Rights
1. Sentience vs non-sentient animals.
2. Speciesism vs anthropocentrism.
3. Animals as property, legal status as objects.
4. Exploitation of animals for food, experimentation, trade.
5. Animal rights vs animal welfare vs nature conservation.
6. Practical campaigning for animal rights.
Vegetarianism & Veganism
1. Why be a vegan or veggie?
2. Vegetarian history and demographics.
3. Practicalities of organising a veggie/vegan food stall.
4. Nutrition and vegan/veggie recipes.
5. Health and disease, eg salmonella, bird flu, foot & mouth disease.
6. Social impact of the meat industry, eg Third World starvation.
41
Factory Farming
1. The industrial scale of mass slaughter.
2. Inhumane housing conditions.
3. Gourmet dishes, eg shark fin soup, foie gras, veal.
4. Mutilations of farm animals.
5. Pollution of the environment.
6. Health hazards to humans.
7. Deformities induced by confinement or breeding.
8. Factory vs traditional vs organic farming.
Animal Experimentation
1. Biomedical research & diseases.
2. Toxicity testing.
3. Animal housing.
4. History of animal experimentation.
5. Morality & legal history of 'unnecessary' pain.
6. National & international animal protection laws.
7. Science & ethics.
8. The three R's & alternatives to experimentation.
Entertainment
1. Kinds of entertainment, eg film industry, rodeos, circuses, bull fighting.
2. History & culture of animal entertainment.
3. Animals used for entertainment, eg horses, dogs, chicken, wild animals.
4. Selective breeding of entertainment animals, eg race horses, greyhounds, beagles,
foxhounds, ferrets.
5. Fate of retired entertainment animals.
Fur & Skins
1. The fur-bearing animals, eg rabbits, racoons, mink, cats.
2. Farming fur-bearers.
3. Traps & trapping wild fur-bearers.
4. Numbers of pelts traded internationally.
5. The fashion industry.
6. The leather industry: cattle, snakes and crocodiles.
7. Fur industry: positive or negative nature conservation?
8. Alternative synthetic materials.
Wildlife
1. The Sixth Extinction.
2. Climate change and animal survival.
3. Habitat destruction.
4. International trade, eg for body parts, quack medicine, exotic pets.
5. Bush meat.
6. Hunting wild or canned animals for sport
7. The role of zoos.
8. Animal rights vs nature conservation.
Animal Ethics
1. Animal moral status.
2. The moral community.
3. Equal consideration of interests vs intrinsic & instrumental value.
4. Consequentialism, deontology and virtue ethics.
5. Moral agents & moral patients.
6. Moral autonomy & marginal cases.
Pets
1.
2.
Numbers of animals the pet trade breeds.

Exotic pets: reptiles, birds, mammals taken from the wild.
42
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Animals perishing in transit.

Animals confined in cages & unsuitable quarters.
Abused, neglected & unwanted pets.
'Controlling' pet numbers: neutering & euthanasia?
Cosmetic surgery or mutation, vanity & tradition?
Billions of animals killed annually as pet food.
These are just some fields of interest in animal rights and you can come up with others, among them
animal abuse and its relationship with human abuse, caged hens and open rescue, cruelty -free
shopping, and xenotransplantation. If you are still stumped for an objective to campaign for then
contact organisations that take your interest and may want to set up a group in your di strict.
Ten Essential Campaigning Tips
Here are pointers for success that are common to most campaigns and every campaigner should
know from the start.
1. What is Your Campaign?
What are you ultimately trying to achieve? If you are not completely clear about what you are aiming
for you are not likely to achieve it. Your ultimate aim must be clear and precise. A good exercise is to
write down your ultimate goal in less than a dozen or so words. You need to record your goal anyway
and keep it safe so that over time it does not insidiously change, for it could change into something
that seems the same yet in effect is really different. The route to your original goal may not be the
same as the route to your changed goal so that you just go round in circles.
2. Break Down Goals Into Manageable Chunks
Break down your ultimate goal into small chunks you know you can attain. To shut down an animal
abusing pet shop or aquarium (ultimate goal), your sub-goals could be: (1) Itemise how the shop may
respond to your attack and how you will counter each response. (2) Complete a file of facts that
supports your case on the shop. (3) Convince people in the shop's neighbourhood about your cause
and document their support. (4) Lobby and win over your local political representative to support your
case (see Chapter 3: Lobbying). And so on... Completing each sub-goal will give you a sense of
achievement, keep the momentum going, be good for moral, boost your credibility and bring you
closer to your ultimate goal.
3. Is it Outrageous?
Outrage is what the news media thrive on and what the public love to read. Issues that may make you
fume but for which nothing can be done, or for which everything possible is being done, are not
outrages in this sense. An outrage has to be something that nothing or little is being done about yet a
great deal can be done about it. Make the focal point of your campaign an outrage and you are more
likely to succeed. People who hear about an outrage may turn into fellow campaigners or support you
in some other way.
4. Do Sufficient Research
You must convince people generally and policy makers in particular that your campaign issue is
important. So get as many relevant and accurate facts that you can about your issue from different
perspectives: background, some quantitative figures, the major players, relevant legislation and
government policy. Write it in a simple form that people can understand easily. Issues often generate
conflict between people because people get their facts wrong or are biased. The more you know, the
more expert you will become and people will have more confidence in you. For a regional issue you
could get information by carrying out a local survey. For a wider issue a web search might bring up
lots of information. Go for reputable, authoritative, primary sources, that is first hand evidence, not
what someone says someone else has said.
5. Know Who You Must Influence
Once you know exactly what you are going to campaign on, work out who you need to influence and
whose support you need to win. Influencing and winning over 'the public' is too vague. Does your
issue involve the people in your locality or region, an institution, a local or national authority, a senator
or member of parliament - perhaps a combination? How are you going to reach them? (See Lobbying,
Chapter 3.)
43
6. Your Resources
Do not worry about money - good actions do not necessarily have big budgets, if any budget at all.
However, start campaigning with something within your reach. Do members of your group have
complementary abilities and experience? Is anyone good at organising events, speaking in public,
handling the news media or have expertise in web design? (See Chapter 3: Starting a Group.) If you
do not have what you need and cannot get it, think up another campaign.
7. Alternative Viewpoints
No matter how you see your issue, how do the people you must influence see it? Examine the forces,
people and organisations at work for and against the change you want to bring about. See things from
their points of view. You want to save a wood for its animal inhabitants and need to persuade your
local authority not to bulldoze it. You might think the wood is important for frogs, owls and weasels,
but the local authority see it as a resource for a recreation park and t imber. So emphasise the issue in
their terms - dog walking and renewable wood felling - and they will be more likely to listen to you.
8. Broaden Your Public
Your campaign is more likely to succeed the greater the number of people who support you. So find a
part of your issue that most people can identify with. You are campaigning against the building of a
new abattoir. Most people tolerate killing animals for food but few willingly endure bad smells. You
should therefore concentrate your campaign on the issue of odours rather than on vegetarianism.
Better to campaign on five per cent of the problem and get 95 per cent support from the people.
9. Join a Coalition
Individual groups joining together to work toward the same goal make a coalition. By joining a
coalition your group may be able to do more than by working alone. You can snap a single stick but
you cannot break a bundle of sticks. Look for other groups and ask what they are doing. Introduce
your group to them and give them an idea of the benefits your group can offer them.
10. Can't Get No...
You might think that you need hope and passion to change things or that you should have fun and an
agreeable time while campaigning. These are important, but what you really need is a measure of
satisfaction. Aim for a dose of satisfaction, that is a measure of having achieved something, at least
weekly, or daily if possible. You can best get it by setting yourself small goals and achieving them, eg
completing a newsletter, bagging a new member, assembling all the bric-a-brac for a fundraising
drive. These are solid stepping stones on the way to success that should raise your spirit and keep
you going.
More Tips
Selling yourself and your campaign to the news media is a good and free way of telling
people you exist and getting their support. The more frequently you appear in the media the
more people will know about you and remember your campaign.
Keep in touch with reality about what you can do. Take off into a world of fantasy and you will
be lost.
Only make accurate claims you can reasonably prove. Be knowledgeable and check your
sources. People will then learn they can trust what you say and be more ready to listen to
you.
Do not assume your opponents are depraved. They are likely to be as admirable as you, so
respect them. Put yourself in their position and ask what will move them to do what you would
have them do.
Attack obstacles obliquely if you cannot get past them. For instance, if you cannot attack your
opponents directly, go for their support.
The practical campaign is primary. Minimise bureaucracy; don't get stuck in it.
Build on your reputation and history of successes to take on more or bigger campaigns.
Bear in mind that you may be mistaken. Someone said, "Don't die for your beliefs - they may
be wrong." So keep an open mind and be prepared to alter your campaign course of action if
necessary.
Finally, does your campaign pass the SMART test and have you done a SWOT? See Chapter
3 under Action Planning.
44
Keeping Going
Well into your campaigning you could be having fun, but you will also experience workaday frustration
when your efforts appear to be falling flat. At times we all get fed up, frustrated and think we are
failing. But think again and be heartened for you may simply be going through the normal
development of any movement for social change.
Bill Moyer (1933 - 2002) was an American activist for social change during most of 40 years. He
outlined several stages that a movement for social change goes through in its development (2). Moyer
would say that we in the animal rights movement are at a particular stage in our development. We
have successfully passed the initial stages: the animal rights issue is on the social and political
agenda and is hotly disputed; citizen groups are growing in number and strength and are educating
the public; and some of the public are being alienated by violent activist rebels. However, Moyer
would also say that we have not yet won support from the public majority (his stage six) and still have
a long way to go before the public will push for change (his stage eight). However, these stages in the
development of movements for social change are not clear-cut, as George Lakey, another old-hand
American civil rights campaigner reminds us (3). Lakey says that different groups in the same
movement for social change may in their development go back and forth a number of times and at
different rates.
Knowing the prescriptions that make for successful social change will help us keep going and make
us more likely to succeed. Keep Moyer and Lakey in mind and you will despair less in your off
moments and when rampaging in frustration.
References
(1) Animal Aid's Guide to Campaigning. July 2007. (Accessed online March 2008.)
(2) Moyer, Bill. Abstract from 'The Practical Strategist: Movement Action Plan (MAP). Strategic
Theories for Evaluating, Planning and Conducting Social Movements.' Social Movement
Empowerment Project, San Francisco. 1990. (Accessed online 4 July 2007.)
(3) Lakey, George. Strategizing for a Living Revolution. (Access ed online 3 July 2007.) Also in Solnit,
David (ed.) Globalize Liberation: how to uproot the system and build a better world. City Lights.
2003.
45
3.2
Civil Disobedience
Snappy Essence
Civil disobedience is a form of protest to act on your moral right and correct
injustice. The citizen grants the state its authority and the citizen can oppose
authority if compelled by conscience.
"So the point isn't to have a victory over somebody else but rather to effect
change. And change is a lot more rapid and a lot more enduring if you get
the cooperation of what would otherwise be your adversary." Henry Spira
(1)
What Is Civil Disobedience

Civil disobedience usually entails non-violent actions, such as marches, demonstrations, strikes, sit ins or occupation of buildings. Civil disobedience is a form of protest. The reason for being a civil
resister or dissenter is to act on your moral right and correct an injustice you perceive. You are trying
to reverse or stop some process or make an appeal to correct or revoke a law. You are a dissenter
every time you deliberately disobey the law or a demand by government, believing that your action is
just and the law or government is unfair or harmful.
Henry David Thoreau (1817 - 1862), American philosopher, naturalist and writer, is often cited as
articulating the belief that people have a duty not to take part in a perceived injustice and to resist any
government or its agent forcing people to participate. Thoreau asserted that it is the citizen who
grants the state its authority and the citizen can oppose unjust authority if compelled by conscience.
Dissenters from all kinds of background, including suffragists, feminists, anti-war demonstrators and
nuclear bomb protesters, have engaged in civil disobedience. Among the biggest and best-known
practitioners of civil disobedience are the Indian Mohandas Gandhi (1869 - 1948) and the American
Martin Luther King Jr (1929 - 1968). Gandhi practised civil disobedience as a weapon in his struggle
for independence for India from British rule. King fought peacefully for black-American civil rights.
Both men were beaten and jailed - even non-violent acts of civil disobedience risk retaliation and
verbal or physical attack by opponents and police - but attracted huge numbers of supporters and cocivil rights rebels.
46
Gandhi outlined some key rules when carrying out civil disobedience. They convey the flavour of his
form of campaigning:
Tolerate the anger and assaults of your opponents.

Do not get angry, insult or retaliate against your opponents.
Submit to arrest.
These are good rules in that they clearly tell you what to do and, all things being equal, do not
jeopardise your cause.
Civil Disobedience & Animal Rights
Some animal rights issues attracting civil disobedience actions are:
Laboratories experimenting on animals: they invite break -ins.

Factory farms: they attract open and clandestine rescues (see Chapter 4 under Animal
Rescuer).
Fur shops: they have been picketed (see Chapter 3: Picketing), their locks super-glued and
windows smashed.
Fox hunting with hounds: solicit hunt saboteurs to challenge them.
The last of these, campaigning for foxes against fox hunters with hounds, had a successful legal
judgement in Britain when the sport was outlawed by Act of Parliament (coming into force in 2003 in
Scotland and 2004 in England). This campaigning for foxes had much effort and a long history
spanning at least two generations of activists. One kind of campaign took the form of hunt sabotage, a
good example of animal rights civil disobedience.
Hunt Sabotage
Hunt sabotage began in 1960's Britain and may have been the first methodical non-violent action to
confront organised hunting of animals for sport. The hunt saboteurs (or 'sabs') engaged hunters with
hounds (or 'hunts'). The job of the sabs was to make hunting impractical by delaying or confusing the
hounds to give the quarry (usually foxes and sometimes deer) a chance to escape. Two sab
techniques are blowing hunting horns and covering a quarry's sent with pungent sprays to mislead the
hounds.
Sabs were not kindly tolerated by the hunts. Hunts reacted to the sabotage by employing private
security firms and their own supporters to take on the sabs, sometimes violently. Police at hunts
became a common sight and policing and public order problems emerged. Police sometimes
pretended not to notice when hunts attacked sabs, possibly partly because they were unsure of what
powers hunts could legally use. The Conservative government, numbering many hunters in their
membership, also came down on the sabs by enacting laws specifically obstructing sab action. The
sabs replied by disobeying the laws in the field and disputing them in the courts. Eventually, a
sympathetic (Labour) government pushed through an Act of Parliament banning hunt ing with dogs.
The sabs had pulled through and won (although not alone, as other bodies contributed). Even so, the
hunts continue to engage in superficially outwardly legal activities and the hunt sabs continue to
engage them.
Arguments For & Against Civil Disobedience
Some people have certain misconceptions and criticisms of civil disobedience. Here are some of the
claims and counter claims.
Democracy
Claim: You cannot excuse civil disobedience in a democracy because unjust laws can be changed
by democratic procedures.
Claim: Civil disobedience is a democratic activity. Democratic governments hold power by virtue of
the individual citizens who elect them and if change is blocked by a government then dissenters can
unblock it with appropriate doses of civil disobedience.
Regular Channels
Claim: Civil disobedience should be the last resort in a democracy. First you must exhaust all
existing channels of communication for change.
47
Claim: There is a point when appealing through regular channels becomes futile and delays
furthering your cause. Besides, regular channels are often part of the problem.
Citizenship
Claim: Being a citizen you enjoy the rights and benefits of your country. Therefore you must in turn
obey your country's customs and laws.
Claim: This is every reason for challenging what you see as unjust, in order to make your country a
better place to live.
Anarchy
Claim: Lawlessness and anarchy would reign if everyone were a civil-disobedience activist.
Claim: If we do not challenge government and its laws we could slip into oppression and despotism.
References
(1) Spira, Henry. The Vegan.com Interview, by Erik Marcus. 1998. (Accessed March 2007.)
48
3.3
Direct Action
Snappy Essence
Direct action fights for a cause dynamically and directly for immediate
change, whereby adversaries must yield significant concessions, and
rejects conventional slower methods of social change.
"In moral terms, the granting of rights to animals leads to the conclusion that
direct action in their defence is not only permissible but also a moral duty,
although whether this justifies some of the more extreme actions involving
violence is an open question." Robert Garner (1)
What is Direct Action?

Direct action is activity that fights for a cause dynamically and directly for immediate change. You can
view direct action as a strong form of civil disobedience with a capacity for acting illegally. Ac tivists
employing direct action aim to create a situation whereby their opponents have to yield significant
concessions to the activists' cause. Direct action campaigners often tend to disown the methods of
the less dramatic and slower mainstream who advance social change through education and
legislative procedures.
Among the issues in addition to animal rights in which direct action is employed are environmental
protection, anti-globalisation, nuclear disarmament and asylum-seeker support. People have carried
out direct action in labour disputes in Europe and North America since the 19th century and
particularly in the 20th century by workers challenging government and big employers for social rights
and political power. Strikes, boycotts, picketing, sit-ins, trespass and mass occupation of land or
buildings, property damage and sabotage are some of the tools of direct action, with a measure of
agitation, sometimes even violence by the more hot headed activists. But employers might also use
direct action against activists, such as lockouts and mass dismissal of workers. You might say that
governments use direct action in the form of mass fines, arrest and imprisonment.
Examples of Animal Rights Direct Action
Much direct action is perfectly legal and possibly the most successful direct actions are the legal
ones, perhaps because they are sustained over a long period. Good examples of sustained direct
action for animal rights are:
Sea Shepherd Conservation Society - organised, methodical, involving many people (more
below).
Battle of Brightlingsea - spontaneous, unmethodical, but lasted months (more below).
Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty - a core of long-term activists supported by many temporary
activists (more below).
McLibel Two - two individuals against a multi-national commercial company (see Chapter 6).
Hunt Sabotage - by several groups, on-going over many years (see Chapter 3, Civil
Disobedience, under the heading Hunt Sabotage).
Some of the actions by the more excessive or illegally inclined animal rights activists, however,
involve:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Physical assault.
Posting letter bombs/booby traps.
Bomb hoaxing.
Arson of premises (eg at animal breeders, fur shops, laboratories).
Wrecking equipment (eg at fur farms, laboratories, slaughterhouses, and hunters' t raps and
shooting platforms).
6. Freeing caged or confined animals from properties (eg chickens, minks, rabbits and goats.
See Animal Rescuer in Chapter 4).
7. Ruining fur apparel.
8. Burning or damaging motor vehicles (such as puncturing tyres and paint stripping).
9. Breaking or etching windows (eg of pet, fur and butcher shops).
10. Painting graffiti or paint bombing (ditto).
49
11. Contaminating commercial products (eg cosmetics, sweets and foodstuff. For
more see under Efficacy of Direct Action, below).
12. Door lock super-gluing (eg of fur shops and fast food shops).
13. Rowdily demonstrating outside animal abusers' homes.
14. Reviling people as animal abusers to their neighbours.
15. Sending abusive letters and making threatening phone calls.
16. Publishing animal abusers' names and addresses on the Web.
17. Disrupting phone and email communication of companies.
18. Web site hacking.
Possibly the most serious of these actions is arson, which on your conviction could land you with a jail
sentence of several years, and could possibly kill someone trapped in a blazing building. Many of
these illegal activities can be carried out by just one or two people and in actuality most probably are.
Gen on how to do illegal activities is posted on the Animal Liberation Fronts web site in The ALF
Primer: a guide to direct action and the animal liberation front.
Without going into the ethics of illegal direct action, a criticism can be made about it. Unless an action
is methodical and long-term against a particular target (such as with the intention of causing financial
ruin and closure of a company), it may be seen by many people as wanton vandalism. It is debatable
whether such actions have value for animal rights, although they might publicise the cause of animal
rights and stimulate discussion.
Individual Direct Action vs Mass Direct Action
Sustained direct action needs a certain amount of organis ation and long-term effort to be effective.
However, you do not need to be a big group or a mass of citizenry to employ direct action (as in the
three examples below: Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, the Battle of Brightlingsea, and Stop
Huntingdon Animal Cruelty). One activist can be effective, as demonstrated by Henry Spira, albeit
with some financial backing (see the chapter Personalities, under Henry Spira).
An example of direct action by an individual or small group of people is the Rambo affair. The pilot of
an airliner at London airport in 2000 would not take off when one of the passengers refused to sit
down. The passenger was a member of an activist group protesting the deportation of asylum seekers from Britain. The pilot only took off when the activist and the object of the action, a deported
asylum-seeker, together left the plane (2). The asylum-seeker was Salim Rambo, a 23-year-old
political activist from the Democratic Republic of Congo (Zaire), who said he would be killed if he
returned to his country of origin. According to later reports, Rambo was granted asylum in Britain.
Sea Shepherd Conservation Society
Sea Shepherd is a seafaring activist organisation based in the United States, operating a variety of
ships and boats. The society's name comes from its first ship, a trawler bought in Britain and renamed
the Sea Shepherd. The society engages in direct action to save marine wildlife, especially whales,
dolphins, seals and turtles. Its mission is to execute international maritime laws and agreements
meant to protect sea species and the marine environment.
A particular aim of Sea Shepherd, the one for which it is best known, is halting illegal whaling. Sea
Shepherd's angle is not to protest against whaling as such but to fight illegal whaling operations.
Flying a black Jolly Roger, Sea Shepherd crews chase and obstruct whalers from illegally harpooning
whales, they ram their adversaries' ships on the high seas and sink them in harbour. The
organisation's small fleet of ships has battled with whalers from Spain, Iceland, Norway, Japan and
other nations. The sea-going activists bring back film of illegal killing of whales to show on television
around the world to increase public knowledge of marine issues and the carnage people do on sea
animals.
Sea Shepherd rests its legitimacy on its application of the law. Among the international treaties it
invokes in the course of its work is the United Nations World Charter for Nature (1982). The Charter
mandates individuals to enforce international conservation laws. In particular, under section 21 (c)
and (e):
States and, to the extent they are able, other public authorities, international organizations,
individuals, groups and corporations shall:
50
(c) Implement the applicable international legal provisions for the conservation of nature and
the protection of the environment.
(e) Safeguard and conserve nature in areas beyond national jurisdiction.
And section 24:
Each person has a duty to act in accordance with the provisions of the present Charter, acting
individually, in association with others or through participation in the political process, each
person shall strive to ensure that the objectives and requirements of the present Charter are
met.
Paul Watson, a Canadian and co-founder of Greenpeace, set up Sea Shepherd in 1977. Watson left
Greenpeace to be more direct and confrontational in his actions. His radical property -destruction
method of ramming and sinking illegal whalers shows that, always taking maximum care, you can
sometimes use violent action without endangering human life. Watson is always mindful of the welfare
of his and the whaling ships' crews. Sea Shepherd claim they have never caused or taken an injury.
But policing the seas and oceans of the world has its risks. While documenting illegal whaling off
Siberia in Soviet territorial waters in 1981 a Sea Shepherd crew was pursued by an aggressive Soviet
warship. And in 1994 a Norwegian Navy destroyer lobbed depth charges at another Sea Shepherd
boat and rammed it.
Watson and his colleagues have inflamed their opponents and been incarcerated and sued for crimes
on the high seas. But all attempts to lock them up permanently have failed. Sea Shepherd justifies its
actions by claiming that it always acts legally within the law. Sea Shepherd says that the ships it sinks
are breaking international law by hunting endangered whales and as such are pirates. Sea
Shepherd's critics claim the organisation harasses legal harvesting of the sea's resources and call
Sea Shepherd crews pirates and eco-terrorists. Indeed, two of Sea Shepherd's ships have been
struck off shipping registers, which means they can be boarded and captured as pirates and outlaws.
On the up side, Sea Shepherd has saved the lives of many whales and publicised the pl ight of whales
around the globe. Sea Shepherd says it is the "most aggressive and most successful whale-saving
organisation in the world" and in 2000 Time Magazine named Watson an Environmental Hero of the
20th Century.
The Battle of Brightlingsea
Direct action is organised and planned in the example of Sea Shepard (above) and the example of
Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty (below). But the Battle of Brightlingsea is a remarkable example of
spontaneous action by ordinary residents of a small town.
Brightlingsea, on Britain's North Sea coast, is hardly on the map, population less than 50,000. But in
the early 1990's the anger of animal rights campaigners was growing at the apathy of politicians to
ban live animal export; campaigners were demonstrating at the points where animals were being
exported, such as Coventry airport and seaports at Dover, Kings Lynn and Plymouth; and patience
was running out. Brightlingsea was one of the exporting sea ports and became a flashpoint.
At Brightlingsea the transport trucks, loaded three tiers high with sheep, had to pass through the
town's narrow streets to reach the port. Some local residents turned out spontaneously to stand in
front of the trucks to impede them. The confrontation started in January 1995 and no one foresaw that
it would develop into a battle lasting nine months. Residents of a town turning out for animals is an
almost singular development in animal rights. Among the people were ordinary workers, housewives,
school children and grannies, who had never been on a demonstration before.
More transport trucks rolled through the town and more residents took to the streets to block them.
The people innocently believed the police would turn the animal transports back. However, the
transports were prepared and over a hundred police in riot gear arrived to escort them through the
town. Protesters daily confronted the transport convoys from now on and the police always turned out
in force to clear a way to the port. By February the animals were being transported t o the port every
51
day. The issue drew in protesters from much further afield. On some days up to 2,000 people lined
the streets to heckle and shake their fists at the transport drivers.
~ Background to Brightlingsea ~
Livestock owners get better payment for stock sold alive. For the animals this means
transportation over long distances. The US live animal export market (excluding fish) is
worth about $700 million annually. But Australia is the biggest live animal exporter (about
A$1.8 billion annually), transporting about 6,000,000 sheep, 850,000 cattle, 100,000
goats per year, mostly for slaughter in other countries. Voyages for Australian livestock
take as long as three months at sea in specially adapted freighters. Animals are stacked
in tiers, each ship loaded with tens of thousands of animals, to markets in Mexico, the
Middle East, south-east Asia and Japan.
Animals going abroad forfeit the protection of the law in their own country and fall subject
to the (often unenforced) humane standards of whatever country they are sold to.
Animals on route face exposure to weather and climate extremes, often stifle in the heat,
cannot lie down or are knocked down and trampled. They suffer thirst and hunger. If they
are provided with food or water they cannot always reach them. Conditions and handling
can be so poor that many animals die or are seriously injured.
About three million live animals are transported across Europe every year on journeys
that can take days. Britain exports over half a million live lambs , sheep and pigs a year.
Attempts through the legal system to ban the export of live animals failed after a court
ruled that ports cannot refuse to take live animals. In the 1990's seaports and airports in
Britain become centres for animal activists fighting on behalf of the exported animals.
Protesters and police tried to avoid confrontation with each other but tension was always in the air as
the police pushed the convoys forward to the port no matter what the obstruction. One night some
protesters managed to drive a 60-seater bus to the gates of the port where they removed the wheels
and handcuffed themselves to it.
Some people voiced fears for safety as protesters pressed up against the transports in the narrow
Brightlingsea streets. People threw themselves down in front of the trucks and held a sit-down in the
road. The police forced back any protesters who tried to get in the way and warned them of arrest.
People become casualties in the pushing and were tended by Red Cross medics on hand at the
scene. The police arrested many people, even passers-by, and bundled them into vans to the police
station at the nearest large town, where activists chanted and waved banners outside the building.
During the Brightlingsea protests activists were carrying out actions at other ports around Britain.
Transports were taking calves, destined for the European veal industry, to Coventry Airport and
animal rights campaigner Jill Phipps (1964 - 1995) was crushed to death under a transport she tried
to hinder (See the chapter Personalities, under Jill Phipps). The next day the Brightlingsea protesters
held a candle-light vigil for her.
The final convoy left Brightlingsea towards the end of October. In nine months 250,000 animals were
exported through the town and 52 sheep died at the port. The Red Cross treated more than 100
protester casualties. The police made nearly 600 arrests and received a thousand complaints against
them. The Brightlingsea protesters did not succeed in stopping a single one of the 150 or so convoys.
But the cost of exporting the animals in the face of active protest was too expensive and ceased. The
protesters had won. Veal calf exports from Coventry Airport, where Jill Phipps died, also soon closed
down when the firm flying out the calves went bankrupt.
Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty
SHAC (Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty) was a campaign to close down Huntingdon Life Sciences, a
company that carries out tests on animals, situated north of London, Britain, with an important branch
in New Jersey, USA. Huntingdon was said to be Europe's largest animal testing laboratory, using
cats, dogs and primates, with the majority animals being rodents. Substances like pesticides, drugs
52
and domestic and industrial chemicals were tested on the animals to assess t heir safety for human
use. SHAC was set up in 1999 by seasoned British animal rights activists Greg Avery and Heather
James after activists at the Huntingdon laboratory (secretly working for People for the Ethical
Treatment of Animals) shot video of animals being abused. SHAC and its activities against
Huntingdon spread to Europe and the United States.
SHAC says it does not support violence of any kind. However, SHAC's methods were intimidation,
harassment and property damage. Targets were Huntingdon itself plus the company's shareholders
and business associates, including suppliers, insurers and bankers. SHAC also struck out at
Huntingdon's employees and their families. Thus SHAC targeted a wide network of primary targets
(Huntingdon), secondary targets (Huntingdon's business associates) and tertiary targets (families and
investors). SHAC wanted to show all of them that any kind of direct or indirect involvement in animal
abuse is a bad investment. (For more about SHAC tactics see Chapter 5: The Law - United States
and Britain.)
Because of the fear of attack by SHAC supporters, the results so far are that:
Dozens of companies stopped trading with Huntingdon.

Insurers and financial institutions stopped dealing with Huntingdon (the British government
stepped in by ordering the Department of Trade and Industry and the Bank of England to help
them).
Thousands of shareholders sold their Huntingdon shares.
The value of Huntingdon's shares collapsed.
Huntingdon was brought to the edge of bankruptcy.
The public was divided about the image of Huntingdon as a reputable beleaguered company
that should be helped or as a contemptible animal tormentor that should be shut down.
Illegal and violent direct action had its penalties for SHAC activists, however. Legal actions were
brought against SHAC and a small stream of SHAC activists in Britain were jailed. Six SHAC
supporters were arrested in the US by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and sentenced for up
to six years imprisonment for violating Huntingdon's New Jersey facility. Critics of SHAC say the
organisation distorted the nature of experiments on animals, excused and advocated violence and
vandalism, used terror tactics and tried to sway public opinion with hysterical emotional nonsense.
SHAC ceased its campaign and closed down in 2014.
Comparing Direct Actions
The examples of Sea Shepherd, the Battle of Brightlingsea and SHAC demonstrate that effective
direct action can be organised (Sea Shepherd and SHAC) or spontaneous (Brightlingsea), with l egal
standing (Sea Shepherd), mainly law abiding (Brightlingsea), or pressing against the law
(Brightlingsea) and overstepping it (SHAC). And these three examples of direct action share a
common motif: potential financial ruin for the targeted companies. Their message for companies may
be that companies could face ruin if they annoy enough people who decide to act against them in a
concerted fashion. Citizens, not just companies, brandish power.
Direct Action vs Civil Disobedience
Where is the border between direct action and civil disobedience? Civil disobedience tends to be
peaceful and within the law, although not inevitably so. Direct action is disposed to be stormy, could
be violent, and some activists of a militant mind might decide to cross the line into illegal activity.
Some law enforcement agencies, notably the FBI, choose the view that when your direct action
includes property damage you become a terrorist. But some direct action proponents argue that
violence relates directly to living beings only; property damage is sabotage, not terrorism, because
you cannot scare or terrify property.
So the methods of civil disobedience, direct action and terrorism shade into each other. When direct
action is peaceful it tends towards civil disobedience, but when it is violent it tends towards terrorism.
Critics of direct action, like the FBI, are most vociferous when actions tend towards the terrorism end
of the scale. Interestingly, the FBI does not trouble Sea Shepherd, but hounded SHAC. Perhaps this
is because the people at Sea Shepherd cleverly harness the law to their cause. SHAC can only fall
back on moral justification - and additionally goes against vested American economic interests.
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For a discussion and criticism about violence see Violence or Nonviolence, Chapter 5.
Efficacy of Direct Action
Some opponents of direct action claim that it is ineffective or at best just an annoyance, particularly
when it is illegal or violent. However, direct action clearly can work and sometimes work well. No
business executives worth their salt want their business operations to suffer. Just the idea of being
targeted is sufficient for sensible thinking companies to take steps to forestall a direct action attack.
What sort of direct action would send shivers up and down the spine of company executives? Product
contamination is a style of attack occasionally used by animal rights activists (but also by the odd
individual who is out to make money from blackmail). In one contamination occurrence shopkeepers
throughout New South Wales, Australia, withdrew tens of thousands of Mars and Snickers chocolate
bars after an "extortion threat" against the manufacturer suggested that seven bars were deliberately
contaminated with a poison (3). There was no mention of whether this was related to animal rights,
environmentalism or just to a criminal wanting a ransom. In another contamination event retailers
across Britain cleared Savlon skin cream from their shops after animal rights activists claimed to have
poisoned the product (4). The Swiss based manufacturer of this product, Novartis, was believed to be
a client of the animal testing laboratory Huntingdon Life Sciences.
Contamination perpetrators corrupt a few samples of a retail brand, such as food, drink or lotion, with
something harmful like poison or broken glass, then inform the manufacturer or newspapers what
they have done. This leaves the manufacturer and the product's retailers with no choice but to
withdraw the stock from sale, not knowing the specific batch that was tainted. Some animal activist s
pick salt as a contaminant as it does the job without making anyone ill. But merely a hoax
contamination, given credence by sending actually contaminated samples to the press, is sufficient for
a product to be withdrawn.
Ethical Code of Practice
How can companies neutralise a problem like product contamination? The simple fear of being the
target of direct action or worse can be enough to make some companies take a more animal -friendly
approach to their trading. Companies, by anticipating people's sensitivity and by taking preventative
measures to reduce the risk of being struck, may manage to neutralise a problem before it is upon
them. Companies could draw up a relevant ethical code of practice, publish it as widely as possible
and be seen to live up to it. Four animal-friendly and nature-friendly areas are:
Animal Ingredients & Testing
A company should state on its product that no animal parts, animal substances or animal
derivatives are used in the ingredients and that the product - as a whole and in part has not
been tested on animals.
Ethical Purchasing
A company should clearly state and demonstrate evidence that they get their supplies from
reputable companies, in the sense that their suppliers have a good record for treating animals,
nature and their workers well.
Environmental Policy
A company should state and demonstrate evidence that they do everything possible to avoid and
reduce any harm to nature, regarding their development of land and their use of raw materials,
their waste generation and waste disposal.
Ethical Investment
A company should state and demonstrate evidence that their investments are animal friendly and
green and that they do not invest in companies with dubious links.
How to Do Animal Rights is not just useful for animal activists, company executives should heed it!
References
(1) Garner, Robert. Animals, Politics And Morality. Polity Press. 1993:239.
(2) Guardian, 26 July 2000.
(3) Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 2 July 2005.
(4) Daily Mail, 30 August 2007.
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3.4
Action Planning
Snappy Essence
An action plan is a simple document that you write as a guide that helps
ensure your activities and projects are successful.
An action plan will help you ensure that your activities will be successful. An action plan guides the
day-to-day activities of your project. It is a document that sets out reasons and practical steps to help
you achieve your ultimate objective. It helps ensure that things happen when and how you intend
them to happen. All action plans are different, varying from one group to another depending on
personalities, interests, skills and experience. An action plan relating to a commercial business is
often called a business or marketing plan.
You may not want an action plan if you intend just a single quick once-only action. But if you have a
long-term project it is useful, even essential, to think ahead about what you intend to do. You need to
know matters like:
What is the actual and specific purpose of your campaign?

How exactly are you going to accomplish your campaign?
Who is going to carry out particular responsibilities and for how long?
What are your opponents' weaknesses and how can you attack them?
What are your weaknesses and how can you overcome them?
When and where are actions going to take place?
What is your timetable for fulfilling actions?
How will you know that your actions are successful?
What resources do you have for accomplishing your purpose?
How can you get more of the resources you lack?
Why an Action Plan?

You could carry all your intentions and actions around in your head, but writing it down concisely on
paper helps you think more clearly about them because you must share, explore, clarify and
communicate your intentions to colleagues. Through your action plan they will know what to expect
and what is expected of them. Writing down your action plan helps keep you on target. With an action
plan you are less likely to lose sight of your objective and how you are to reach it. Without a secure
record of what you intend to do you might allow your aim to change imperceptibly from one week to
the next so that you lose direction, waste your resources and accomplish little of what you set out to
do. Should anything go wrong with your campaign you have a concrete document to review and
correct so that you can improve your performance. Finally, when concluding your campaign you have
an indelible account to look back on to check how well you performed and suggest how you might
improve next time.
Who Should Produce the Action Plan?
If you are a one-man-action-group then of course you do everything by yourself. But if you are the
organiser or founder of a group then through your action plan you may wish to clarify the basics of
your purpose, such as your ultimate objective and method of reaching it. Once you get a team
running, everyone should have a chance to assemble and voice their input to your action plan.
Usually people can contribute different skills and complementary experiences so that you are more
likely to make a better job of the plan. A brainstorming session can elaborate on the plan and
establish what is and what is not feasible. One responsible person should write down the action plan
so that it is homogeneous and completed.
Before You Begin
Your action plan should not be too long-term because seeing too far into the future is difficult.
Depending on what you are doing it could steer a course for the next three, six or twelve months.
So that you do not get bogged down in detail the action plan should be concise, basically a summary,
with no excessive or irrelevant detail. If you need to include more information put it in an appendix.
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Your action plan should be well thought out and executed but you do not have to spend an overly long
time writing it; one or two hours might be enough for a team to contribute their input and for you to
make a first draft on paper.
Operations & Administrations
You may find it useful to distinguish two kinds of aims; we might call them operation aims and
administration aims. The former relates to your campaign actions and the latter to running your group
to make it more effective. They complement and somewhat overlap each other.
Operation aims for example could be:
Organise a super-massive picket once every two months.

Decrease the number of customers entering a target shop by fifty percent for one year.
Get a news item about our campaign published once a month in the local newspaper.
And administration aims could be:
Increase the group's membership by twenty percent this year.

Raise X amount of money to pay for running costs.
Establish a second group in a neighbouring town.
You may need to consider your administration aims in order to further your operation aims; however,
do not dwell entirely on the former at the expense of the latter or your group may become strong yet
ineffective. Again, depending on what you are doing, you could write a separate action plan for your
operation aim and your administration aim.
Creating Your Action Plan
Every action plan is different and it is up to you to decide what to include and exclude. But consider
the following points for inclusion in your particular plan.
1. Your Objective
Write down your ultimate objective your final goal. For example, stop people selling fur in your town,
or motivate people to engage in practical animal rights.
2. Your Message
Write down the clear and simple message of your ultimate objective. People forget complicated
messages right away, so keep it simple. Remember KISS: Keep It Simple Stupid! For example,
'Animals need their skin as much as you need yours!' Or 'Do more exercise do animal rights!' Find a
positive angle for your message; instead of 'Meat-eating is unhealthy and harmful!' try 'Veganism is
healthy and wholesome!'
3. Your Body Targets
Write down the organisations and people you must influence to reach your goal. Deal with the right
people the right way; approaching the wrong people is a waste. For example, people of influence
could be (re fur shops) shopkeepers and people passing by in the street or they could be (re
supplying motivation for animal rights) people sympathetic to animal rights who might be active
supporters if given impetus.
4. Your Strategy
Write down how you will achieve your ultimate objective. If your objective is to help stop the fur trade
your strategy could be to close down fur-selling shops in your town. Or if your objective is to
popularise and get people to do animal rights you could hold an annual animal rights fair in your town.
5. Your Tactics
Write down the steps you must take to reach your ultimate objective. For example, each one of these
can be broken down into a number of small steps: use undercover video for exposs, picket each fur
seller until they stop selling fur, hold public meetings to publicise and debate animal rights issues.
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6. Your Time
Write down realistically how much time you/your group have for your project and when you will do it.
For example, six hours per week: about an hour per week for organising plus the rest for picketing.
7. Your Message Distribution
Write down the optimum times when you will give your message to people. For example, hand out
your leaflets when most shoppers are about - lunch times or whenever you are out demonstrating.
8. Your Management
Write down a list of key tasks (like action-plan planner, leaflet producer, site reconnoiterer, event coordinator), who will do them and when tasks will be completed. For example, who will finalise the
action plan, monitor its progress and review it in three months time.
9. Your Resources
Write down what resources you need, such as people, space, equipment and funds, for example, half
a dozen members for picketing; material for leaflets, banners and placards; storage space; computer
and phone.
10. Your Preparedness
Things seldom go perfectly as planned and a good project has a back-up strategy. Imagine and write
down a couple of potential disasters and their solutions. For example, if picketing a shop selling furs
has no noticeable affect, then you might consider driving up the shop's insurance premium so that the
shop cannot pay it and goes out of business. Or, if the police prevent demonstrating at site x then
demonstrate at site y or z.
You Should Be Smart
In smart acting business circles they say you should always make sure your goals are SMART:
Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time-based. Our goals when doing animal rights
should also be smart:
Specific
Be precise about the ultimate goal you aim to achieve. 'End the fur trade' or 'stop factory farming'
is vague. 'Close down this fur shop' or 'stop this restaurant offering foie gras' are precise.
Measurable
Know when you have reached your goal. To do this your goal has to be something that clearly
stops (eg the place you picket closes down or stops selling the stuff) or be something that you can
count (eg ten new members recruited).
Achievable
Your objectives should not be over ambitious but within your reach. Ending factory farming is
unattainable for your group; exposing to the press the cruelty of a particular chicken farm could be
attainable.
Realistic
Identify an effective campaign strategy given your group's members, money and other resources.
Being realistic makes your campaigning easier to carry out and makes success more likely.
Time-based
This is the time available to achieve your goal. Is your goal on-going, without a clear end? This is
not so good if you want to feel you have achieved a goal and be seen achieving it. You may have
to impose a deadline by which time you have accomplished something solid.
So be SMART, or better, BE SMART by adding:
Believable
You must believe you can achieve your goal - and make others believe it too.
Ever-flexible
Willing to modify your actions or goal as necessary.
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An example of being smart could be stopping shops in your town selling foie gras (or veal, or frogs'
legs, or eggs from caged hens, etc). So what do you do to be smart?
Be specific
"Our aim is to stop the shops and restaurants in our town selling foie gras." Not "our aim is to stop
all shops in the nation selling foie gras" (maybe you have the resources to do that but you might
start low down then build on your successes).
Make things measurable
"We shall count how many places sell foie gras before we begin our campaign, then for
comparison count how many places stop selling it." Not "I think some places stopped selling foie
gras and some didn't."
Let it be achievable
"We know we can accomplish our goal because we have the motivation, time and resources we
need and can mobilise the manpower." Not "I suppose we can do it so let's have a bash."
Keep it realistic
"We can do it within our resources because we have queried similar groups elsewhere that have
done it." Not "ditto" (as above).
Set a time scale
"We should be able to accomplish at least half our target within ten months." Not "We shall keep
going until we drop or they do."
Follow the above process and you will have more confidence believing in yourself and greater
capacity for flexibility to changing circumstances. In practical animal rights you should always BE
SMART!
You Should Also SWOT
SWOTing helps you identify your objective and goals and solve problems that may turn up. Strengths,
Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats are factors that affect everyone and every group. Strengths
and Weaknesses are elements within your personality or group that you might change whereas
Opportunities and Threats are components outside your control. List your Strengths, Weakness,
Opportunities and Threats in a few words, such as:
Strengths
High motivation, persistence, flexible working hours, several potential co-workers to form a group.
Weaknesses
Only locally mobile, no media contacts, little money, incomplete knowledge of relevant law.
Opportunities
Several shops selling fur in town, local supermarkets selling eggs from caged chickens, an animal
laboratory nearby.
Threats
The law if we cross the legal line.
Think how you can counter or take advantage of these factors. For instance:
Strengths
We shall apply our strengths and look for opponents with weaknesses we can exploit.
Weaknesses
We shall decide how we can overcome our weaknesses, perhaps by looking further afield for
opportunities. We shall get to know how the news media and how the law work. We shall budget
and/or seek funding for our campaign.
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Opportunities
We shall look for opportunities that match your strengths and figure out which objectives are the
most practicable and achievable to tackle.
Threats
We shall avoid or neutralise threats. We shall stay within the law or if necessary challenge it by
actions that are legally borderline.
Do a SWOT on your opponents from their point of view. Where are they strong and where are they
most weak and vulnerable? This may help you attack them.
Make It Happen
Working hard on your action plan will do no good if you do not execute it. When your action plan is
complete - do it!
Review
Does your action plan work in practice? From time to time, say after a number of activities or after an
appropriate period, dispassionately criticise and analyse it. Get everyone together and ask their
opinions about what is going wrong, what is going right and how to do better. Some questions to put
are:
Are we achieving the results we want and if not why not?

How far have we moved toward our ultimate objective?
What things can we do better?
What additional things might we do?
What lessons can we learn?
Build on experience and rewrite your action plan accordingly.

A Simple Action Plan
To make a start with your action plan, write applicable headings like these down the side of a sheet of
paper:
Goal/Target
Action
Anticipated Benefits
Time Scale/Completion Date
Resources Needed
Member Responsible for the Activity
You need only a few headings. Other headings according to your needs could be Rational, Expected
Outcome, Measure of Performance, Progress Update. Keep your action plan clear and brief. Do not
end up with reams of paper!
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3.5
Lobbying
Snappy Essence
Lobbying is a democratic process, open to anyone, to communicate to the
powerholders to do what you want them to do.
"It is the province of honest men to enlighten the government." Attributed to
Napoleon Bonaparte.
What is Lobbying?
The thrust for changing the human governed world for the better for animals is essentially twopronged. One prong involves law-making for animals (the other is educating people about animals). In
order to make laws you must become a legislator, but we all cannot do this. The next best thing is to
influence the legislators and this is what lobbying is about. You go lobbying to persuade the
legislators - your political representatives, elected political officials, senators or members of
parliament - to do what you want them to do: change or enact laws that benefit animals or otherwise
support your cause. The origin of the term lobbying is lost, but it might be connected with cornering
and petitioning politicians in the foyers or lobbies of their building. However, lobbying is not confined
to political representatives; you can influence local or national institutions, businesses, colleges and
any organisation to adopt animal friendly ways for their establishment.
Who Can Lobby?
Lobbying is democratic; it is an important process that gives people a say in political, economic and
other polices. Political representatives in democratic countries are elected by the peopl e to serve the
people. You are one of the people, so representatives must serve you, especially if you are one of
their constituents, by bringing their political standing to bear on your concerns.
The lobbying field is open to anyone or any group. You do not have to be a powerful business
corporation that retains professional lobbyists or employs their own specialist staff to lobby for them.
Nor do you need any particular experience to go lobbying, just a desire to communicate what you
think should be done. No one and no group is too small to make their voice heard. If you do not make
yourself heard, the policy makers cannot take into account your opinions and animals will not benefit.
By lobbying for animals you change the way society acts by harnessing t he power of the law for
animals.
What & Who to Lobby
What do you want to lobby for? You may want to:
Prohibit toxicity testing of substances on animals.

Change the law to prohibit live exports of animals.
Ban inhumane jaw traps and snares used by animal trappers.
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Proscribe the production or selling of foie gras, veal and animal body parts.
Introduce stiffer and more appropriate penalties for animal abusers.
Change the law about how animals are transported.
Prohibit the importation and trade of live wild animals or their body parts.
Propose new laws to regulate breeders of animals.
Proscribe the mutilation of animals for cosmetic and economic purposes.
Regulate or make illegal the keeping of wild animals as pets.
You may have to address national political representatives to lobby for such changes as these. But
although lobbying is often associated with high-level political representatives, you can just as
effectively lobby anyone, such as the figures who have access to the policy makers and legislators.
These relatively minor officials hold a variety of positions from local to national level. Furthermore, you
can just as easily lobby institutions and business companies whose activities affect animals more
directly or who have the power to help animals. You could persuade your supermarket to change its
policy on selling factory farmed produce; lobby your work or school canteen to ban factory farmed
food and offer choices for vegetarians; or lobby your college professors to organise courses on animal
rights or animal ethics. Representatives of private organisations, unlike our political representatives,
are not obliged to assist you but should respond if they want to be seen by the public as honest,
caring and open to change.
Start Lobbying
First, ask yourself four questions.
1. Issue: what specific issue shall I campaign about?
For example, livestock transport, entertainment animals, furbearers (for ideas see Chapter 3: How to
Start Being Active for Animal Rights?).
2. Objective: what is my specific campaign objective?
For example, to change a law or to change a procedure, such as governing how animals are kept or
used.
3. Authority: which authority shall I lobby?
For example, the Secretary for Agriculture, the Home Secretary, or a company's chief executive
officer.
4. Method: what lobbying methods shall I use to persuade the authority?
For example, write letters, arrange private face to face meeting or debates.
Second, find out who your targets are, such as who politically represents you. Good lobbyists do not
just know who their representatives are but get to know about them. This way you know you are
targeting the right people and can make the best impression on them. For political representatives
you should at least know their political party, political s tatus or rank, past and present campaigns, and
their involvement with animals.
You can most easily find out who represents you by consulting your library or the Web. Virtually every
citizen in the US is represented federally by a member of the House of Representatives and by two
members of the Senate. Most US states have this same system of representation. Note that you must
lobby federal representatives on federal matters and lobby state representatives on state maters
because representatives deal only within their own sphere. Voters in Britain are represented
nationally by their Member of Parliament and voters who reside in Scotland or Wales are represented
by their member of their particular legislative assembly.
Third, know what your target can do for you. For example your representative in your legislative
assembly could:
Write officially to relevant ministers or other representatives on your behalf.

Convey your issue at a committee meeting.
Address the whole political assembly about your campaign.
Ask a question from the floor on your behalf to elicit information from a minister.
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Propose an early day motion (a petition for representatives to sign) as part of your campaign.
Set up a committee to study your issue.
Initiate a parliamentary debate about your cause.
Introduce a draft law on animals for debate.
Attempt to alter an existing draft law.
Propose changes to statutory law.
Support or impede legislation.
Attend your public gatherings and make speeches to support your campaign.
How to Lobby
The primary means of lobbying your target is to write, arrange personal meetings, and use the news
media.
1. Lobby by Writing
Writing a letter to your representative or other target is possibly the best way to make initial contact
and state your case. Paper documents give a target something to study at leisure and refer back to.
Be concise; one page is probably sufficient. Keep to one subject per letter so as not to cloud
the issue.
Do not make more than two or three points or there will be too much for your representatives
to handle.
Put the main points (the who, why, where and when) in the first paragraph.
Include supporting information, evidence, photos, but do not overdo it; if you have a lot of
data, summarise them on a separate sheet.
When writing to your representative always include your address and zip/post code so that
they can verify that you are one of their constituents, otherwise they may not act for you.
End by asking politely for a response to your letter.
Make your letter personal. Put one or two specific questions to your target and ask for their opinion;
they will take your letter more seriously. If you do not do this, they might simply forward your letter to
somebody who seems to them to be a pertinent third party, like a government departm ent that
handles such matters that might send you a bland standard reply.
You will have more influence if you get other people to write as well. Your representative might keep
count of the letters they receive as a check of public opinion and the more let ters they receive on your
subject the more influence you will have. If possible try not to send a standard or model letter when
writing as part of an organised group. Your representatives will give duplicated letters far less weight
and an unfavourable response, even if they get a great many of them on the same topic. If you do use
a standard text, get each writer to subtract some remarks from their letter, add singular remarks of
their own, and mix it all up to make their letter look personalised.
What about emailing or phoning? Email is quick and cheap but may not be effective if your target is
swamped by them every day. Your particular email may not receive the attention it deserves or might
simply get lost in the flood of email. Letter writing is slow and arduous but is likely to get a better
response.
Phoning is fast. But you will probably not be able to speak to your representative by phone as they
are likely to be out or busy. However, if you are going to phone then jot down and stick to just one or
two points that you wish to make. When you get through say you are a constituent and keep your
conversation short.
2. Lobby by Personal Meetings
Elected representatives expect to be approached by the public as part of the democratic process, so
do not feel inhibited. Go ahead and arrange a meeting with your target to present your case in person.
You should certainly meet them if the results of your correspondence are unsatisfactory.
You may visit your representatives alone or, more effectively, as a s mall group campaigning on your
issue. Each member of the group should have a good reason for being at the meeting and with
62
something different to contribute. Decide beforehand who is going to lead the meeting and who is
going to say what.
How you come across at the meeting and how you say what you have to say is important. Dress
casually or conservatively but dress appropriately. Be rational and objective, not emotional and
excitable. Speak clearly and concisely. Know your background facts well and summarise them on a
single page to hand to your target. Give duplicate copies to any of their staff. Thank everyone before
you depart and leave your target with a good impression of what an animal rights activist is.
Representatives in the US fix a number of public meetings through the year to meet their constituents.
At these meetings you should prepare yourself to ask your representative questions in front of a
public gathering that may also contain news reporters. Ask your representative to speak about their
stand on your issue and make things hot for them if they go against you. Alternatively, your
representative might decide to meet you on the side at a private office and a typical meeting could last
an hour. You could take the opportunity to hand out leaflets about your campaign to other attendees
at the meeting who are not part of your group. Members of Parliament in Britain hold regular sessions
in their constituency every few weeks when you can sit with them and speak privately. Check your
target's web site for particulars and make an appointment.
3. Lobby via the News Media
Another way of influencing your targets and to strengthen your cause is through the local or national
news media. Use the media to:
Spur lethargic targets to action.

Make your targets take you even more seriously.
Pressure your targets into publicly stating their position.
Give your targets bad publicity if they do bad things.
Give your targets good publicity if they act well.
Phone or email your newspaper and radio/tv stations and outline what you are doing. News media
interest is often short-term, so get your timing right to approach them at the best point in your
campaign. Beware that editors simplify issues as black or white, so there is no point going into the
minutiae of your case; make your message simple and clear. Use the media to gain widespread
public support for your cause, especially if you are not able to achieve your objectives through your
target. (Also see Chapter 3: News Media.)
Lobbying Techniques
Learn the House Rules
You must learn the rules of your target organisation (legislative assembly, business company or
whatever) to understand their manners and methods to prepare yourself to influence them. If you do
not know their rules, ask them.
Set Attainable Goals
Try for goals that are achievable. Stopping egg farming is too sweeping, but phasing out the
production and sale of eggs from caged hens is attainable, whether from your supermarket chain or
nationally.
Be Flexible & Compromising
Perhaps you cannot make headway or you know your target is not in favour of animal rights, then
simply operate under the banner of animal welfare and adjust your goal so that it appears welfare
oriented. Politics and influencing people is the art of compromise when you cannot be autocratic.
Pitch the Right Level of Information
Present your target with whatever information is strictly relevant and no more. They will not want to
waste time with excessive and non-essential input.
Stick to Facts Not Feelings
You have opinions, but base them on indisputable facts and put them across in reasoned arguments.
Know the important arguments for and against your case and be able to refute the latter rationally.
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Always Go for Clarity

Do not use abbreviations or unusual, obscure or technical terms that your target may not know. Get
your message across simply and quickly, so spell it out fully.
Always Tell Them
Be specific, clear and polite about what action you want your target to take. An action may seem
obvious to you but not to them and they will not want to waste their time guessing.
Do Not Rely on Memory
Always make written notes of what is said, the decisions that are made and the names of the people
you talk to. Take notes at a meeting even if you are only listening as an obs erver.
Build Up Your Credibility
You need not be an infallible expert but always be open and tell the truth (or at least use your words
carefully) to build up your credibility. This is the best way to impress on your target that they can rely
on your knowledge.
Get the Weight of Authority Behind You
Individuals acting alone can lobby effectively, but you can be more effective if you have authoritative
associates to bolster your case. Your target will be more ready and better able to act to influence
others if they know your issue has weight behind it.
Link to Your Target's Interests
Try to relate your issue to your target's area of personal or professional interests. For instance, you
might be lobbying about blood sports and they are keen countryside ramblers or sit on countryside
committees. This is where knowing about your target's background is advantageous.
Be Above Party Politics
Eschew party politics when lobbying. Lobby to get the best out of everyone irrespective of their
political alliances, affiliations and the party they belong to.
Do Not Make Enemies
Your target should listen to you but they do not have to agree with you. Be courteous to them when
their views are at odds with your own because you may be able to influence them another time on a
different issue. Make enemies of them and you may never be able to enlist their help.
Go for the Staff
Always be polite, understanding and patient to your target's personal assistants, secretaries and other
office staff. They are your potential allies. They might influence your target for you or reciprocate your
kindness by giving you background or other useful information.
Analyse Your Progress
Monitor your progress and evaluate your results. You can best do this by setting small practicable
goals you must reach on your way to total success. (More in Chapter 3: Action Planning.)
Thank People
Thank people who are helpful and if you have the news media involved with your campaign drop them
names in praise.
Finally...
Keep on going if you do not get the responses you hoped for. Think about reaching the same goal
from a different angle. Be persistent and do not give up easily!
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3.6
Picketing
Snappy Essence
Pick eting is a legal protest, organised, peaceful and sometimes lively,
outside a targets premises to demand change, eg that a business stops
selling foie gras. Well organised animal rights pick eting can effectively
change bad practices.
What is Picketing?
Picketing is a form of demonstration and protest that interest groups employ in a dispute to make their
demands accepted by an opposing party. Picketing in animal rights is often about gathering in a small
group outside a company's premises to protest the company's actions and demand change. The
picketing protesters might harm the company by alerting the company's patrons and the wider public
about its misdeeds and persuade as many people they can not to enter the premises. If the company
does not handle the situation deftly it risks trade disruption, a tarnished public image and a loss of
business standing.
Animal
rights activists might picket:

A retail store - to stop selling fur.
A fast food restaurant - to stop selling burger meat.
A restaurant or shop - to stop selling foie gras or veal.
A supermarket - to stop selling eggs from caged hens.
A breeding farm for animals - to stop breeding animals for use in experiments.
A laboratory - to stop doing tests on animals.
A seaport or airport - to stop importing or exporting live animals.
The head office of a cargo company - to stop handling animals for trade.
An example of a successful picket by animal rights protesters was the closing down in 2007 of a fur
shop, Schumacher Furs, in Portland, Oregon, a family business since 1895. (1, 2) The owner said he
could no longer endure the sidewalk picketing protests of the "terrorists", despite a police presence
and an occasional arrest of demonstrators. The owner said the protesters menaced him and his
family and he also had bomb threats. His hand written placard on display in the shop window read:
"All protesters should be! -beaten -strangled -skinned alive -anally electrocuted" (sic). The picketing
lasted nearly two years. (3)
AR Picketing is Like Industrial Picketing
Picketing is best known in industrial disputes as a recognised form of act ion. As such it shares many
similarities with picketing for animal rights. Picketing workers in industrial disputes stand outside their
works forming a 'picket line' at the works entrance. They may try to persuade workers who are not
taking part in the dispute to stay away and prevent access to the works by replacement workers and
their employer's suppliers.
Industrial picketing is legal if carried out according to certain rules, among them are that you must:
Picket peacefully.
Not threaten anyone or cause damage.
Not obstruct people entering or leaving the premises.
Confine picketing to the employer's workforce.
Not engage in secondary picketing.
Secondary picketing is when you picket places indirectly connected with your issue. You might picket
outside the premises of your employer's suppliers, aiming to persuade the supplier's workers not to
deliver goods to your employer. In some countries secondary picketing is illegal.
However, a primary difference between industrial picketing and animal rights picketing is that the
former is part of the industrial sector and governed by specific law. Animal rights picketing is a form of
public demonstration and handled differently by the authorities.
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How to Picket
The first thing to consider when picking is that it takes time, effort and tenacity because it is a longhaul objective (could take months). Therefore you must have high motivation to begin and sufficient
impetus to carry you through. So before you decide to go picketing, first try other means of
persuading your target to comply with your proposals (eg Lobbing, Chapter 3). Only picket your target
when all else has failed to make it move.
Zero in on your target, such as a shop, restaurant or a company head office, once you have decided
to stage a picket. Ideally, our target to picket should be within easy reach of your fellow picketers and
have many patrons and passers-by you can influence in favour of your proposition. And you must be
easily visible to the public for them to see clearly what is going on. The more people you can
influence, the more quickly your picket may have effect. You must also be able to picket and
demonstrate freely in front of your target. Reconsider your use of picketing for an alternative form of
action if your target is in some kind of restricted area, like private land with limited rights of access.
How many fellow volunteer picketers do you need to go picketing? You may be able to accomplish
everything with just a few supporters, and, in any case, too many picketers may draw unwanted police
attention. You may want to keep the number of your picketers to not much more than half a dozen.
What hours will you picket? You cannot picket 24 hours a day. Find out your target's peak activity
period and concentrate your picketing during that time. Try to keep to definite hours and days for
picketing so that volunteer picketers know when to appear. Their enthusiasm may be dampened
should they turn up and find no one around.
Your picket will be more effective if you:
Stage frequent picketing sessions.
Hand out leaflets and brochures to passers-by and display hand-held placards
Play a musical instrument (preferably a loud one - get a bagpipe player or drummer) to attract
attention.
Chant short messages to draw attention to yourselves and tell people what you are about.
Dress up in animal suits and create a fitting tableau for the public to look at.
You will also want to know your legal rights (they differ from one country to another) so that you can
stand your ground if challenged with or by the law. You should also ensure that you picket much like
your industrial counterparts in that you:
Comply with any police instructions.

Act reasonably and politely with passers-by.
Do not use threatening language and gestures.
Do not trespass.
Check your national and local laws. How must you adapt to stay legal, for instance keep moving, not
use a megaphone, not block entrances? Consider:
Do you need permits?

Can you picket anywhere? Some places have restrictions or may be private.
What is the legal maximum number of picketers?
Where can you position you picket? You must not obstruct certain places, like highways or
entrances.
What constitutes an obstruction? Blocking people from freely going about their business?
Can you set up a table on site with literature and erect banners?
What legal influence, strength, authority might the people you are picketing have? Be
knowledgeable so that they cannot intimidate you (see below: Hitting Back).
How might your target harass you? Might they hire private security?
What powers do the police and any private security guards have? Under what circumstances
can they tell you to pack up and leave?
If you are ordered to move on, can you set up at another site close by?
66
Hitting Back
Bear in mind that companies being picketed can hit back by seeking an injunction from a court of law.
An injunction can ban you from picketing in certain areas, limit the number of your picketers and put
restrictions on their behaviour (like stopping them shouting abuse). A company mi ght be more likely to
win an injunction if picketers are intimidating, violent or in some other way overly anti -social. Animal
rights activists set up a picket outside Oxford University's new unfinished multi -million pound animal
experiment laboratory. The protesters were seen as noisy and violent by many and in 2004 the
University won an injunction against them. The injunction imposed exclusion zones where
demonstrating, picketing and loitering were legally banned: from around the building site and from
around the property of contractors and the homes of people connected with the work.
Picketing works, as Schumacher Furs found out. Examine the issues thoroughly and chose your
target with care.
References
(1) Local News. 29 November 2006. www.kgw.com. (Accessed March 2007.)
(2) Former Schumacher Furs building in Portland undergoes extensive. Daily Journal of Commerce,
Portland, Oregon. Sept. 2010. (Accessed online March 2011.)
(3) Schumacher Furs. www.schumacherfurs.com. (Accessed March 2011.)
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3.7
Starting a Group
Snappy Essence
You can do many activities alone, but an animal rights group can sometimes
be more effective than a soloist, eg members contribute complementary
sk ills and the public may tak e your campaign more seriously.
Anyone can start being active in animal rights, with friends or alone. You can be successful as a solo
animal rights worker depending on the nature of your campaign and some examples are Teacher,
Flyer, Solo Information Centre Worker, and Preacher (see the relevant entries, Chapter 4). However,
a group can sometimes be more effective than a soloist. A group of people can be an important
campaign resource because:
The public may take your campaign more seriously if they see you are backed by a broad
membership and consequently may give you more attention.
Members contribute complementary skills and abilities that a singleton working alone lacks.
A core of committed campaigners may share your burden and hard work.
A group is a long-term entity that can outlive the comings and goings of its individual
members.
You might enjoy social company.
Even if you start out alone, acting as a nucleus for kindred spirits to gather round, you may eventually
find others to pitch in. Patience and perseverance are assets.
What to Do?
No one and no group can do everything. So chose a section of animal rights that interests you and
that you are good at doing (Chapter 3: How to Start Being Active for Animal Rights), then hack away
at it doggedly. An option would be to concentrate on where most animals are dying. Undoubtedly this
would be factory farming or the mass extinction of wildlife (see Mass Extinction, Chapter 1). But these
two areas are so broad you would have to specialise somewhere within them.
You could pick out an aspect of animal rights that other activists neglect. An example is hair products.
Many cosmetic and artists' paint brushes are made from animals, such as shaving brushes from
badger hair and paint brushes from sable. Then there are bows of orchest ral instruments, like the
violin and cello. Most bows are strung with horse hair from China, Mongolia and Canada. How the
hair is obtained is a shady business because most people know nothing about it and the few who
68
know won't tell. Hair is fur, usually of the courser kind, so your specialised niche would be this aspect
of the fur trade (great if you are an artist, beautician or musician and wish to influence your
colleagues).
Alternatively, your group could work independently by complementing a large animal activist
organisation, perhaps under their banner. Just ask them.
Name & Logo
You could give your group a name and design a logo for it as a symbol of your group's individual
identity. A well designed logo imparts a sense of common purpose and is good for morale - you can
blazen it across your own promotional material, like T-shirts, badges and posters - and if you use
letterhead paper it communicates a respectable image on your correspondence - all useful for
influencing people.
Finding Members
Look for potential or fellow activists who feel as strongly committed as you do and might be keen to
play a central role in a campaign. Look everywhere and make allies. Query friends and
acquaintances. Exchange ideas with people. Put up cards or flyers on noticeboards (clubs, libraries,
health shops, animal shops, charity shops and supermarkets). Ask potential members for more
people you can approach and take the contact details of anyone who seems interested. Arouse their
interest; make your enthusiasm infectious.
Put up notices and hand out leaflets to explain your campaign and why it matters. Produce a simple
but professional-looking flier (see the Chapter 3 entry Leafleting). Put down a campaign title, say what
your campaign is about and give your contact address. You may want to hold a few initial meetings to
attract people and acquire more members and should put this information about meetings in your
notices.
Unless you aim to work clandestinely your group should be loud and visible. People who hear about
your campaign may join your group. Get into the public eye often. (See the entries News Media and
Internet, Chapter 3).
You may find it easier to persuade people to join you if your campaign is achievable and attainable in
the near-term (shut down a fur shop). But perhaps your goal is big and long-term (abolish the fur
trade)? Then split it into segments and concentrate initially on the achievable and the attainable
(shutting your local fur shop - see Schumacher Furs in the entry Picketing, Chapter 3).
A Constitution?
Should your group have a constitution? A constitution is a set of rules that guides the efficient running
of a group and settles disputes about how to do things. You do not need a constitution if your group
consists of just a few close colleagues; concentrate on your mission, not on your admin. On the other
hand, too much rule-making is a mistake that can restrict a group's growth and development. People
who are 'rule happy' often err by making too many rules in an attempt to cover all eventualities.
However, if your group is large, internally truculent, or with an already growing jumble of rules to
govern its members, then a constitution incorporating the rules in a simple yet formal way may be
useful. A constitution may also be necessary to open some banking accounts or for being recognised
officially in some capacity.
Here is a simple 12-point formal constitution that your group could adopt and modify to suite its
purpose.
1.
2.
3.
Model Constitution
The Group shall be known as ... (hereafter called 'the Group').
The purpose of the Group is ... Other activities furthering the purpose of the Group
or for the Group's benefit shall be carried out from time to time as its members
decide.
The area covered by the Group is mainly ... but activities may be undertaken
elsewhere as decided by the members.
69
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
The Group shall cooperate and exchange information with other bodies in similar
fields, work in consultation with relevant individuals and organisations, and do such
lawful things as are necessary to attain the Group's purpose.
Membership of the Group shall be open to everyone engaged in and pledged to the
Group's purpose.
The Group shall hold regular meetings to discuss all aspects of its work. Meetings
shall be fully publicised and all members shall be entitled to attend.
Funds shall be raised when necessary for carrying out the purpose of the Group
and shall be used as the members decide.
There shall be an annual subscription to help pay necessary expenses. The
subscription shall be determined at the members' meeting from time to time and at
a rate that is considered adequate.
When required, officers shall be appointed to conduct the administration of the
Group. Officers shall include a Chair, a Secretary, and a Treasurer. They shall be
in charge of the day to day running of the Group and shall be answerable to
members at the Group's meetings.
The Treasurer shall keep the accounts of the Group. Accounts shall be submitted
for approval at least once a year at a members' meeting.
If the Group shall cease to exist it will be decided by a majority vote at a group
meeting. All assets after all bills are paid shall pass to a similar group as the
members decide at the meeting.
This constitution may be amended only by consent of a majority of the members of
the group.
The Group Committee

If you are going in for a formally and rigorously organised group it should have a number of officers,
the members who run the group. These members are called the group's committee. If you wish your
group to have a committee then its committee members should keep in touch by meeting every so
often. Other interested members should also be able to attend these meetings. Three important posts
of the committee are Chair (or Co-ordinator), Secretary and Treasurer.
The Chair is an administrator, responsible for conducting meetings, ensuring they are carried out
properly and that order is maintained. Chairing meetings is a skill that improves with practice. The
Chair may ultimately be responsible for group decisions and coordinates what all the members are
doing.
The Secretary is responsible for the efficient day to day running of the group. The Secretary deals
with the correspondence and office work, keeps records and minutes of meetings and writes the
annual report. The Secretary is the group's executive who carries out the decisions of the group's
committee.
The Treasurer is responsible for the group's money and financial transactions. The Treasurer collects
subscriptions, pays bills, keeps the accounting books and an eye on ex penditure. Accurate financial
accounts are essential to any large formally organised group; you need to know where the money is
coming from and going to and how much you have at any time.
You may want other officers, such as a publicity officer, newslett er editor or liaison officer. But no
group need have all these functionaries and one member can combine more than one function. Some
responsibilities are best delegated temporarily rather than put an ineffective member permanently in
charge of them.
Group Success or Failure
You will not want to set up a group for it to fall to pieces. Therefore paying attention to what can go
wrong will pay dividends. Here are some functional tips about organising a group.
Mission - Not Admin
Be organised but not to the extent that bureaucracy takes over your group's reason for being. Use the
simplest administration to make your group a going concern. Concentrate on the action.
70
Know Where You Are Going

Think through what you are going to do. Draw up an action plan (Chapter 3) to act as your practical
guide.
20/80
Any voluntary organisation generally consists of five percent activists and 95 percent members;
activists do 95 per cent of the work. The familiar '20/80 rule' is more optimistic: 20 percent of members
do 80 percent of the work. This is human nature and the way with voluntary organisations. So expect
to do a lot of the work yourself. Most members may just turn up now and then.
Burnout
Beware of your personal drive burning out. No matter how enthusiastic y ou are now, constant work
and stress may exhaust you. Burnout might happen in the far future but watch out for when it comes.
Better to work steadily and keep up a good average performance than to explode onto the scene only
to extinguish yourself. Should you get burnt out take it easy, thoroughly get over it and then carry on.
This applies to anyone getting burn out in your group.
Membership Demands
Will you require that prospective members adopt a certain lifestyle before they join your group, that
they be vegetarians, vegans or whatever? You might not want to scare them away but let them adapt
in their own time. Then you will have more members and they will be more animal -friendly.
Assign Tasks
The continuation of any group of activists depends on finding more active members. If you are looking
for more members, when new people turn up make them feel wanted and involved. They will be less
likely to change their minds about joining you the sooner you give them the opportunity to take part in
an activity. So make sure everyone who really wants something to do has something to do.
Contact
You stand to lose contact with your members if you do not see each other reasonably frequently. The
longer you delay face to face meetings the greater the likelihood of your membership leaking away. A
less forceful alternative to meeting in the flesh is sending out frequent emails, even phoning.
Top Heavy
A big group is not necessarily better than a small one. It is not the vastness of your group that counts
but what it accomplishes. If you have many members you could divide them into core activists and a
general membership. Communicate with all but work primarily with your 'shock troop' core.
Small Victories
Animal rights opponents often succeed in a conflict because they are well established and therefore
can hold-out longer than you simply by carrying on in the same old way. They can ignore you and
count on you becoming discouraged and giving up. Therefore you may well need victories from time
to time to keep up your member's spirits or they might desert you as a no-hoper and your group will
perish. So break down your long-term tasks into small achievable steps you can win. And when you
win a small victory let everyone know about it.
Be Dispensable
Efficient managers are dispensable. They can leave their business and relax knowing they will run
smoothly in their absence. If you can do this with your group it show how competent you are. So
share responsibilities among your group's members. Coach members who are willing and able to take
over in your absence. Some members could at least be familiar with the work of the group's officers
so that any sudden officer vacancy can be taken over by someone else.
Pleasing Everyone
You cannot please everyone all of the time; if you try you will be seen as a weak leader and your
group may fail. Be polite and firm, make the best decisions you can and expect to be wrong
sometimes.
71
Participation
Encourage members to contribute their views and fully take part in the group. Act on their s uggestions
and let them feel valued members, otherwise you could lose them to another group.
Friction
Fiction within the group may crop up. If you leave friction unresolved it may tear your group open.
Recognise you have a problem and discuss it openly in a friendly, non-confrontational way.
Positive Criticism
Criticise assertions, arguments or acts but not the individuals behind them. Be on good terms with
everyone you disagree with and make sure they know you are not attacking them personally.
Diplomacy
If people come to hate you they may turn a blind eye and deaf ear to what you represent and you will
make no headway with them. Cultivate good relations within - as well as outside - your group:
diplomacy and good humour are always valuable.
Fun
No matter the seriousness of your issue, and without being frivolous, take time to have some fun and
enjoy your campaigning. Fun reduces stress. With salubrious humour your group will last longer.
Socialising can add an extra dimension and enjoyment for many members and make the difference
between keeping members and losing them. Social events are better if they depend on members'
spontaneous initiative for initiation.
Think Ahead
It is vital for the continuity of your group to keep an eye open for potential leaders. Groom them to
take over for when the time comes, such as when you step down (no one lasts forever). You should
do this even before you think of quitting or at least a few months before you intend to go. All your
efforts setting up the group and making it work efficiently will go to waste if the group perishes for
want of good leadership when you are gone. You can derive great satisfaction knowing that your work
will outlast you.
In summary, make animal rights not admin your target; expect to do most work yourself; watch out for
burnout; beware of making membership stipulations; keep members busy; meet every so often;
productivity not size matters; motivate troops with achievements on the road to victory; be a
dispensable manager; share responsibility with other members; encourage members to participate
fully; criticise the act/argument not the person; make decisions without trying to please everyone;
recognise internal friction and deal with it; be diplomatic; have fun; prepare future leaders.
Newsletters
Producing newsletters about your group, what it does and is doing, could be a good idea at some
point. A good newsletter evokes a sense of common purpose and is a force for binding together
individuals interested in your animal rights issue. A newsletter advertises your group to non-members
by telling them what you do and is of value for recruitment. The more well written and produced your
newsletter is, the more credible your group will appear to people. Impress them with your convictions
and make them laugh at your good humour.
Give your newsletters to group members. Ask them to distribute copies. Enclose a copy when you
correspond with people about your groups business. Stand about town and give them away to
passers-by. Leave copies in public places, the town hall and public libraries. Use your newsletter as a
calling card.
A simple newsletter need only be one page of news. A bigger newsletter could consist of a larger
sheet folded to make four pages.
Depending on what you are doing, on your campaigning and on what is happening locally, you could
include:
Aims and problems.

Proposed activities and ideas for future events.
72
Reports of past and continuing activities.

Copies of newspaper stories about your group.
Pieces about animal-human relations.
Letters from members and what individuals are doing.
Reviews of your group's financial situation.
Dates or social activities for the group.
Pinches of light gossip if you want to keep things lively and informal.
Title
Think of a catchy name for your newsletter's title. Tails Up! is better than The Newsletter of the
Grimstown Animal Rights Group. You can always append the longer name as a sub-title in small print
below the pithy name to give your readers a better idea of what you are.
Illustrations
Find a volunteer to illustrate the newsletter and other people to contribute, whether members of your
group or not (but sometimes it is simply easier to do everything yourself!).
Printing
Key everything into a computer and print off from it as many sheets as you need, or print off a single
master copy and photocopy it repeatedly.
Periodicity
How often will your newsletter come out? Four times a year is ample, provided the newsletter is not
too difficult to put together and the printing and distribution are easy and cheap. However, twice a
year could be sufficient if your newsletter production is long hard work (but it gets quicker and easier
with experience).
Cost
The cost of the newsletter does not have to come to much with a cheap source of paper and
computer print-outs and photocopying. One way of paying for it is to ask members of your group for a
small membership subscription, have a whip round, or foot the bill from your own pocket. You might
even print prominently on the front page for subscribers.
Libel
What ever you write in your newsletter bear in mind that you can be sued for libel. A way around this
might be to criticise people's actions rather than make claims about the people themselves. Be
circumspect. You can make many points with good humoured jabs and satire.
For related info see Leafleting, Chapter 3.
Fundraising
Much of what your group does may not need funding. Nevertheless, you might require some money
to cover your costs. It is up to you to generate funds, so go out and get it.
Do not shy away from asking people for funds or for material you can convert into cash. The
fundraiser's first rule is ' if you don't' ask, you don't get'. Their second rule is 'ask frequently'. So start
asking. With the right frame of mind fundraising can be fun and absorbing - some people do it for a
career - and for animal rights fundraising is a virtue. While out and about fundraising, double up by
publicising your campaign and bagging new members for your group.
Methods of raising campaigning funds are diverse. Here are perhaps the two most reliable and time
honoured ways plus a new one.
Jumble Sale
Selling jumble might be the number one time-honoured way of raising cash. Book sales are similar
and might raise more money with less effort. Make leaflets asking for jumble (or books). Advertise by
making four small strip-leaflets, by tearing up an A4 page, and distributing them to the houses in your
district. Donors may want to know that their donations will be used to good effect, so just tell them you
are a voluntary group for animals (they might not agree with the rights bit) and that their jumble is to
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help animals (which it is!). State your name or the name of your group and the date and time a few
days later when you will collect the jumble. You could ask donors to leave the stuff outside so that you
need not knock on their door. Hire a stall at a fair or sell your wares at a car boot sale. Adjust your
jumble's price to something very reasonable and attractive for people to buy. Your income will depend
on the quality and quantity of the jumble and on your expertise selling it.
Sponsored Event
Carry out an activity, like a cookie-making spin, long-distance walk or bicycle ride, an all night dance,
a marathon run, a litter clean up or something unusual, and get people to pay you for doing it. An
excellent system for publicising your event and collecting the money is via an online company, like
JustGiving.com, the only catch being that your group must be a registered charity (alternatively you
might be able to go through an established registered charity) and have a bank account. JustGiving
provide you with your own personalised online fundraising page. Your friends, family, acquaintances
and anyone accessing your page from anywhere in the world could sponsor you with a donation of
any amount by credit card. JustGiving thank the donor, collect the money and send it to your account
for a small cut.
Sell Merchandise Online
Some online companies, like CafePress.com, provide you with an online 'shop': one or more pages of
merchandise that web viewers can look at and buy from. Most wares are clothing, favourite buys are
T-shirts and sweat shirts, and there are also coffee mugs and a selection of other things. You
characterise your shop with your logo and group details, select the wares to sell, apply graphics
and/or a message to them - for instance a T-shirt or mug with your logo and the message Respect
Animals! across it - and decide on your price tags. When a viewer makes a purchase the company
sends them the stuff and forwards you the purchase price minus a percentage. The company handles
everything, even returns from unsatisfied customers (should there be any). If your group has its own
web site, selling merchandise like this can make it look more interesting and professional. However,
you have to sell quite a lot for this way of fundraising to be more than just pocket money!
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3.8
Leafleting
Snappy Essence
Produce and hand out eye-catching, informative flyers to reach out to
people and tell them what you have to say.
"Publicity, publicity, publicity is the greatest moral factor and force in our
public life." Attributed to Joseph Pulitzer (1847 - 1911).
Why Leafleting?
You might be working in a small group, undercover or alone and may not want publicity. Alternatively,
you may want to reach out to people to influence them with what you have got to say. A good way to
start is by producing good looking, quick to read and informative leaflets. Leaflets are a kind of open
letter to catch people's eye and be read by anyone. They are an opportunity to introduce your cause,
state your argument and draw attention to your group or an event you are planning. People can take
your leaflets home with them as a reminder for future action. No doubt many leaflets are quickly
discarded but one single leaflet can be passed around and read my many people.
Design
Well written and attractively designed material indicates competence so be sure to consider the
following.
The design, layout and argument of your leaflet should be interesting, memorable and persuasive.
Take a tip from the marketing profession and hit your audience with 'AIDA' by getting their:
Attention - to attract their notice.

Interest - to stimulate their curiosity.
Desire - to arouse their wish to act.
Action - to make them do what you want.
Tell your readers the what, where, when, why and who of your cause. Make only one principal
message per leaflet, eg wearing fur is cruel or eating mass factory farmed eggs is a likely health
hazard (salmonella). The more facts that can be proved the better. But keep what you have to say
short and to the point; the more you write the less your readers will remember and the less inclined
they will be to read it all. Be careful not to libel anyone or they may sue you; for example, call an act
cruel, not the people who do it. Tell readers how they can help and remember to add your contact
details, whether email, phone or address, this point is easy to forget! Get someone to proofread a
mock-up of the final leaflet; skip this stage and you can expect errors, in which case your readers may
think you clumsily inefficient and act accordingly.
Make your leaflet uncluttered and look good to the eye. Leaflets are more attractive and easier to read
with lots of white (empty) space around text. Break up the text with headings and bullet points. Use
colour, graphics or pictures to create interest.
Size of paper? Leaflets should be large enough for your message but small enough for people to
handle easily and shove into their pockets. But big leaflets look more important. You can make your
leaflet on an ordinary size of paper (such as size A4) that fits a desktop printer or a photocopier. To
make a smaller leaflet, fold it in half (size A5) and fold that again for a smaller size if necessary (size
A6).
Printing
You do not need a commercial printer. Churn out your leaflets yourself; the learning curve might be
steepish but it is quicker and cheaper in the long-term and you have more control over the final result.
Lay out your leaflet on a computer in a normal text editor; you do not need expensive specialist
editing software. If you do not have a computer, look for a friend who has, or hire one by the hour at a
cafe, or use one free at a public library. The last step is to print off a single copy ; do this on a good
printer, say at a library or at your college or office, then photocopy it as many times as you need.
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Distribution
Get rid of your leaflets; no point hoarding them. Stand in the street and hand them out. Spread them
on your information table (see Chapter 3: Solo Information Worker). Pass them along at
demonstrations and protests. Leave them anywhere they will catch someone's eye, at a cafe or bar.
Provided your leaflets do not say inflammatory or rude things, you can ask libraries and other
institutions to put them on their notice boards and circulate them to sub-branches. Distribute them to
private houses - labour intensive but a way of discussing your issue with householders if they open
the door to you - and good for drumming up local people for one of your events.
Pick places relevant to your campaign when distributing your leaflets in t he street, such as outside a
furrier or a supermarket. Go up to people, make eye contact and with a smile make a brief positive
remark such as 'Please read this', or 'Please support our ...', then move on if they do not engage you
in conversation. If they ask about what you are doing, reply succinctly in a sentence or two. Prepare
some brief answers ahead of time to questions such as, "Who's doing this?" or "What's this all
about?" Get into irrelevant and distracting conversation and you will not be able to hand out your
leaflets, unless you have bags of time. If people argue, courteously ask them to read the leaflet and
contact you later for a discussion. Ensure you have a pen and paper handy to take anyone's contact
details if they are interested in joining you.
Posters & Placards
From producing leaflets you can progress to developing your own posters and placards. Posters are
like leaflets but much bigger. They are good for promoting an event or strengthening an image,
message or slogan: "The greatest threat to people is ignorance; the greatest threat to animals is
ignorant people". There are laws about the legality of displaying posters , so find out how the law may
affect you. Go on to make placards (posters on poles) that you can wave around at demonstrations
and rallies; they might be pictured in to the press or on television if the news media are present. Get
your message across by other means too, such as printed on T-shirts - see web sites like
CafePress.com that provide you with a simple means for doing this.
Also see Newsletters in the entry Starting a Group, Chapter 3.
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3.9 News Media

Snappy Essence
Develop your credibility and reputation with the news media. Write to the
editor, write a news release, give interviews, or dress up and do stunts for
photo opportunities, but mak e your story newsworthy: original, with a new
twist, or bubbling with human interest.
"Don't hate the media, become the media." Attributed to Jello Biafra, alias
Eric Reed Boucher, rock band singer and political activist .
Why the News Media?
Make use of the news media - press, magazines, radio and television - for broadcasting your activities
and developing your group's credibility and reputation. Many local newspapers have a free What's On
section; advertise your meetings and events in it. But you can go a lot further. Newspapers largely
depend on the public to supply them with a constant stream of news. Indeed, reporters would be
unemployed without a public to give them news. So the media need you as much as you need them
and there is no need to be timid when approaching them.
Whether you are a solo campaigner or a group, engaging with the news media can range from writing
letters to the editor, providing information, and giving interviews, to dressing up and doing stunts for a
photo opportunity. Media publicity reaches a wide audience and can make your campaigning issue a
public topic for discussion. Publicity for your group will raise group member moral e (were in the
news again - must be getting somewhere!) and could bring in more members. In important point is
that the more frequently you figure in the news the more impression you will make.
Make it Newsworthy
Your news story must compete with umpteen other stories to get into the media, so you should make
it newsworthy. A newsworthy story tends to be something original or with a new twist, something
exciting, with a human interest; it concerns people, is happening now or soon, and is controversial or
dramatic. The media thrive on disputes and a reporter will contact opposing parties for their opinions,
so help the reporter by having to hand the phone numbers of a few people who oppose you. Give the
reporter a few names because not everyone may be available for comment when the reporter calls
them.
Media Tips
Here are some tips to help you when reporters come round to interview you about your activities.
Before the reporter arrives, draw up a checklist of the main points you wish to cover so that
you do not leave out anything important.
Emphasise only one or two main points that you want to get across, they are the purpose of
your campaign, and state them clearly to the reporter. Reporters and readers cannot
remember more than a couple of arguments, so there is no point spinning off a whole list of
them.
Be clear that your group's name, and if possible some contact address or your web site / blog,
are mentioned in the article the reporter will write. This is your payoff for your story.
Although reporters may seem supportive, friendly and interested in your cause, what they are
really after is a story, so concentrate on giving them that. Do not get too pally and say
something you may later regret.
Be careful when speaking to reporters because they may report anything you tell them.
Nothing is ever 'off the record' (to be withheld from the public) so never say anything you do
not want reported; do not even use this expression (it is a Hollywood contrivance!).
Always get the reporter's name and thank them by letter or email for their piece when it is
published (even if it is awful!). Reporters are only human and being polite will help your media
relations.
A Feature Article?
When your campaign really gets going and you have something substantial to report, a newspaper
might want to run a feature article, a detailed story, on what you are doing. Be willing to talk about
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your experiences, to give a human face to the issue, or you could offer a profile of someone who is
involved with running your campaign. Photos are important when trying to attract the publics
attention. Have some unique, relevant, quality pictures that the newspaper can publish with the story .
Alternatively, make an impressive photo opportunity for one of their photographers , a publicity stunt
that could help your campaign; the newspaper is paying for it so make the best of it.
The Letters Page
A newspaper's Letter to the Editor page is one of the most well read pages of any newspaper. Write
to the page as an individual or on behalf of your group. Make your letter s tand out and memorable.
Be brief and to the point.

Write in plain English, without exaggeration, jargon or clichs.
Grab the attention of readers with a good heading (if the newspaper prints headings) and with
your first sentence.
Make one or at most two points well, not many points diffusely.
Keep your letter short, about the average length of other letters on the page and no longer than the
longest letter. Sign off with your group's name and contact details, either email or web site address,
depending on the newspaper's custom, so that readers can contact you.
Check the page for responses from readers to your letter and follow-up with a second letter to the
editor in reply to them. Tell members of your group to write their own independent responses to keep
the discussion going and spin it out. As a bonus, send a copy of the published letters to newspaper
reporters at other newspapers, suggest they write a feature article, and include the latest information
about your campaign.
Write letters regularly, get other group members to do so. See Chapter 4: Media Watcher.
News Release
Sending news releases to your national or local news media is one of the main ways of
communicating with people broadly. Tell the media something newsworthy about you or your
campaign and what you are doing, such as organising a coming event, like a demonstration, picket or
other direct action.
Your news release (see the example below) will compete with hundreds of other news releases from
other people. So write it in the approved style and in a professional manner for it to stand a chance of
being acted on. If you do not, it may only be scanned briefly for content then chucked out by a
harassed member of the newspaper's staff. There are many books and web articles about the dos
and donts of news releases but the gist is simple. Most news releases follow this ten step format.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Type your news release on your letterhead paper.

Type News Release and the date at the top.
Then write an attention-grabbing headline in the style of newspapers.
The first sentence of your story is the most important, stating what your news release
is about.
Put the who, where, when and why of your story in the first paragraph.
Work a quote into the text; the newspaper may print it and it imparts authority and a
personal touch. You can quote yourself or find a celebrity or authoritative figure and
ask them for a comment.
Throw in some brief evidence to back up your message.
Be matter of fact, do not exaggerate, use jargon or clichs.
At the bottom put For more information followed by your name and phone number.
Fit everything on one side of one page - two sheets might separate and lose each
other at the hectic newspaper office. Use regular size type. (This is an exercise in
being concise!)
Send your news release a few days before the event and no more than a week. Some newspapers
accept news releases by email or fax but many still insist on receiving them by letter only. It is usual to
send news release to the News Desk, but check first. Newspaper details are published in various
documents, which you can find at main libraries and on the Web.
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Constantly keep close to the phone in the couple of days after they receive your news release. If the
newspaper does not phone you during this period then no dice. Try again another time with a different
news release. Example of a news release:
NEWS RELEASE
1 April 2020
Grimstown Citizens Protest for Chickens
Grimstown citizens will gather outside the Town Hall at 12 noon this Saturday 5 April
calling for Grimstown supermarkets to stop selling eggs from caged chickens. Members
of Tails Up! - the Grimstown Animal Rights Group - dressed in chicken suits will stage
an 'egg lay-in' confined in mock cages. A petition of over 1,000 signatures of
Grimstown shoppers will be handed to the Mayor.
"Eating eggs from battery chickens is morally indefensible," says E.G. Smash, chair of
the group. "No one is so poor they cannot afford eggs from free-ranging chickens with
access to organic feed and to woodland. Organic eggs are a kinder and healthier
option for chickens and people."
Tails Up! is calling on Grimstown supermarkets for an early phase-out of eggs from
caged chickens. Members of the public are invited to attend an open air public meeting
at Town Hall Square from 12.30 pm, with a speaker from the Chicken Liberation
Network.
Global Respect for Farm Animals says there are five billion egg-laying chickens in the
top five egg producing countries, the US alone has 280,000,000 egg-laying hens,
almost all living in horrifying conditions crammed into tiny bare cages all their lives.
Photo opportunity of protesters with placards and chicken suites: 12 noon at the Town
Hall.
For further information: E.G. Smash, Secretary Tails Up! Tel 01234 567890
The Radio
Local radio stations are often keen on discussions and phone-ins and want local people to talk about
their local issues. Send your local radio stations suitably adapted copies of the news releases you
send to newspapers.
If you get on the news you will probably be broadcast live. Actual interviews may only be a few
minutes long so stay focused to deliver your two or three key points. But should your interview be
recorded, news editors will cut down mercilessly any long message to a few seconds; therefore make
sure you deliver a few sound-bites that go straight to the heart of your issue, and be ready to come up
with more snappy phrases just in case. Make them simple and memorable so that they stick in
people's heads. Humour can often help:
Radio
Tips
Speak well but be yourself.
Speak slowly, calmly, clearly and let your natural good-natured humour show through.
Give short but full answers and make your point as soon as possible.
Say if you do not know how to answer a question and then go on to make a related point.
Briefly answer a question that seems irrelevant and then pass on to something else that you
really want to say.
Keep strictly to your reply; do not wander away into other matters.
Stop at once and listen to the interviewer if they interject with a new question.
Convince the listeners - get their sympathy. Do not try to beat the interviewer should they
seem hostile.
Remember there is no such thing as 'off the record', even if the interviewer prompts you for
such a remark!
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3.10 Internet
Snappy Essence
Communicate to colleagues and win allies all over the globe with the
Internet, fast, ceaseless and relatively inexpensive. A number one tool for
animal rights activists.
Why the Internet?
The Internet is a communication tool to exchange ideas, inspiration, information, statistics, pictures
and drawings, and to find people and organisations. Using the Internet is quick, convenient and
relatively cheap. Use it to communicate with your existing and potential supporters to let them know
about you, your group and the issues you raise. The Internet has a number of parts and two of the
most important are the Web and email.
The Web
The Web is short for World Wide Web (the 'www' that precedes web page addresses), a network of
computers around the globe to which anyone can access by connecting to it with a computer. People
began using the Web as a popular medium for communication in the mid-1990's. Basically the Web
consists of millions of web sites, each of one or more pages where text, graphics and videos are set
out for people to view.
Acquiring your own web site may be free, cheap or expensive depending on what you want and how
you go about obtaining it. Creating and managing your own web site is not difficult but takes a little
time to learn how to handle it. Benefits of your own web site are:
You can tell your web site viewers what you do and what you think they should do.
You can send people electronic newsletters in addition to or instead of paper ones sent via
the post.
It is easy to add or delete your web pages and to update, add and delete information to
existing pages.
It will give your group a sense of professionalism and enhance its reputation, especially if your
web site is informative and handsome.
Email
Email, short for electronic mail, was invented some years before the Web. You can use email to
exchange messages, graphics and video clips within seconds or minutes with any Internet user
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anywhere in the world who has an email account. Email is so nimble that you will not want to send
letters through the post anymore and it is often better than using the phone.
When you get a web site you usually also get an email facility that goes with it. You should place your
email address on your web site so that people can contact you. However, you do not need a web site
to have an email address. To obtain only email you just need to get online using a computer and sign
up with a company that provides email, which can be free. You can then send and access email from
anywhere on any computer that links you to the Internet.
Create Your Own Web Site / Blog
You will need a computer (whether a laptop or some hand-held digital device) to access the Internet.
Best to have your own device because you will be in command of when and how long you stay online.
Then you will need two things, first a company that will connect your computer to the Internet, and
second a company that will store your web site and send pages to people who what to look at it.
Either company might also provide you with email facilities. Both kinds of company can be found
online by searching the Web under 'Internet service provider' and 'web site hosting'. However, the
simplest thing is to get a blog as your web site because they are free and easy to use; just look them
up on the Web.
Designing Your Web Site
Making your own blog is easy (see Blogger, Chapter 4). On the other hand, you might want a full
blown regular web site. In this case you can do it yourself with a bit of flair and resolve, get a friend to
do it, or pay someone to design and set it up for you. You will have quicker and more control over
your web site doing it yourself by cutting out intermediaries . You could use special software to set out
web pages but it is not necessary. Instead, you can learn to write HTML (short for hypertext mark -up
language), the instructions that professionals type into a computer to lay out Web pages. Special
software is only useful if you have hundreds of pages to design. You will still have to lean to use the
software, so you may as well learn HTML.
Here are some tips for doing it yourself.
Look around for an easy to read book or two on basic HTML. Big expensive books are
unnecessary. You can even find most if not all of what you need free online.
Read a book about good, simple web page design, or look online for the information, eg how
to break up text, which font to use and the application of colour.
Examine examples online of simple well designed web sites - and the many web sites with
distressingly artless or no design - for inspiration and ideas about what to include and avoid
on your web site.
Keep everything simple and you will make progress quickly and your work can look pleasing
and professional.
Once you have typed in your HTML code and completed your page you may want to 'validate'
it, ie check that the coding is correct. Download a free HTML Validator from the Web (eg from
CoffeeCup.com).
When your web site is more or less complete you will need to upload it to a 'host' (a company that
keeps it online 24h a day to show it to people who want to see it). You can upload your web site to
your host via their web site or by using your own FTP program (FTP stands for File Transfer Protocol),
which you can get free online (eg from CoffeeCup.com).
Capturing Viewers
Now that your web site (or blog) is online the next step is to get it listed on the Google search engine
so that potential Web viewers can discover your site. Google will automatically find your site in due
course and list it. You do not have to inform them or any other web search engine. It may take a few
days or weeks but they will find you.
Another method of acquiring viewers is to find relevant web sites (eg connected with animals or
nature) and exchange reciprocal links with them. Email a relevant web site. All you have to say is,
"Can we exchange reciprocal web links, please? The name of my site is *****, its address is
www.*****, and it is about animal rights." It might spur them on if you place a web link to them on your
web site before emailing them. Let them know which page it is on.
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How many viewers see your web site? Which pages get most viewers? Register with a company
offering web counters, software that that computes viewer usage of web sites. An example is
StatCounter.com, which is free and excellent. You will be doing well if you get a hundred viewers a
day. Get only half a dozen a day and you may wish to think about how to make more people see your
site. And do not be misled by statistics: about 75 percent of viewers to ordinary web sites (not popular
national ones) click off in the first five seconds, having found the site is not what they were looking for.
However, a blog / web site is always efficacious for projecting your group and its mission to
prospective members, irrespective of how many people land on it.
Discussion Groups
With your web site (or blog) up and running you could offer viewers a discussion board on it (which
are also called forums and newsgroups). A discussion board is a facility for people to hold discussions
online by typing in (or 'posting') and reading messages about topics of interest to them. You, your
group members and anyone viewing your discussion board can raise questions and answer them.
Contributors can be anonymous if they like and can email each other individually for more confidential
discussion.
There are said to be over 100,000 discussion boards online. You do not actually have to have a web
site to offer people a discussion board. Just go to a specialist discussion board web site and set one
up on their site.
Setting up your discussion group can be free and takes just a few minutes to register with a company
online. Select a title and description of what your group discusses. Decide whether the discussion
group is open only to your group members or is public for anyone to see (you will be able to reach
more people if it is public), and whether you want to 'moderate' it (censor messages before you delete
or display them online).
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Chapter 4
Activities for Animal Rights
4.1
Teacher
Snappy Essence
One of the most effective ways of opening minds about animal rights is
teaching animal rights. Teaching methods are outlined here - and don't
forget your students' Code of Conduct to help you k eep order!
Teaching about animal rights is one of the most effective ways of opening minds to the nature of
animals and of getting people to question how humans should treat animals. This is especially true
when educating children. The field is new and open and you need not be a certified teacher to teach
animal rights, although if you choose to teach through an establishment they might require some
prerequisite.
Probably the closest thing to teaching animal rights is teaching humane education. Humane
educators help their students understand that they have moral choices, that they can act for change
and explore and develop a respect and compassion for humans, animals and nature. Most humane
educators are voluntarily or part-timers. They offer presentations on outreach through their own
initiative and/or through non-profit organisations to the wider community and anywhere people will
listen to them. A few educators teach full-time at schools and teach humane education as an adjunct
to their main work.
How to Start
So how do you start teaching animal rights? If you are already a teacher, sound out your school or
college about teaching animal rights as a course in addition to your normal duties. Otherwise offer
yourself on outreach in the manner of humane educators; explore their web sites and follow up leads
they suggest. Also approach animal advocate organisations to offer your services in much the same
way as a public speaker (see Chapter 4: Public & School Speaker).
Teaching Animal Rights
As an animal rights teacher you act as facilitator, point your students on their way and supply
appropriate material and objective facts. You do not tell them what to think (see Criticism of Animal
Rights Teaching, below) but get them to think critically, given their age group, about the issues you
raise. You could encourage them to explore animal-human relations, examine the values held by
society and held by them personally, question information from all sides in the animal rights debate
and argue for and against alternative courses of action.
There are many questions you can set your students, such as:
What are the harms for animals of humans using them?

What right do humans have to use animals for human purposes?
What is speciesism, who benefits from it and is it fair?
How do we use language to obscure our use of animals?
What moral arguments challenge the human use of animals?
What are rights?
What is natural and should animals have the right to live natural lives?
Must animals suffer for human advancement and gain?
Test yourself by writing your own one or two page answer for each question!
Should you generalise across animal rights or specialise in a subset of animal rights? Being well versed in animal rights generally will give you a solid background to build on and from which you can
take off in any direction. Being a good all-rounder may be useful especially if you are peripatetic,
because each school you visit may want you to adapt your teaching to the specific needs of its
students. But on the other hand, you may prefer to teach adults a division of animal rights. For
example, animal ethics is relevant to classes that study philosophy or religion; animal experimentation
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is relevant to classes into biological sciences; and vegetarianism is relevant to classes taking cookery
and nutrition, as well to sociology by way of farming and world famine. Demand for your special
subject might govern your options.
Criticism of Animal Rights Teaching
Some critics of animal rights say that animal rights activists feed children misinformation and that the
children are propagandized (1). They claim that animal rights educators are confusing young minds
by conflating animal rights with bona fide popular concerns for the environment and healthy eating,
such as suggesting that vegetarian kids are more considerate and moral for nature than are meateating children. Furthermore, these critics assert that animal rights activists seduce teenagers with
popular celebrities who verbalise vacuous emotional appeals for animals. These critics also maintain
that animal rights educators are one-sided by not pointing out the usefulness of animals to humanity,
as in biomedical research. So, beware; you will inevitably have some critics lambasting you as a
slanted animal rights teacher, no matter how even-handed you try to teach!
Teaching Methods
You have several practical teaching methods to choose from, given the age of students and the time
allotted for a presentation. Mix your methods if you lik e; one possibility is presenting a lecture and
then a video followed by a debate.
Lecture
Address your students from the front of the class. This is the usual method for public speakers. It has
little scope for input from the audience, although you could leave time for a question and answer
session towards the end.
Debate
Divide the class into two groups. One group argues for a topic, such as the need for fur clothes or
animal experiments, and the other group argues against it. Then a vote is taken and discussed by the
whole class. Generates ideas and heated involvement.
Discussion
Get the whole class to discuss a topic. What would they gain by patronising zoos or what problems
might they suffer being vegans and how could they overcome the problems? Encourages participation
and communication skills.
Group Work
Divide the class into groups, each group developing and concentrating on its own theme, such as
finding out about the international trade in animals or what aquariums do, which it then shares with
the rest of the class for contribution. Allows students to participate and helps them think for
themselves.
Questions & Answers
Ask students questions for them to ponder and answer. Encourages a two way student -teacher
interaction and you can assess their state of knowledge. Useful at the end of a talk.
Video
Screen a video and use it in conjunction with some of the methods above. As a window to the outside
world a video adds variety to your presentation that maintains the students' interest. Since people are
visually oriented, your students may remember a video long after they forget your talk.
Printed Matter
Supply material that your students can keep and refer to after you leave them. Material may include
fact sheets, information booklets and posters. Your students will be able to recall your talk better
when referring to them and can pass leaflets and posters to their friends.
Dealing With Disruptive Students
Hopefully it will not always be so, but the subject of animal rights is controversial at present and can
generate much emotion between opposing parties. Some older students and adults may have strong
views to the point of being openly hostile and disruptive in class. How can you deal with them? Part of
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your teaching could include how to interact with respect and without hostility when disagreeing with
others.
Julie Andrzejewski (2) has taught animal rights for several years to students at St Cloud State
University, Minnesota. She dealt from the outset with potentially disruptive students by giving
everyone in class her rules for her course and finds that her code soothes differences of opinion and
forestalls hostility. Andrzejewski handed each student a sheet of the rules for referral in case of
conflict down the line. A simple rendering of her rules for your students could go like this:
Code of Conduct
You will study material and ideas that challenge the present human world-view of animals and
I will expose you to ideas and outlooks that you may feel threaten your views and lifestyle.
However, you are not required to believe what I say or present and must decide for yourself
what you should think and do.
If you chose to remain in this course you must abide by this code and engage supportively,
positively and respectfully in the classroom.
If you are upset in any way, speak privately with me to discuss practical steps to help you.
Material & Training

Various non-profit organisations offer material you may find invaluable. Some non-profits offer
teachers free merchandise, including online lessons and activity sheets for teachers to print and copy,
plus free videos and DVD's. Of course, not all animal rights videos are suitable for showing to
children. Search the Web for suitable material for animal rights educators, such as AnimalAid.org.uk,
ShareTheWorld.org. uk and TeachKind (at PETA.org/teachkind).
No courses presently exist where you can study animal rights full-time with the intention of teaching it
yourself. This situation might change one day as the demand for knowledge about animal rights
grows, so keep an eye open. However, a number of law schools in the United States offer the study of
animal rights relating to the law (see Animal Lawyer, Chapter 4) and a few universities run short
courses for undergraduates on the moral treatment of animals. You may also find some
miscellaneous animal rights courses via the Web.
Also see Chapter 4: Public & School Speaker.
References
(1) Runkle, Deborah & Granger, Ellen. Animal Rights: teaching or deceiving k ids. Science. 1997,
277:1419. (Accessed 8 August 2007.)
(2) Andrzejewski, Julie. Teaching Animal Rights at the University: philosophy and practice. (This
paper has at least two different addresses on the web; one is at TeachKind.org. Accessed online
1 July 2007.)
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4.2
Animal Lawyer
Snappy Essence
Animal law is the study and practice of law relating to animals, applying a
country's legal system to speak for animals and their human associates and
allies; highly effective for promoting legislative change to advance animal
rights and welfare.
What is an Animal Lawyer?

Animal law is the study and practice of law relating to animals. As an animal lawyer you apply your
country's legal system to speak for animals and their human associates and allies. You might be
contesting animal exploiters, defending animal rights activists and campaigning for the legal status
and rights of animals. Specialising in animal law is an unusual but excellent occupation, highly
effective for promoting legislative change to advance the rights and welfare of countles s animals.
Animal law works at provincial, state, national and international levels and ranges across cases of
cruelty, criminal action and negligence, specific contracts and property rights, corporate and criminal
matters, and governmental, constitutional and international rulings. The animals who may benefit from
the law are as diverse as wild animals, farm animals, pet animals, experimental animals, zoo and
captive animals, whether as individuals, populations, species or communities.
Animal law is a growing field as shown by the increase in animal law cases, the enactment of animal
welfare legislation, the growth of animal law courses, and the founding of professional associations
and student groups for animal law. Animal law has become an independent field of law in the United
States, currently taught at dozens of law schools, with animal law clinics, conferences and student
organisations. The number of US animal law schools is growing and other countries are following
suite.
Animal Legal Standing
Although an ostensible purpose of the law is to protect the vulnerable, this duty is not sufficiently
extended to animals. Legal systems throughout the world in reality protect people and their assets.
Relatively few laws exist that rigorously define and protect the welfare of animals and there are
virtually no laws that have much bearing on protecting animal rights. In fact, laws relating to animals
treat animals as property owned by people. In practice this means that animals cannot rectify their
grievances and afflictions through the legal system. It would be extraordinary for you as a lawyer to
bring a legal action on behalf of animals; you can only represent their human guardians or allies who
speak for them, much the same as when adults brings actions to court for children.
Some animal lawyers think animals will attain better protection and appropriate rights without a
change in their status as the property of people. Other animal lawyers, however, believe the only way
to protect animals from human mistreatment is to abolish the status of animals as property and in a
number of court cases have fought for this. These lawyers have appealed to the courts to recognise
animals as sentient and to introduce laws accordingly. In 1997 the European Union officially
recognised animals as sentient beings and the EU now requires that member states pay full regard
to animal welfare. Nevertheless, the EU ruling will have to struggle a long way before it translates into
practical legal benefits for animals in the face of economic pressures to use animals.
In the United States animal lawyers are doing their bit for animals by collecting signatures to petition
congress for an Animal Bill of Rights (1). The Bill would give animals:
The right to have their interests represented in court and defended by law.
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The right of protection from human exploitation, abuse, cruelty, neglect and unnecessary
experiments.
The right for animals to satisfy their basic physical and mental needs.
The right for pets to a wholesome diet and to satisfactory shelter and veterinary care.
The right for wild animals to a natural habitat sufficient for their ecological needs and to
sustain their populations.
Animal Legal Disputes

Protecting animals through litigation in the courts is a route that can lead to statutory reform and in
countries like the United States and Britain it has never been easier for animal organisations to mount
test cases.
The British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection (BUAV) challenged a decision by the British
Government. The Secretary of State had granted planning permission to the University of Cambridge
for a new research facility for experimenting on primates. The plaintiff lost but the case may have
been a factor that influenced the university to abandon its building project. In another case concerning
BUAV vs the British Government and concerning Cambridge University, the court ruled that the Home
Secretary had acted unlawfully by licensing invasive brain experiments on marmoset monkeys at the
university; the suffering that was caused was not moderate, as the Government claimed, but
substantial. The judgement could mean that fewer licenses may be granted to the universitys animal
experimenters. BUAV based their case on undercover investigation (see Chapter 4: Undercover
Investigator) that assembled video and documentary evidence for ten months at the university during
2000/1.
Wild animals also benefit from litigation in the law courts, as demonstrated by the action of
Greenpeace in 2005. Greenpeace made use of the European Unions Habitats Directive to challenge
the British Governments decision to permit trawling for sea bass within British territorial waters.
Greenpeace say the trawling kills over two thousand dolphins annually in the English Channel and
that under the European Union directive the British Government is obligated to protect the dolphins.
The majority of animal law cases, however, are smaller and closer to everyday life. A man in
Livingston, Montana, was taken to court in 2006 for shooting and beating to death his neighbours cat.
He was charged with cruelty to animals and with firing a gun within the city limits. The judge fined him
a small sum of money and sentenced him to a years jail deferred for a year provided he observed the
law for that period. This is a typical example of lenient sentencing in animal cases that animal lawyers
want to change so that the punishment fits the crime. Other kinds of everyday animal law are
veterinary malpractice: when something goes wrong or someone is negligent; cases when a dog is
harassed, bites back and is then at risk of being be put down by law; and cases concerning custody of
animals in divorce disputes.
Your Work as an Animal Lawyer
In addition to taking on test cases in animal law and fighting local cases in the courts as described
above, there are other opportunities for animal lawyers to further the interests of animals and the
animal law profession. Animal lawyers:
Protect the right and civil liberties of people to protest for animals peacefully.
Prosecute violations of animal-related criminal law and cases of animal cruelty or neglect.
Provide legal advice about animal law to the public, animal humane societies and other
organisations.
Improve, reform and strengthen animal law legislation.
Ensure that animal laws are enforced (often they are neglected) and are interpreted as
intended (often they are not).
Educate the public and welfare organisations about animal law.
Ensure that the public debate about animal rights from a legal point of view is informed and
conducted impartially and fairly.
Take part in consultations and monitor developments in legislative bodies and relevant
international institutions.
Publish scholarly articles in journals of animal law.
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Disseminate information about animal law through professional seminars and popular
channels such as radio broadcasts and the Web.
Plan animal law conferences and workshops and the training of students in animal law.
Taking Up Animal Law

To be an animal lawyer you must first study and train to be a qualified lawyer. You would then
specialise in animal law. You should seek up to date information and advice from career counsellors
about training in law, and animal law in particular. Also search the Web under 'animal law programs'
or 'animal law courses'.
Even if you are not a certified lawyer you might nevertheless counsel on animal law and related
procedures provided you do not claim to anyone that you are a lawyer. You might be able to make
your way as an independent voluntary para-legal, carrying out research, determining facts and
providing procedural information for clients. But beware of what the law says you can and cannot do
in your state; without a license to practice as a lawyer you may be committing a criminal offence.
Further Information
A number of organisations specialise in animal law. They can best be found on the Web. A few are:
USA
Animal Legal Defense Fund (www.aldf.org). They work to develop animal law in law schools.
International Institute for Animal Law (www.animallawintl.org). They encourage legal
scholarship and advocacy skills for animals internationally.
National Centre for Animal Law (www.lclark.edu). Situated in Oregon, they train animal law
students and are a resource for students, professors, attorneys and anyone in the US.
Britain
Association of Lawyers for Animal Welfare. They are solicitors, barristers and legal academics
who promote animal law, share knowledge and expertise and provide information to animal
campaigners and animal welfare organisations.
Bibliography
Waisman, Sonia S; Wagman, Bruce A & Frasch, Pamela D. Animal Law: cases and materials. This is
a well known American book for students of law.
References
(1) Animal Legal Defence Fund. www.aldf.org (accessed May 2008).
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4.3
Undercover Investigator
The Business of Being Undercover

Animal abusers are not always willingly open about their treatment of animals. However, as an
undercover investigator you can infiltrate their operations and document what they do to bring their
activity into the open for public criticism. Evidence gained from undercover work supplies animal
advocate organisations with broadsides they fire at animal abusers. It is on the strength of good
documentation that pro-animal campaigns are born and won.
An example of an undercover investigation is the case of the British Union for the Abolition of
Vivisection (BUAV), mentioned in Chapter 4: Animal Lawyer. The British Government had granted
licences to Cambridge University to experiment on marmoset monkeys and BUAV took the
Government to court. BUAV's evidence was based on a ten month undercover investigation of the
suffering of the monkeys at the university's animal house. In the ensuing litigation the judge ruled that,
considering the monkeys' suffering, the Home Secretary had acted unlawfully in authorising the
licences for the university's experiments.
A well known case of undercover work involved the Institute for Biological Research at Silver Spring,
Maryland, in the early 1980's. Alex Pacheco (co-founder of People for the Ethical Treatment of
Animals) took a voluntary vacation job at the institute and witnessed abuses on macaque monkeys
that violated US animal cruelty laws. He called in the police and the experiments were stopped,
resulting in the first impoundment of animals from a US laboratory. The issue went to the US
Supreme Court and the news media dubbed it the case of the 'Silver Spring Monkeys'. The laboratory
director was the first experimenter in US legal history convicted of animal cruelty and the case
contributed to changes in the law for animals. Although Pacheco's role was fortuitous, stumbling on
a corrupt practice rather than undertaking a deliberate pre-planned undercover investigation, the
elements are the same: recognising what is going on and acquiring evidence for litigation.
One of the most horrendous exposures by investigators is what is still happening at Chinese fur
farms, where foxes, mink, rabbits and other animals are abused and often skinned alive (1). Skinned
animals are thrown onto piles, some animals apparently still alive. In this case video document ation
was carried out openly with the permission of the fur farmers, but it demonstrates that investigators
must observe appalling atrocities and still carry on with their work, outwardly unmoved and apparently
willing to go along with whatever they witness.
Ups & Downs
Being a spy sounds glamorous; indeed it often is - in fiction novels. The reality is usually just a jot of
excitement with long hours of labour. And your jot of excitement comes at a price:
You will be forced to witness cruelties, unable to do anything about them, and will have to
cope with it emotionally.
You will work with the people you investigate, but as a secret investigator you are
fundamentally alone. You cannot confide in anyone about your undercover work (except
perhaps to a 'case officer', see the next point).
You might do your undercover work through an animal advocacy organisation. If so, you may
have a 'case officer' who debriefs you at the end of the day to analyse and collate information
and you may have to write reports and make plans for the following day. Even if you are
freelancing you will still have to do all this by yourself. Thus you will work evenings in addition
to your daytime work.
You may have to travel anywhere in the country or abroad to carry out your investigations.
Not all investigations are around the corner. Therefore you may be away from home for
weeks or months and this could disrupt your home and social life.
However, in the long-term you know that what you are doing will help animals and the animal rights
cause and that you will not be undercover for ever. These thoughts may be your only sustenance.
There is, however, a more tangible upside to undercover work: you may be paid twice over! You
should be paid by the people you infiltrate (assuming you are infiltrating a company employing you to
work for them) and by the animal advocate agency engaging you as an undercover investigator
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(unless you do it for free).

What It Takes
What are the several qualities and skills you should have as an undercover agent ?
You must be committed and need stamina, determination and persistence to succeed
because you must stick with your plan of operation from beginning to end.
You must be able to pay attention to detail, make your own decisions, and sometimes act fast
under pressure to get the evidence.
You should be informed about animal rights and welfare issues and knowledgeable about
relevant animal protection law so that you know what to look for.
You should be able to keep a secret and not tell strangers, friends or family (except perhaps
your partner) that you are an undercover agent. You must be able to live in two worlds. You
do not want your cover 'blown'.
You must be able to work long hours and handle two jobs at once: your day job where the
animals are abused and your debriefing at night.
You must be emotionally stable and able to work with other people. You will see animals
suffer yet you will have to masquerade as an unaffected rock, getting along with everyone
whatever happens.
You should be proficient at documenting what you are investigating, whether handling
gadgets (see Surveillance Systems, below) or making accurate notes of your observations on
paper for people to read.
You cannot let yourself get paranoid: go about thinking that you are being watched and that
you will be found out. If you are the sort who stays cool and rational the tighter the situation
gets, then maybe you have the makings of an undercover agent.
Setting-Up as an Undercover Agent

How do you set up as an undercover investigator? There are two ways. Now and then a few
organisations advertise employment for undercover agents. One such organisation is People for the
Ethical Treatment of Animals; they train you, but you have to have the right background for them.
The other way is to do it yourself. Infiltrate your target in some way. You might get a well-placed job at
your target and thus some sort of access to the information you want. Or you might find a sympathetic
employee at your target as your inside agent who will act for you (you become their case officer).
When you are well placed to get the documentary evidence or once you have it, present yourself to
animal advocacy organisations and really sell yourself to them. Build up a reputation as a reliable,
willing and able agent and you may get contracts.
Surveillance Systems
Two useful digital surveillance systems are miniature pinhole and button cameras. They are called
systems because they are self-contained but are made up of a mixture of different units, basically a
camera, a microphone, a recorder, a transmitter and batteries. Wear them secretly on your body, hide
them in a bag you carry or conceal them in a room. Properly installed they are difficult for the
opposition to find because you can disguise them in various ways and any way your opponents will not
be suspecting you.
A Pinhole Camera
This is a simple to use camera, smaller than a cigarette packet. You can wear it or plant it
somewhere, such as inside a motor vehicle. You can carry it in a briefcase or a lady's
handbag and operate it by remote control when you place the bag unattended at a suitable
position. The system offers good picture and sound quality and records continuously for a
number of hours. Among the camera's features is a motion sensor that stops the camera
recording when there is no action, saving battery power. Just connect the system to a monitor
or TV to play back your recordings. The camera will also operate from mains electricity.
A Button Camera
This camera stays out of sight, literally concealed behind a button. Sew the button onto your
jacket. There are different colours and sizes of button for the fussy dresser. Connect the
camera to a separate body-worn microphone and battery and to a miniature digital video
recorder. Record in colour and store hours of quality audio/video. For playback, plug into a
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monitor or TV. Like the pinhole camera above, this system will also operate from mains
electricity. An advantage of this system is that you do not feel you look suspicious by carrying
a bag that conceals a camera.
Warning
For every measure there is a counter measure. Might counter surveillance operatives be about? Might
they detect your surveillance equipment? A counter surveillance operative sweeping a handheld
metal detector over your body will spot any metal you are wearing or concealing in a bag.
Furthermore, some camera components emit a weak electronic signal that counter surveillance
detectors may pick up. Detectors are small enough to fit into the palm of the hand and anyone can
use them without technical knowledge. Just switch on a detector, fiddle a knob or two, and if it blinks it
has found a nearby 'bug', a surveillance system. To go undetected you may want to use the latest
model surveillance system and test it against existing bug detectors . However, if no one suspects you
are carrying surveillance equipment, then you may have nothing to worry about - the opposition's
defences, if any, will be down!
Links
Tracks Investigations: www.tracksinvestigations.org.
Undercover Animal-Rights Investigator, by Kate Pickert. Times Magazine. March 2009.
www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1883742,00.html
References
(1) Hsieh-Yi; Yi-Chiao; Yu Fu; Maas B & Rissi, Mark. Dying for fur. A Report on the Fur Industry in
China. EAST International/Swiss Animal Protection SAP. 2005.
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4.4 Video Activist

"All that you need to become a true video activist is the necessary
equipment, practice to develop your required skills, and, perhaps most
importantly, inspiration." Thomas Harding (1)
The miniaturisation and affordability of video technology has brought to the streets and fields the
video activist or 'videographer'. Images and sound-bites have the power to seize people's attention
and bring home the reality of what is happening around them. Video activists wield the video camera
to defend and promote civil rights. You can harness the power of the video camera to bear witness for
animal rights. Freelance or work for animal voluntary organisations on their campaigns. Video a
demonstration or work on a long-term project setting objectives and targeting specific audiences. Set
yourself up as a lone video activist or gather a team together. When sufficiently experienced you
could train others to be video activists too.
Personal Qualities You Will Need
As a video activist you should or will have to:
Learn the skills of taking and making a good video. You do not need to be a film producer or
photo journalist to be successful.
Not mind obtruding on people: asking them probing ques tions and poking your camera into
their faces.
Be confident and courageous when approaching rowdy or aggressive people in hectic
situations where you might get hurt physically or when approaching despairing people in
desperate conditions where you might get hurt emotionally.
Feel comfortable with ears muffled by headphones, staring through your camera, separate,
even alienated, from everyone around you when the action gets hot.
Be able to stick to your role as video activist should an animal or anyone get beaten or
trampled. You will miss getting those video shots if you dilute your task with distractions. You
must let others do the aiding work.
Be willing to cope with tedium and frustration. Your mere presence does not guarantee that
interesting incidents will materialise and you will spend days in the field when nothing of note
happens. You have to hang around a lot.
What to Video?
Two basic video activisms for animal rights videographers are recording campaign videos and
recording witness videos.
Campaign videos
You document events and conditions where animals are mistreated, neglected or abused. Your aim is
to raise people's awareness, educate and exhort people to act, and persuade people to donate
money to fight abuse.
Witness videos
You record at animal rights demonstrations. Your purpose is to capture evidence of illegal or vicious
activity by the opposition or police against activist demonstrators as evidence in court. Taking shots of
demonstrations can also be an important part of making a campaign video.
The Campaign Video
You are going to tell a story through video. So where do you find stories? You can easily access
some places, like circuses, rodeos and zoos. Factory farms are a bit more difficult and you will have
to use your ingenuity to video them, and laboratories and research institutions may be guarded and
alert (but see Chapter 4: Undercover Investigator, under the section Surveillance Systems).
Video activists are not in the league of making three-hour documentary films. Depending on your
purpose, a five to ten minute video can be long enough, certainly for the Web or to screen at a
debate. Your intention is not to bore your viewers but to carry across what you want to say and your
video should be just long enough for that. It is said that one picture is worth a thousand words;
certainly, one timely five minute video is worth a three hour film. Examples of campaign videos are:
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A Circus Video
Circus Suffering, produced by the Captive Animals Protection Society (CAPS), is a video that
juxtaposes circus animals a hundred years ago with circus animals today . The video carries the
message that we have advanced tremendously in our understanding of wildlife yet 'wild' circus
animals still live in shackles. The video was shot at circuses acros s Europe, features elephants,
baboons, ponies, lions, bears and tigers, and captures, says CAPS, "the confinement, deprivation and
violence in these animals' lives." A television presenter narrates the twelve minute video, which also
has a five minute Web version.
A Foie Gras Video

The San Diego City Council was deciding on a proposed law in 2006 to ban the sale of foie gras. The
California based Animal Protection and Rescue League presented the Council with a 15 minute video
as testimony, made in association with two other animal rights bodies. The Council passed the ban
almost unanimously.
A Rescue Video
Go out on an animal rescue (see the Animal Rescuer, Chapter 4). Video the rescue team posing
together and show them setting out and arriving at their destination (you could include a shot of the
location on a map). Get wide angle views of the target premises then close ups of team members
getting inside. Show the condition of the place and the state the animals are in. Also show the animals
post-rescue being cleaned up at your base and recovering with adoption volunteers. To go the whole
way and get the full story of the open rescue, you may want to video yourselves being arrested and
tried, people's reactions, even yourself in prison. Add narration, and music to match.
Camera work will be only one of your talents when making a campaign video. Planning the video is
the most important skill and may take up to eighty percent of video production time and most of your
energy. Professional film makers plan their films with storyboards, drawing sequences of pictures that
will make up the complete movie. Storyboarding makes a video a lot easier to direct and edit. You
could do it that way. Alternatively, you could sit down, close your eyes and concentrat e hard on
visualising what your video will be about, shot for shot, searching for potential problems and thinking
through how you will overcome them. Then, having sorted that out, open your eyes, make a list of the
shots and finally go out and shoot them.
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The Witness Video

Record events at animal rights demonstrations and in particular catch problems involving the police
and opposition against the demonstrators. By videoing at demonstrations:
You prevent or restrain by your mere presence any over-reactions and excesses by the police
acting heavily against demonstrators or being idle when they should be attentive and
competent. Police are accountable and do not want to be caught out on video for the world to
see.
You forestall opposition violence when they see they are being videoed. But keep an eye
open for anyone wanting to 'taking you out', hopefully a rare and avoidable occurrence!
You have video footage on offer to lawyers as evidence in litigation disputes to acquit activists
and bystanders of spurious or inflated police accusations.
You are on hand to capture confrontational fracas to distribute to the news media for publicity
in favour of animal rights.
If the police think you are taking part in the demonstration, rather than being an uninvolved reporter,
they might decide to arrest you on some trumped up charge, such as trespassing on private property
or riotous behaviour. To counter this it may be prudent to shoot footage of both sides altercations so
that you can claim to be unbiased. You may also want something that identifies you as an impartial
journalist or as a member of some part of the news media. Ideally you would flaunt an official press
card. Failing that you could devise a business card ('Joe Snapitall - Freelance Photojournalist - Times
Square.'), or have in your pocket a letter from a video company stating you are on assignment for
them.
What you do not want to do is inadvertently record illegal activity that could get animal rights people
into trouble. This might happen should your footage be shown publicly and wrongly interpreted or the
police confiscate your camera and use your footage for their purposes. Do not think that the police will
not seize your video camera, even if their taking it is illegal, as they can always make up an excuse
afterwards.
While shooting your witness video speak a calm, objective, running commentary into the video
camera's microphone. Start with the time, date and place and at appropriate moments re-state the
time and position where you are shooting. Note the identity numbers of individual police antagonists,
a description of anyone they arrest, and the name and contact data of witnesses. Follow up possible
opportunities for more shots; find out where arrested or injured people were taken and check other
video activists working close by to swap footage.
When the fur is really flying at a demonstration it is useful to have one or more helpers. They can
assist you by looking out for good potential shots, protect you by watching your rear, and sneak your
video footage out of the area if the police intend to grab it. Further, you might be more effective at
demonstrations as part of a team of video activists, each member taking their own footage to make a
more complete record of what is happening. Some team members could shoot close up, others from
a distance, or take footage from opposite sides of an incident.
Interviewing demonstrators can be enjoyable and interesting. Ask open ended questions, like "what
did you see?" or "what did you do?" Whenever they stop speaking just prompt them by repeating
"then what happened?" Ask again if what they say is not clear; they must speak credibly. Elbow your
way into someone else's witness interview; your job is to get evidence, not to be polite. Get phone
numbers or addresses from good witnesses, but expect that they may not want to get involved.
Depending on circumstances you may want to shoot openly or from cover. People are sometimes
shy, so you could act as though your camera is turned off and carry it inconspicuously while still
shooting, or only use its microphone. A shoulder bag is handy for a lot of covert shooting. Cut a hole
for the camera lens at one end of the bag and tape the camera in position making sure you can see
the camera's viewfinder with the bag open. Cut another hole for your microphone or clip the mic to
your clothes.
You may want to buy a pinhole video camera if your heart is set on covert work. These cameras sit on
a dime yet zoom, tilt and pan like their bigger relatives. However, while the camera itself is not too
expensive, you may have to buy a tiny recorder to store the images the camera takes and that could
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cost several times the camera's price tag. You will also need to buy other bits like cables, batteries
and battery power adapters.
Basic Video Field Kit
Apart from access to a computer and editing software, you do not need much else for making videos
than the basic field kit. The basic field kit of the modern video activist consists of:
Camera: often a camcorder (a camera with a built-in recording device) that plays back
footage and sound.
Batteries: probably come with the camera, but get a long-life battery as a spare.
Battery charger: probably comes with the camera.
Headphones: to monitor your sound recording. Buy them as an ext ra.
Kit bag: for carrying your kit conveniently and safely. Buy this as an extra, too.
Video cameras are digital and video technology is a growing and fast -changing industry. Some video
cameras record for several hours without needing attention, so you can keep recording without
constantly downloading footage to a computer or changing batteries. Almost any brand of video
camera (or camcorder) will do. But you may like it to have a good range of manual functions so that
you can control it by hand depending on what you want it to do - instead of it choosing automatically
and overriding you.
You may want to consider what the video camera will record its images and sound on. A video
camera can record on a disk or hard drive. Small disks slot into the camcorder and you can record
over them repeatedly. A hard drive is built into the camera (like a computer's hard drive), can accept
several hours of recording and is easily transferable to your computer via a memory stick or other
device.
12 Tips for Shooting Videos
1. Start your video with an overall shot to show the context of your subject, such as a
landmark, a signpost, a building, or something else relevant and unique to that place.
2. Perch your video camera on a monopod or tripod to prevent it (and the foot age) shaking. If
you do not want a pod to impede you at a fast moving demonstration, brace yourself against
something, like a lamppost or a helper's shoulder.
3. Pan slowly and steadily from one scene or subject to another. Do not continually move the
camera back the way it came. Your viewers will not want to be motion-sick.
4. Get about ten seconds of footage on each of the important shots.
5. Monitor what is going on while shooting by keeping both eyes open, one eye looking
through the viewfinder and the other eye checking your surroundings.
6. Learn to shoot while walking backwards.
7. Check that you really are recording. You may have been recording when you thought you
had stopped, and stopped recording when you thought you had started.
8. Be discrete and unobtrusive. People may feel uncomfortable and object to you shooting.
But sometimes it is worth making a nuisance of yourself for a good shot.
9. Your video camera is also a tape recorder. It will record sounds closer to it better than
sounds further away. Experiment with an external microphone. You can point it at sound
sources and filter out peripheral noise.
10. While recording, monitor the sound with headphones to make sure it is not a jumble of
noise.
11. Buy a cheap video camera if your equipment might get smashed, eg at a violent demo.
But buy quality equipment if you intend your video for television or other public viewing.
12. Prepare for Murphy's Law: if anything can go wrong it will go wrong.
Editing
You do not cut celluloid footage into strips anymore. Nowadays you do your video editing entirely on a
computer. Nor is there any need for complicated editing software. Basic video-editing programs are
installed on most new computers. Even elementary editing programs enable you to add titles,
narration, music and special effects to a video. Choose the best footage and put the bits in order to
make your video flow the way you want it. Get the editing right and you will have a lot of satisfaction
from your completed video. Bear in mind that a witness video may best be left unedited if it is going to
be used in court, otherwise it may appear biased and suspect.
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Distributing Your Video

You are not a video activist by shutting your video away in the attic. You must show your work to
influence people and therefore you must distribute it.
Show your video online on your web site or blog, or upload it to a web site that display s
people's videos, like YouTube.
Describe your video to web site owners and ask them for a link from their web site to the page
on your web site where viewers can see it. (Give a reciprocal link to the web site owners who
link to your site.)
Send out details of your video to potential customers, patrons and to anyone who might be
interested in it. Briefly describe it (plus buying information) and include a web address where
they can see a preview.
Present your video at events arranged by animal activist organisations where audiences can
view and discuss it.
After much experience you may find that you are exceptionally good at video ac tivism. Then
you may be in the market to sell footage to television. Who knows, you might hit the jackpot
by catching a sensational event that television companies fall over themselves to air!
References
(1) Harding, Thomas. The Video Activist Handbook . Pluto Press: London. 2001, xvi. 2nd edition.
Further Reading
Gregory, S; Caldwell, G; Avni, R; Harding, T & Gabriel, P. Video for Change: a guide for advocacy
and activism. Pluto Press: London. 2005.
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4.5
Preacher
Quote:
"Poll: Do animals go to heaven when they die?
Yes.
Only if they are 'good'.
I don't believe in Heaven and Hell.
Karma affects animals as it does humans.
No.
Not sure.
Other.
About our polls: Because AnimalChaplains.com is an int erfaith ministry, we
do not claim to know the answers to these important religious questions..."
(1)
Many attitudes in the West about animals derive from Judaeo-Christian sources and are deeply
human centred. Two common fundamental religious beliefs held for centuries are that God made
animals for human use and that humans in every way are more important than animals. People
manipulate these ideas to justify exploiting animals while denying animals moral and welfare
obligations.
How can you transform this view? Perhaps you are gifted for delivering religious teachings or spiritual
exhortations? Then no matter what your religion or religious tradition you can speak up and spread
respect for God's creation and preach God's word for animal rights. (If you want to teach but not
preach, see Teaching, Chapter 4.)
Anyone Can Preach
Your goal as a preacher is to articulate to people the expression of God as you understand it. You do
not need to be ordained as clergy or be a member of a religious group to do this. Anyone can do it
anywhere they like on their own initiative. But if you are a member of a religious group and wish to
preach within its congregation, then the first step is to talk with your minister to explore opportunities.
Some religious orders use lay preachers: non-ordained, part-time volunteers. It is said that because
lay preachers live among the ordinary people that they are able to relate to the lives of common
people and bring a freshness of interpretation to the scriptures that ordained clergy cannot.
Animal Chaplain
Although you may be able to find some clergy who will take general services for animals, they are the
rare exceptions. Clergy preachers for animal rights are even more rare (see Andrew Linzey, Chapter
7). Possibly the closest vocation to animal preacher as such is an animal chaplain. Animal chaplains
serve animals and the people who are close to their animals. Animal chaplains are unpaid, often have
another job to sustain their worldly needs and offer their chaplaincy part -time. Animal chaplains may
be affiliated to a religious body and preach in collaboration with ordained clergy; alternatively, they
may preach independently of any religious organisation and set up their own ministry.
Being an animal chaplain is a fairly new calling and one that has been developing over the last few
years. Among your duties as an animal chaplain you would:
Conduct religious services in which animals are welcome.

Perform animal blessings and memorial ceremonies.
Provide pet-loss consolation and counselling.
Pray for sick or injured animals.
Support pet owners during animal surgery or euthanasia.
Animal chaplains also deliver sermons on the relationship between animals and humans and advance
spiritual education and guidance about the responsibilities of humans to animals. From here it is a tiny
step to preach animal rights and there is no reason why you should not do so as part of your work as
an animal chaplain. Broadly, you will be promoting compassion, respect and rights for God's creatures
and the sharing of the environment with all creation in peace and harmony.
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Qualities You Need for Animal Rights Preaching
A sense of calling and a will and commitment to preach.

Be able to articulate your feelings to other people, project your voice with confidence and
express yourself well to deliver your sermons effectively.
Be a spiritual person, without necessarily being religious, with a love for animals.
If you are religious you should know your religion, especially by studying and interpreting
its holy books to apply them when preaching and answering people's questions.
Develop your faculties as an acute observer of life and discern links between the
scriptures and modern everyday living.
Enjoy serving others, be a good listener, reliable, mature and emotionally stable.
Be willing to learn the art of preaching. Study the style and delivery of practising
preachers and develop your own technique.
Be willing to spend time publicising your services in your community (people must know
you exist).
Animal Preachers Past & Present

Francis of Assisi (1181 - 1226) is one of the best known religious preachers from history. He lived in
present day Italy and was first a soldier then a traveller and finally a Catholic friar who started his
preaching career without being ordained. Frances was made a saint and as the patron saint of
animals he demonstrates the positive side of Christianity to the animal world.
People are quick to depreciate and exterminate some animals without knowing their true nature. This
applies to wolves in particular (2, 3). So the fable of Francis and the wolf has special interest. Francis
was visiting Gubbio village when the community was terrorised by a wolf consuming their livestock.
The people tried to kill the wolf, but he fought back and they were afraid to leave their houses. Francis
met the wolf and explained to him that he must not harm the people or their livestock, in which case
past errors would be forgiven and the villagers would not try to kill him. To the surprise of the people
the wolf agreed and shook hands with Francis as a pledge. From then on the wolf stopped harming
the people and their livestock and in return the villagers fed the wolf. We should each draw our own
moral from this story, but one moral could be that destructiveness in man and beast can be redeemed
by offering animals understanding and respect.
However, you do not need to rely on legend for inspiration to preach about animals. For a modern
animal rights preacher, see Chapter 7: Andrew Linzey - the face of modern Christianity embracing
animals rights.
Sermons
The sermon is a valuable primary tool. The typical sermon has a clear cohesive union of introduction,
body and conclusion. The introduction grabs your listeners' attention, the body of the sermon makes
the points you wish to get across to your audience, and the conclusion is a definite and resounding
finale, like an exhortation. There are different kinds of sermon:
Topical: follows a subject of current concern via the scriptures.

Expository: explains passages from the scriptures.
Biographical: pursues the life and meaning of a personality in the scriptures.
Evangelistic: spells out how members of the audience can save themselves.
As well as preaching that animals and humans are morally equal and deserving of rights, another
major theme is that people should show respect for animals by taking up vegetarianism. Humanity
kills billions of food animals annually (Chapter 6) and therefore meat-eating is at the forefront of
animal rights issues and has moral and spiritual significance for animal rights preachers. Some
Christian vegetarians cite parts of the Bible as evidence that Jesus was a vegetarian animal activist.
They explain that Jesus' act of expelling animal traders from the temple on the eve of a big feast day
(6) was to stop a huge slaughter of animals. Furthermore, they claim, that the New Testament only
once describes Jesus as eating meat - and then only a small morsel of fish to make a point to his
disciples. However, there are endless topics to choose from for sermons.
98
A good technique is to phrase the titles of sermons as questions so that you can build up your
audience's curiosity and bring each sermon to a decisive answer. Titles for sermons could be:
What do the scriptures say about the moral standing of animals in relation to humans?
Can we reconcile discrepancies between being God's 'stewards of creation' and setting
up factory farms?
What can we make of God loving all his creatures and of the suffering imposed on
animals by humanity?
Does not God say the strong should protect the weak and therefore should not humanity
protect animality?
Is human dominion over animalkind a trust by God, for which we shall be called to
account, and not an exploitative absolute right?
Eating animals is not associated with a pure state of humanity - Eden was a vegetarian
garden - so should we all be vegetarians?
Do the scriptures illuminate the meaning of equal consideration of God's creatures in a
modern world?
Publicising Yourself
You may be able to publicise yourself as an animal rights preacher by way of your house of worship.
Another route to publicise your services is through your own web site or blog (Chapter 3: Internet). As
well as preaching sermons out loud you can write them for display; your web site is an extension of
your pulpit, so post your sermons there. Hand out your literature in public places and at religious
services and meetings. Teach compassion to animals in school classrooms (see Chapter 4: Public &
School Speaker).
Training
Some churches offer training and accreditation to lay preachers. The training may take the form of
writing essays, meeting in study groups, periodic homework and associated reading for group
discussion. Some training courses may last more than a year and could involve residential weekends.
There are no officially approved training courses to qualify candidates as animal chaplains (writing in
2008), although there are a handful of web sites that offer distant learning opportunities, and there are
certainly no courses for animal rights preachers. So be an animal rights preacher now - the field is
open and may be calling you.
References
(1) www.AnimalChaplains.com. (Accessed October 2007; now defunct.)
(2) Linnell, John D C, et al. The fear of wolves: a review of wolf attack s on humans. NINA
Oppdragsmelding, 731. 2002:1 - 65. (Accessed online May 2004.)
(3) McNay, Mark E. A Case History of wolf-human encounters in Alask a and Canada. Alaska
Department of Fish and Game. Wildlife Technical Bulletin 13. 2002. (Accessed onli ne May 2004.)
(4) Linzey, Andrew. Christianity and Animals. Rynn Berry interviews. 1996. www.satyamag.com.
(Accessed May 2006.)
(5) Linzey, Andrew. The Ethical Case Against Fur Farming. A statement by an international group of
academics, including ethicists, philosophers and theologians. (Accessed online May 2006 at Respect
for Animals and other web sites.)
(6) Matthew 21:12; Mark 11:15-16; Luke 19:45.
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4.6
Animal Rescuer
Rescues are actions that liberate abused animals. Often the animals are morally or i llegally
maltreated and their welfare is disregard by the authorities. Frequent target animals for rescues are
hens and pigs at factory farms, dogs and rabbits at animal experiment laboratories, fur-bearers at fur
farms, and then there are canned hunts, slaughterhouses and any place where people make animals
suffer. Rescues can be open or clandestine. Rescues are open when the rescuers maximise publicity
for their cause by revealing their identity to the police and public and by challenging the legal
consequences of their actions. Rescues are clandestine or closed when the rescuers hide their
identity, sometimes by wearing balaclavas, and evade the law.
Aim of Open Rescues
An aim of rescues is to save suffering animals by giving them veterinary aid if sick and either giving
them to caring homes or turning them loose to fend for themselves. Another aim, especially of open
rescues, is to make as much publicity as possible for the cause of animal rights. Open rescuers
contact the news media and police about their rescue and thoroughly explain their reasons for doing
it. Moreover, they are prepared to go to court to defend their actions and if necessary go to prison.
Open rescuing goes back at least to the 1980's when Australian Patty Mark, in Melbourne, Austral ia,
organised Animal Liberation Victoria to stage open rescues. Open rescues then spread from Australia
to Sweden, Germany, the USA and other countries.
Staging an Open Rescue
It is essential that you prepare in advance when going about an open rescue. First of all you need
reliable knowledge of your target property and evidence of the illegal abuses perpetrated there. This
you could get by wandering about unannounced, which might amount to a mild trespass, or, if security
is tight, you could get a job there. Either way you collect sure documentary evidence with video and/or
stills photos of the conditions of the animals (see Undercover Investigator and Video Activist, both in
Chapter 4). Your evidence must be able to stand up in a court of law.
Duplicate your evidence and take it to the relevant authorities and demand that they prosecute the
abusers for breaking the law. All is well and good should the law actually take effective action; in this
case you win and can go and find another target. However, it is likely the law will not take action or be
sluggishly slow and do nothing effective, in which case you carry out your open rescue. The aim of
the rescue is twofold: to publicise the illegal abuse of the animals and publicise the lack of action of
the authorities by not prosecuting the perpetrators.
You return to your target property and set free or take with you at least some of the animals when you
leave. Then give copies (prepared in advance) of your printed personal details and why you carried
out the raid, plus copies of your evidence to the police, news media and your lawyer. Moreover,
demand that the authorities now take action to rectify the illegal abuse to the animals. Declare that
you accept and welcome the prospect that you may be prosecuted in court (for trespass or burglary)
and that you are ready to fight your case and serve time in prison if necessary in defence of the
animals. Your legal defence is that the authorities would take no action (or no effective action) and
therefore you had no other course but to bring the issue to public attention by steeling the animals for
people to see. Squeeze out as much publicity as you can.
Video clips of rescues online: track them down via a search engine by keying "open rescue" into its
search field.
What You Need to Be a Rescuer
For open rescues you should:
Know how to operate cameras to collect the evidence.

Understand the animal welfare laws of your state so that you know whether the animal abuse
you see is legal or illegal.
Be able to gather evidence of your target premises before you raid it in a rescue.
Know how to handle the news media to make the most of the publicity you can generate.
(See Chapter 3: News Media.)
Be able to say goodbye to your family and job in case you spend time in jail .
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For closed rescues some of the above also applies but in addition:
You should also be good at evading the law.
For both open and closed rescues:
You need a burning desire to act as a rescuer and accept any consequences that befall you.
Some Good & Bad Points

Open rescues have some good arguments in their favour:
You do not physically harm anyone or destroy property (although some rescuers have taken it
on themselves to damage property) and therefore no one can seriously claim that you the
rescuers are animal rights terrorists (see Chapter 5 under Terrorism and under Violence or
Nonviolence?).
When you do not harm anyone or destroy property the news media are likely to focus on the
animals, their suffering and the reluctance of the authorities to enforce the law about animal
welfare. If you cause harm then you will have thrown away your moral and legal advantage
because the news media are likely to focus on that instead of the animals.
You can get positive reporting for animal rights from the news media because you are open
about your identity. Your honesty, candour and non-aggression encourage a sympathetic
response to animal liberation from the public. People can see animal lib as a courageous and
compassionate aim. Clandestine rescuers, on the other hand, can keep on freeing animals
(provided they avoid prison) but tend not to win over the public or make the law on animal
welfare more effectively enforced.
Of course there is always a down side to anything:
Open rescues take up more time, money and effort than closed rescues because open
rescuers may have to defend themselves in law courts and possibly go to prison.
In prison you are not available to go on more rescues - although you could spend time
profitably, such as publishing your experiences and why you are an animal rescuer.
Open rescue is not a method for everyone; you may not want to jeopardize your career by
going to prison or want a criminal record.
Rescuing abused animals is certainly worthwhile, especially for the rescued animals. Comparing open
and closed rescues, the former may be more effective in that it not only liberates some animals but in
the long-run can stimulate better welfare for more animals through making the law act against illegal
animal abusers.
However, rescues have their critics. Some people take the view that you have a responsibility to abide
by the law and therefore not engage in rescues, open or clandestine, but should pursue your goals by
legal and democratic means. Alternatively, other people will see rescues as a moral good that
exposes animal abuse and illegal operators. If you have tried every avenue without success then you
may have no alternative but to engage in civil disobedience and direct action (see Chapter 3: Civil
Disobedience, and Direct Action). The irony is that too often the law-breaking perpetrators of animal
abuse get away with their violation while the open rescuers are nicked by the law and end up in jail - a
socio-legal hypocrisy.
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4.7
Investigative Reporter
Investigative reporters (also called investigative journalists) probe questionable activities that are
hidden from public view, appear to go against the public interest and which the public do not know
much if anything about. As an investigative reporter you do not publicise mere assertions but obtain
reasonable evidence of controversial activity and lay it open for public scrutiny and debate. In our
case, as an animal rights investigative reporter, you must expose activities that go against the animal
good, which in the long-run also often go against the public good.
Your ultimate goal, what ever wrong-doings you decide to pursue, is to change society's attitude to
animals for the better. But you do not need to uncover a national or international conspiracy, just
begin locally. Then if you want to take it further you can progress on to bigger jobs. Examples where
hidden harms against animals may emerge and should be investigated and challenged are:
Violations of codes of professional conduct, eg at business companies,

circuses, rodeos and abattoirs.
Animal baiting.
Animal experimentation laboratories.
Pet theft.
Wildlife hunting and destruction.
Animal trade, nationally or international import and export.
Animal transport, national and international.
Factory farming and fur farming.
Domestic animal abuse in the home.
Food and clothing labelling.
You may be motivated to take up your investigation for the sake of animals. However, you will be in a
much stronger position if you can present the evidence that you propose to get and any conclusions
you that may draw in terms of the interests of people, such as peoples health and wellbeing, their
economics or sense of morality. Slant your expos this way and more people, whether animaloriented or not, will respond to your investigative report.
Investigation Ideas
Where do you get ideas for an investigation?
Monitor industries such as fur fashion, factory farming, pet food production.
Look for trends, like an increase in foie gras, veal or prosecutions for selling meat unsuitable
for human consumption.
Check the news: examine your local or national press to find a new angle on an existing story.
Browse the Web and your reference library for ideas.
Ask acquaintances and brain-storm with colleagues.
Also see under Define Your Subject in Chapter 4: Scientific Investigator.
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Publication
The results of your investigation must be published if there is to be any kind of public or official
reaction to it. So ask yourself these questions about an investigation you have in mind before you
start spending a lot of time on the case.
Would a reputable animal advocate organisation publish your findings as a report for
wide circulation (ask some organisations)?
Could your findings be published locally or nationally in the media (eg is it newsworthy see Chapter 3: News Media)?
Might legal action be taken about your findings (get some legal advice)?
Your subject may be worthwhile investigating if the answer to any of these questions is yes. But if the
answer to all three questions is negative then think again; look for a different angle to pitch your
investigation or cast about for another subject to investigate. Do not just hope or assume that any of
these questions might turn out positive. Time spent getting evidence for and against these
considerations is time well spent.
Planning
When you pick out a potential investigation get a clear idea of why you propose doing it. Examine it
from as many angles as you can to forestall any problems. Ask yourself of your intended
investigation:
What hidden activities might it reveal and are they illegal?

What moral values might it question?
Who in power might it challenge?
Can any perpetrator be held accountable legally or morally?
Has it already been exposed and is nevertheless continuing? (If it is continuing get the
facts on why it is.)
What must you do to get proof of the activity (eg eyewitness statements,
documentation, photography, environmental tests)?
Will you get the evidence openly or by deception? (Deception can be legal - see
Legality & Ethics, below.)
Will there be any legal infringements getting the evidence, such as trespass or theft?
(See Legality & Ethics, below.)
How will the story be delivered to the public (eg to magazines, newspapers or
television, or to an animal rights organisation)?
Will there be any legal problems like libel if your report is published? (See Legality &
Ethics, below.)
And if you go ahead with your investigation do not forget to follow it up after it is complete. Are the
abuses still continuing after you have revealed them to the authorities and t he public? Keep checking
and reinvestigate if necessary.
Is Investigative Reporting for You?
Investigative reporting may be for you if you:
Get a lot of satisfaction doing your own thing.

Have an enterprising nature for uncovering shady activity.
Are single-minded and focused to keep on track.
Can educate yourself about the field.
Can identify key points, think critically and ask the right questions.
Can react quickly in a tricky situation.
Can turn out your findings in depth for distribution in print or in some other medium, like
photography or video.
Have self-control when dealing with upsetting conditions.
Have patience and firmness when handling disagreeable people.
Are prepared for the possibility of occasional physical assault against yourself.
Are willing to risk entanglement with the law.
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Gadgets?
When on an investigation take notes of what you witness (at the time or immediately afterwards) and
never rely on memory alone. You may want a sound recorder and a camera, but going overboard with
gadgets is pointless; your eyes and ears are your primary tools.
You could operate a pocket sound recorder, perhaps to catch your targets compromising themselves.
But a recorder might only add to your workload if you find yourself having to transcribe hours of
recordings onto paper.
In some places you may take photos openly. In other situations you may have to be more secretive. A
hidden camera could be invaluable for gaining photographic evidence, such as when snooping for
unlawful activity, such as at an animal baiting. Hidden cameras are so small that they can mimic
buttons on your jacket. They are not overly expensive to buy and you can connect them to a portable
device to store the pictures. For more about cameras see Chapter 4: Undercover Investigator, under
Surveillance Systems. Also see Chapter 4: Aerial Snooper, as a possible means of capturing some
kinds of photographic shot.
Legality & Ethics
During the course of your enquiries you may at times have to conceal your identity to gain the trust of
people in order to expose their dubious operations. Even so, good animal rights investigative
reporters obey the law (at least most of the time) and act ethically. You have to obtain information
legally so that you can use it openly, as in a published report or in a court of law. You take a risk using
illegally obtained information openly; you and anyone else involved in obtaining it may find yourselves
in a tangle with the law and with a lawsuit on your hands. The main use of illegally obtained
information is that it provides knowledge of something that can be investigated further in a legal way.
If you must use illegally obtained information in your report, acquire it in such a way that it cannot
reveal to the law how you came by it.
Animal rights investigative reporters must also act ethically. A suitable ethical code can be summed
up as:
Be sincere, frank and fair with truthful and honest people.

Make your investigative report accurate and objective; stick to the facts and never
misrepresent the issue in any way.
Never reveal your confidential sources of information.
Follow these rules to build up your credibility with your animal rights associates and the public.
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4.8
Media Watcher
Most people bathe daily in the words of television, radio and print. The news media are powerful
shapers of people's opinion. They influence both the man in the street and the decision makers of our
society. Nevertheless, although the media are influential they are not necessarily difficult to influence.
Journalists and their bosses, the controllers of media content, are not so remote that we as ordinary
members of the public cannot make them hear us. As a media watcher your task is to influence the
media to try and make them objective, fair and accurate about animal rights and make them
broadcast more animal rights news and stories.
Animals in the News
There is no end of animal-related topics that you can pick up in the media: drug testing, veal farming,
live transport, animal adverts, animals in entertainment, animal racing, activists treated as terrorists,
nature conservation, and so on. Even when animals are not the actual topic, you can make some
point by digging up a new angle, such as connecting a poor diet that is in the news with a contrasting
healthy vegan or veggie diet. Of course, no one can scan all the news media every day, even with
helpers this would be a daunting task. Therefore you will need to specialise, for instance on what you
can find online in your own language or country.
Influencing the Media
Influence the media by searching for potential animal rights stories and getting as many people you
can to send their views to the editors about the material you find. Here is how it works.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Regularly monitor the latest news.

Set up your own blog or web site (see Chapter 3: Internet).
Paraphrase or summarise on your web site relevant animal-related news items you find.
Next to each summary place a link to the original news item and the email address of the
editor or journalist responsible for the original item. You might also provide their phone
number, postal address or other contact details. (You may want to give details of where an
item was broadcast or published if it does not appear online.)
Drive viewers to your web site and invite them to give you their email address (ie to join your
mailing list).
Email everyone on your mailing list about the summaries and include a link with each
summary so that your readers can find them on your web site.
People receiving your email will be able to read your summaries, follow the links to the
original news items and email their views to the editors or journalists.
What Do Editors Think?

What happens to the mail that your readers send to the journalist s and editors? Well aimed and
relevant mailings can influence the news media because editors take them as a gauge of public
opinion. The media want to be popular and rely on feedback from their audiences. Therefore they
take emails and letters seriously and may act on them. Furthermore, each mail that someone sends
has more weight and worth than might appear. This is because for each email or letter that editors
receive they realise there are several people who would like to send mail but did not for one reason or
another. Therefore editors take each mail to represent many people with similar views.
What You Need
What do you need to be a media watcher?
Making your own animal news information web site may especially appeal to you if you have
journalistic flair.
You should be an avid news vulture.
You must have sufficient time and an abiding perseverance for grabbing most of the relevant
news items most of the time and getting them down onto your web site.
What to Look Out For

In addition to the usual animal items, look out for the sort of perspective, standards, stereotypes and
language the media use when reporting news with animal content. For example:
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Unbalanced Perspective
Check where stories come from for imbalances. Both sides of an issue should be represented for a
story to be broadcast fairly. For instance, suppose a group of activists are accused of terrorism by
officialdom without a contrasting statement from a sympathetic animal activist expert. When you find
imbalances in perspective ask the media to widen their point of view.
Double Standards
Are the media measuring one party against one standard while holding up another party to a different
standard? Humans alter whole regions to become largely uninhabitable for wildlife and when a few
wild animals turn up they are seen as causing a nuisance or as threatening. Subsequently there is an
outcry of 'infestation!' Many news media treat humanity's ravaging of Earth as normal but take
exception when animals appear to menace human property. Expose t he media's double standards.
Stereotypes
Are the media portraying animals and activists as stereotypes? Wolves, as an example, are not
bloodthirsty ravishers of livestock and innocent people. Scientists (1) have shown that the wolf's
reputation is a gross exaggeration (elephants kill more people than wolves yet few people decry these
giants) and that wolves significantly contribute to a balanced ecosystem (2). Bring the media up to
date with education about animals.
Loaded Language
How do the media describe animals? Do sharks really 'infest' swimming beaches? Are foxes and rats
really 'vermin'? Are crocodiles really 'man-eaters'? The most important message in a story relating to
animals may be implicit in the choice of words the media use. Ask the media not to apply distorted or
indistinct language that fuels biased opinion against animals.
Mailing Manners
What sort of tone is best adopted when writing to the media? Experts on good communication say
you should:
Be upbeat and concise and stick closely to the point.

Be factual, not rhetorical.
Make only one or two points at most, preferably in your opening sentence.
Make a good humoured remark. It is more memorable and conveys a better impact than
verbosity.
Always be pleasant and diplomatic. Be positive and pay complements when you can, but do
not overdo it or you will sound false.
Avoid writing angry or insulting mail or you will antagonise people you might have won over.
Give your full name, address and phone number. Newspaper editorial staff will want to check
with you before they print anything you have written for them to publish.
Standard Form Letters?

You may want to provide sample letters on your web site that your viewers can send to the media.
However, editors who receive lots of similarly phrased letters may count the lot as one letter. Editors
tend to give more weight to mail from individuals rather than mail that is obviously from a mass writing
campaign. So you may wish to goad fellow writers to make their mail uniquely different from each
other. You could just outline the points they could make, ask them to choose a few of the points in
their letter and write in their own words.
Do not underrate your potential to influence the news media. Show them that you are a perceptive
and caring citizen and they cannot dismiss you as a crude, uneducated extremist (even if you are).
Links
See Dawn Watch for an excellent animal media watcher: www.dawnwatch.com.
References
(1) Linnell, John D C, et al. The fear of wolves: a review of wolf attack s on humans. NINA
Oppdragsmelding, 731. 2002:1 - 65.
(2) Robbins J. Lessons from the Wolf. Scientific American. 2004.
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4.9
Street Theatre Actor
What is Street Theatre?

You can act for animal rights in more ways than one. Street theatre actors take their performance
literally onto the streets: to street corners, market places, town squares and busy shopping centres.
Serious street theatre performers use their acting skills as a political weapon by circulating current
ideas and exploring controversial social themes to influence social reform. Street theatre is an
opportunity for you to probe the social, moral and political questions arising from animal rights.
This is what one street theatre group was doing in the streets of Belfast. Linda McKee, reported for
the Belfast Telegraph: "In the drama by the Mac Factor street theatre group, the red-coated, whip
cracking hunter pursued a fox in an age-old chase that usually ends with the animal torn apart by
hounds. But yesterday, the tables were turned as the cornered fox fought back, bringing the hunter to
the ground at Cornmarket." (1) Performances were watched by crowds across the city centre and
were co-ordinated by the League Against Cruel Sports as part of their 2007 campaign to ban foxhunting in Northern Ireland.
Street theatre is a tradition that people watch around the world where audiences are as diverse and
different as cosmopolitan London and remote rural India. It reaches even people who have never
been to a regular theatre. Street theatre actors perform for anyone passing by with time to stop and
watch them, and there is no entrance free. The genre is not 'outdoor theatre', where an indoor
performance is entirely transferred with props, lighting and all to an outdoor arena, such as an
amphitheatre, set aside for an audience to pay a fee for admission. Nor do merely acrobats, jugglers
and fire-eaters dominate a street theatre.
Your Street Theatre
Your audiences are largely composed of passers-by. They have not come prepared to watch a play
and are preoccupied with other things, which imposes a limitation on keeping your plays short.
Furthermore, as street theatre actors your performing group is peripatetic, so you use minimal
costumes and simple portable stage props. At a performance you could start off by singing or playing
a loud instrument to attract people. When a sufficient number of onlookers have gathered around, you
can begin. In the bustle and hubbub of a busy street you will have to be loud and larger than life and
may employ humour, slapstick, song and lively dance to keep the attention of mixed crowds.
Decide to perform independently or in conjunction with the campaigns of other animal rights groups.
Either way deliver your message with more certainty by handing out literature about yourselves, your
aims and your plays, and at the end of each play by holding a public discussion questioning its
purpose (see The 'Y', below). With many street plays under your belt you may be in a good position to
organise workshops to teach the art of street performance to other aspiring street theatre actors.
Where to stage your performances? Not just in the streets. Go on tour to schools, factories and civic
centres. Book a place at festivals and fairs. Act outside the headquarters of animal abusing
companies, supermarkets, animal laboratories and zoos, especially if they constitute the theme of
your act. Find out whether you require a licence from your local authority to stage acts and
discussions in the street. If you need a licence and do not have one, be prepared to make a bolt for it
if a policeman turns up to watch you!
The 'Y'
An example of a street theatre company is the 'Y Touring Theatre Company', which aimed to shake
up people's attitudes by creating quality theatre to highlight serious and perplexing contemporary
issues. The theatre company was founded in Britain in 1989 as part of the Central Young Man's
Christian Association (known as the Y) and has toured throughout Britain and abroad.
One of the Y's interests is ethics in science. To this end the playwright Judith Johnson wrote Every
Breath for the Y. The play raises moral, social and scientific questions inherent in using animals in
medical research. It poses fundamental questions like whether you are right to put your kin above the
lives of animals. The play is intended for students aged 14 plus as part of their science, drama and
religious education curricula. The Y have staged the play for thousands of school children nationally
and have performed it for audiences at the annual Edinburgh Festival. Interestingly, Every Breath has
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received funding by a number of organisations and backing from all sides of the animal
experimentation debate.
The setting of the play is with a family in danger of breaking up because of the animal
experimentation dispute. The four characters in the play are a teenage vegetarian campaigning
peacefully to stop a university animal laboratory being built (shades of Cambridge University, see
Animal Lawyer, Chapter 4); his older sister, a research student experimenting on rats; their mother, a
single mum dedicated to her children; and the mum's boyfriend, an odd job man from a rough
background contemplating Buddhism, who brings some light-heart humour to the serious nature of
the performance.
One of the principle aims of the Y Touring Theatre Company is to create an impartial arena for
learning through debate. So following a performance they encourage the audience to discuss the
issues raised by their play. Before performances the company distributes 'preparatory les sons' for
teachers and students to ready themselves with background information to take most opportunity of
the play and subsequent debate. The premiere of the play at a school in London was followed by a
"rowdy and combative discussion", according to a review in a national newspaper (2).
What You Need
The necessary minimum that you need to be a street actor is:
A burning desire to act and the recognition that you can satisfy it in the street.
The skill of projecting your body movements and voice so that scores of people standing
around you can comprehend what you are trying to convey. In short, you must be able to act
with many distractions in a noisy crowd.
Dedication and sufficient time, not just for acting but to devote to the planning, organising and
rehearsing that go into each performance.
Your audience will definitely walk away if they get bored or are busy. So you do not want to
be over-sensitive to people's coming and going and when playing to a diminishing crowd.
Although onlookers do not pay an entrance fee some of them might throw you a few coins; so
financial remuneration is nil or minor and you will have to support yourself some other way. But you
never know if an impresario is in the crowd and about to discover you. Add to that the satisfaction of
combining show biz with animal rights.
Links
National Association of Street Artists: www.nasauk.org. Artists and companies creating street and
outdoor arts work.
References
(1) Linda McKee, The campaigners who turned a fox hunt protest into performance art. Belfast
Telegraph, 17 February 2007.
(2) Guardian. 14 March 2006.
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4.10 Blogger
Blogging in a Nutshell
Do you enjoy reading, writing, creating designs and surfing the Web? Do you enjoy exploring and
examining issues, staying abreast of news and ideas, promoting and defending your views and
corresponding with people? You can do all these with a blog.
A blog consists of one or more pages you develop on the Web. On your blog you can display items
like stories, news, announcements, revelations, illustrations and video clips about what interests you.
Readers of your blog may leave on it comments and discussions about its contents. Blogs are easy to
set up, are often free or inexpensive, and have the potential to be read by numerous people around
the world.
Anyone, from juvenile jailbird to elder politician, can start one or more blogs. A single blog is
sometimes the work of a group of people. The aim of many bloggers is to influence their readers by
informing and motivating them. You can find millions of blogs online of all genres and tastes and the
informal generic term for blogs on the Web is the blogosphere.
Blogs originally began as online personal diaries in the late 1990s and have evolved as valued
contributions to society (authoritarian regimes often try to restrict blogs and penalize bloggers). Some
blogs are obviously blogs but some resemble traditional web sites. An advantage of publishing a blog
is that you build it using simple-to-understand software without needing to learn the workings behind
it. Creating a traditional web site you must know HTML (hyper-text markup language), the coding
used to layout web pages.
Is Blogging for You?
As a blogger for animal rights you promote a subject related to animals. You might know nothing
about your subject now but in time could become an acknowledged specialist in it. Appropriate
subjects are diverse and could be almost anything, from selling animal-rights-related commercial
products to preaching animal-rights-related religion.
There are many books and online tutorials about blogging, but to make a good job of it you will need
to draw on your resources from within:
Time and energy on top of your daily schedule.

Motivation and self-discipline to revise your blog regularly.
Ability to write clearly about your subject.
A capacity to attract new readers and keep them coming back for more.
Of course you need a computer and some associated knowledge.

Which Subject to Blog?
Blogging is a medium to long-term project in which you should keep the content of your blog fresh by
updating it reasonably frequently with relevant and interesting material. Therefore, choose a subject
that you are hot-blooded about and can pursue until the end of time. As mentioned above, you can do
anything from selling goods to evangelizing. A quick round up of some animal rights areas:
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
Art (eg animal rights photography, paintings, posters, images of all sorts).
Commodities (eg selling products like non-leather shoes or animal rights books).
Conservation & Zoos (eg about extinctions, wildlife management, wildlife culls).
Entertainment (eg animal baiting, circuses, rodeos, zoos).
Experimentation (eg advocating animal-free biomedical, toxicity and military research).
Factory Farming (eg captive animals, disease, environmental contamination, economics).
Food (eg veal, foie gras, bush meat, vegetarianism, veganism, school meals).
Fundraising (eg sponsoring peoples activities for animals).
Fur (eg about the national or international trade, cat and dog fur trade).
Garb (eg relating to fur, feather, leather, perfume, ornaments).
History (eg of any topics on this list).
Hunting & Sport (eg about shooting, coursing, trapping, baiting, racing).
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20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.
26.
27.
28.
Law (eg the law relating to animal rights/welfare, animal abuse court cases).
News and Current Affairs (eg digging up news stories about animal rights).
Personalities (eg about animal rights workers, teachers, philosophers).
Philosophy (eg of animal rights or more broadly animal ethics).
Politics (eg what politicians are doing/saying about animal rights).
Teaching (eg teaching children about animal rights).
Trafficking (eg for zoos, pets, body parts, quack medicine, trinkets).
Undercover Investigations (eg clandestine work uncovering illegal doings).
Unintentional (eg motorist kills, habitat destruction, climate change).
Cannot find a subject? How about writing a blog about animal rights blogs? Do not just write a list of
blogs. Find the best and worst blogs. Compare them. Comment about their aims and, as you see it,
their effectiveness. Generalise or specialise, for instance concentrate on veggie blogs, animal
experiment blogs, or fur blogs.
A blog can be static, with no input from its readers, or it can be interactive in that readers leave
comments on it or send you email. With an interactive blog you will need to be receptive and respond
to your commentators. Therefore, chose a subject for your blog that you are prepared to debate with
your readers.
Get to know the blogosphere. You can find out a lot by reading blogs related to your subject assuming there are related blogs (you might be pioneering a new field). Use search engines and
specialist blog indexing sites (like Technorati.com) to find blogs that interest you.
Blog Service Providers
Choose a blog service provider (or platform in blog jargon), a company that supplies the necessary
resources for people to start blogging. There are many competing providers, with seemingly similar
facilities and levels of service. Some providers are free, others charge a fee, and some are a bit of
both, charging for extras. Examples of blog service providers are blogger.com, wordpress.com,
wordpress.org, and you can find others online..
A key feature of blog service providers is provision of pre-designed blog pages, called templates,
ready for you to input your text and graphics. You can modify templates with themes, variations of
features like colours and fonts. A drawback of free blog service providers is fewer template options;
another snag is that you have somewhat less control of your blog overall.
If you are going to be a serious blogger you will want a professional look and may have to use a feecharging blog service provider. Even so, you might first try the free providers to get to know your way
around and what is on offer. You can change your blog service provider anytime, but it may be a bit of
a nuisance to change once your blog is established.
Setting Up Your Blog
Setting up your blog takes just a few minutes and is straightforward:
Choose a bog service provider.

Open an account by following their online instructions.
Select your blogs Web address (or URL).*
Choose a title for your blog (it appears at the top of your blog pages and could be the same
as your Web address).
Choose a blog template.
Modify the templates themes.
Fill in your personal profile.
Start writing your posts (entries).
Follow instructions for adding and placing images.
__
*Spend time in advance thinking up a suitable Web address (best addresses use words closely related to your
blog's subject). Also, consider that a free blog service provider is likely to combine their company name with your
Web address, making it look like part of their Web address. If you want a unique, professional looking address
you may have to pay for it.
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Sit back and admire your blog. Keep modifying its design until you are satisfied. Try a different blog
service provider if all else fails.
Design Inspiration
How to come up with a good design for your blog? Find inspiration from the work of other bloggers
(and elsewhere). Let them spark your imagination. Build on other peoples work by adapting suitable
ideas to your needs. Improve on them and make them uniquely your own. Always try to go one better
and give sources of inspiration credit where appropriate.
Writing Your Blog
In the influence stakes, your blog is not about you or even animals. It is about your readers. You are
trying to influence as many people as possible. Readers scan your posts and will leave your blog if it
seems boring or irrelevant. So help them by making your pages interesting and easy to scan.
Write in plain English (can be understood at the first reading)

Compose crisp informative titles for posts
Break up text into small chunks
Think up informative headings and subheadings
Keep lines of text shorter than 15 words at most
Highlight particularly important text
Display attractive, relevant images
Employ bullets
Use lots of white space
Create your own images or search stock photo sites on the Web where you can pick up quality photos
and illustrations for a small fee (examples are dreamstime.com, istockphoto.com, fotolia.co.uk,
alamy.com). A few web sites offer free photos but of lesser quality or relevance.
Paying for Your Blog
Should you choose to spend some money on your blog then placing ads on it can help pay its way.
Adverts can be quite unobtrusive, for instance with Googles AdSense. These adverts appear as text
or small static banners. You earn a cent or two every time a reader clicks on one and the money adds
up over a year. To some extent you can choose the type of advert that appears on your blog, but
some adverts could be inappropriate, such as for leather items or sausages.
Measuring Your Success
How well is your blog reaching out to people and what influence is it having on them? Analytic s is a
term for software that collects data about your blogs readers. By analysing the data you can make
conclusions about the efficacy of your blogging. Among the statistics analytics can tell you are:
How many and which pages people view.

How visitors found your blog.
Which keywords visitors typed into search engines to find your blog.
How many readers return another day to your blog.
Where visitors come from.
The length of time people spend on your blog.
Some of the many analytic web sites are free and some offer more services for a payment. Check
statcounter.com (easy and excellent layout to read), blogpatrol.com (specialises in blogs) or Google
Analytics.
The Law
Copyright offers a measure of legal protection to a works creator should the creator wish to engage in
litigation if their work is misappropriated. In many countries, like the US and Britain, you automatically
possess the copyright of original work you create (such as an essay or an image) and do not have to
do anything to claim copyright.
Often you do not need written permission from a copyright owner when you publish just a small part of
their work (like one or two sentences). But for anything substantial it is good practice to obtain written
111
permission, cite its source and provide a link to it. Fair use is a term that covers quoting something
more substantial than a couple of sentences. However, what exactly constitutes fair use is a grey,
debatable area. People defamed on blogs have prosecuted bloggers through the law courts. So be
sensibly and act with tact.
Bloggers' Code of Conduct
There are various codes for bloggers, intended to elevate blogging. Here are a few rules of conduct
that convey the flavour:
Be open about who and what you are.

Be truthful and accurate about what you write.
Provide original material (not rehash).
Do not plagiarise material.
Cite and give credit to copyright and fair use material.
Respect all your readers and critics.
Promptly reply to readers comments.
Do not publish email sent to you privately.
Glossary of Blog Terms in this Entry

Analytics - software that gathers information about the readers of your blog. Analytics give
you data about how well your blog is reaching out to people.
Blog - a journal or diary on the Web.
Blogger - someone who keeps a blog or more generally reads and contributes to other
peoples blogs.
Blogosphere - all the blogs on the Web.
Blog Service Providers - business companies that enable you to publish your blog on the
Web.
Comments - a place on a blog where readers can leave comment about the blogs posts.
Content - what you put on your blog, eg text, graphics, adverts.
HTML - Hypertext Markup Language. The coding used to layout the text and graphics on
blogs and web sites.
Link - a graphic or bit of text that you click on that takes you from a paragraph, page or blog
to another one.
Platforms - Blog Service Providers.
Post - an entry, such as a message or article, on a blog.
Templates - a selection of predesigned pages, offered by blog service providers, that you can
choose for your blog to enhance its appearance and usability. Much quicker than designing
your own pages from scratch.
Theme - a template may have a variety of elements or themes to choose for your blog, such
as different styles of fonts, font colours and background colours.
URL - Uniform Resource Locator. An address on the Web of a web site, blog or page, eg
www.animalethics.org.uk/blogging.html.
Examples of Animal Related Blogs
Animal and Wildlife News: www.animalblog.co.uk
All Dog Boots: www.blog.alldogboots.com
The Animal Rights Blog: www.animalrights.typepad.com
Animal Rights Blog: www.animalrightsblog.org
House Rabbit Society Rabbit Center Blog: http://newsdog.co.uk
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4.11 Philosopher
Why Philosophy?
Some people shout emotional inanities to bully you into agreeing with them. More refined people
apply smart arguments to make you agree with them. But philosophers do it by critically reasoning for
and against the arguments; a more effective strategy.
"Thus, if we are to grant them an inferior moral status or, indeed, no moral
status whatsoever, a justification is required and such a justification must
spell out why it is that we are entitled to treat them differently from ourselves
and what it is that their moral status entitles us to do to them." Robert
Garner (1)
The first Western philosophers lived around 2,500 years ago in Ancient Greece and surroundings.
They were among the first important thinkers of Western society. Unlike other people they did not
think dogmatically but reasoned rationally and methodically. Significantly, they expected listeners to
disagree with what they said and make opposing assertions to support reasonable counter
arguments. This was a tremendous event in the evolution of thought. Until then people explained the
world in terms of the supernatural, blind faith or authority, building ideas on emotional illogic,
immediate impression, mistaken belief, fantasy and much other irrationality.
Philosophers in ancient times lived and worked among ordinary people. But by the 19th century they
had confined themselves within universities and limited their questions to elucidate narrow and
obscure matters. However, philosophy has undergone a rebirth since the 1970's as new ideas and
directions for exploration broadened its scope. Nowadays a new philosophical avenue is practical
ethics, by which people from all walks of life try to resolve everyday moral issues that affect them (see
Applying Philosophy, below).
You do not, therefore, have to be a university professor to philosophise; thinking fundamental and
deep thoughts is open to everyone. You just need to ask questions rationally and methodically about
the nature of life, its ostensible meaning and purpose and come up with rat ional answers.
Philosophising could be for you if you are interested in seeking answers to ultimate questions and
enjoy rigorously marshalling arguments for and against ideas and issues.
Landmarks in Animal Philosophy
Many key philosophers of past centuries have damned their moral status by being largely negative
about animals. For example:
Aristotle (384 - 322 BC) said that the most important faculty is the power of reasoning, only
humans can reason, therefore they are the most important beings. He concluded that we can use
animals without the consideration we would give to people.
Descartes (1596 - 1650) thought that animals cannot feel pain, even though they act as though
they do. He concluded that animals are automata, mere machines.
Kant (1724 - 1804) believed that animals are not conscious and may therefore be used as a
means to an end, that is as a way of getting something you want.
These and other philosophers spelt tragedy for myriad animals by doing nothing that challenged the
deeply rooted assumption held by people, that the claims of humans always have priority over the
needs of animals.
Animals do not have it easy even in our own times, as one practising physiologist makes clear,
believing that:
"In contrast to ourselves, animal behaviour is mechanical, driven by the
dictates of nature and immune to the processes of reflective cognition that
we take for granted. It is a black, silent existence that is not conscious of its
own processes or, at the very most, a dark murky experience that does not
compare with our own." (2)
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However, the 18th century might have witnessed the beginning of rescue for animals. In an often
quoted phrase Jeremy Bentham (1748 - 1832) wrote about animals (albeit only in a footnote):
"The question is not can they reason? Nor, can they talk? But can they
suffer?" (3)
Bentham thought that animals can feel pain and that the essential attribute qualifying an animal to
moral consideration is the capacity for suffering and no other reference is necessary, not the power of
reasoning, nor consciousness nor cognition. Then, in the 20th century, Peter Singer opened the
floodgates of moral concern for animals by writing his book Animal Liberation (1975). Translated into
over 17 languages the book started a chain reaction of thought and publications, still expanding,
about animals and why they matter morally. Indeed, Singer is widely credited with founding modern
practical ethics.
Philosophy & the Real World
Does philosophy influence our material everyday world? Yes it does. The human-world is constantly
shaped and re-shaped by philosophical ideas. Ethical reasoning permeates and influences our
everyday world. For more see Do Philosophical Ideas Work? in Chapter 2: Animal Ethics.
Applying Philosophy
Areas of practical ethics are diverse and could include almost any area of human activity in which
moral dilemmas rear up. Some areas of practical ethics are:
Environmental ethics: how should humanity relate to and deal with nature?
Medical ethics: how should we deal with sick people?
Feminism: how we should behave towards women?
Education ethics: how and to whom should education be taught?
Animal ethics: how should humanity treat animals?
Legal ethics: how should lawyers deal with each other and their clients?
Corporate responsibility: how should businesses engage with individuals and society?
Internet ethics: how should people use the internet responsibly?
Where does animal rights fit in to all this? Animal rights is a part of the field of animal ethics. Animal
ethics examines beliefs that are held about the moral status of animals. But animal ethics does not
presume that any particular point of view is good and right; it accommodates a number of approaches
for trying to resolve animal-human moral issues. Animal rights, on the other hand, is a doctrine about
how humans should treat animals and states that animals should have rights, somewhat like but not
exactly the same as humans rights. Animal rights concentrates on sentient animals and its basic
doctrine is that using animals for human gain is morally wrong and should stop. More in Comparing
Animal Philosophies, Chapter 2.
Philosophical Exercises
An essential objective in philosophy is to be able to evaluate ideas and construct reasoned arguments
by yourself. So toward this end this is what you can do. Read as much about philosophy, ethics and
animal rights as you can. Clarify the arguments and counter-arguments the writers present. Select
and explain which are the more convincing arguments and try to come up with new arguments of your
own.
Try the following exercise:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Write down your ideas about animal rights or some aspect of the subject.
Compare and contrast your ideas with the various points and arguments that one
or more philosophers have written on the subject.
Think up objections to what these philosophers say and find out objections that
other writers have put forward.
Rewrite step one in light of steps two and three.
Get people to criticise what you have written in step four and engage them in
friendly critical discussion about what they say.
Rewrite step one again.
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7.
Compare what you first wrote in step one with your final draft and in a few
sentences write down what you have leaned.
You may be wondering why you have to write down everything? Expressing your i deas on paper is
better than only thinking about them. Writing forces you to think deeper about your subject, enables
you to progress without wastefully going over the same ground, and is a basis for circulating your
ideas to other people, such as when writing an article or a book.
When philosophising, check the assumptions you make and ask yourself if they are valid. Abandon
anything that does not stand up to your critical examination. Come up with new ideas as necessary.
Keep doing this over the years. Never stop thinking rationally and critically. Do not be afraid to put
forward radical ideas. This may be difficult at first but like any accomplishment the more you do it the
easier it gets. Be able to accept and learn from criticism and remember that good philosophers attack
arguments, not their proponents.
Take Animal Philosophy to the People
As an animal rights philosopher you should communicate your ideas to the public and to anyone who
will listen to you. For giving talks see Public & School Speaker, Chapter 4. Also lend your pen to write
animal philosophy articles for magazines.
You will need to write at least one book on your philosophical animal rights subject to gain recognition
as an animal philosopher. Come up with an original thesis to argue about. Your thesis could be your
own original inspiration or your development of someone else's idea in an original way. Write the book
as a straightforward philosophy work - with a beginning, middle and end - or in an off-beat style like a
novel or a play. These days you could even fashion it as an illustrated comic.
Courses in Philosophy
Feeling the itch to study philosophy formally? Ensure that you include in your study of philosophy the
branch called 'moral philosophy' or 'ethics' - different names for the same thing.
There are various types of courses: online learning, distance learning, part -time evening courses, fulltime college, and university level routes. You might find a few animal rights courses online, at a
relatively lightweight level. Some college and university philosophy courses offer modules dealing with
animal rights as part of their overall course. But you are unlikely to find a comprehensive, full -time
course in animal ethics and certainly not one devoted entirely to animal rights. However, the situation
is changing so keep a look out.
In view of the dearth of animal rights courses, do not be afraid of being self-taught. You can be a good
philosopher without taking a formal course in philosophy; after all, many famous philosophers never
followed an authorised course themselves and obviously the first philosophers could not. Books on
philosophy are plentiful. Read some about philosophy in general to get an overall grasp of the subject.
After that do the same for ethics. Then read up on animal ethics in particular and finally zero in on
animal rights.
References
(1) Garner, Robert. Animals, Politics and Morality. Manchester University: Manchester. 1993:4.
(2) Derbyshire, Stuart. In Gilland T et al. Animal Experimentation: good or bad? Hodder & Stoughton.
2002:47.
(3) Bentham, Jeremy. An Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation. 1789:311, chapter
xvii.
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4.12 Paramotor Flyer

Look down on your opponents from a paramotor to observe them and learn what they are up to. Take
videos of what they are doing and issue radio instructions to a ground team to close in on them. Your
opponents could be shooters, trappers, rustlers, diggers for animals to bait, and anyone holding an
illegal event in the open air.
You do not need an aeroplane, quite an expense to buy and maintain. You just need a paramotor. A
paramotor is the same as a paraglider but with an engine driving a propeller for ease of take off and
long-distance steering. It is the simplest and cheapest form of powered flight - a new paramotor costs
about the same as a motorbike - and is easy to learn to fly. Although some bodies have classified
paramotoring as a dangerous sport, it is said to be the safest way of flying, safer than riding a
motorbike. Should your motor go dead, all that happens is that you glide and sink slowly to the
ground, because your parachute is already fully deployed.
The Paramotor
A paramotor is a parachute, more technically a wing, attached to a harness with a little seat at the
bottom bearing a small two-stroke motor. You lay out the wing behind you on the ground, strap the
harness on to your back, start the motor and run a few steps. The wing inflates and gently carries you
off the ground. Then you slip onto your seat and away you fly. Take off distance is three to eight
metres (10 to 25 feet) with a comparable landing distance. With experience you can even make a
standing landing: land in zero feet.
You do not need a runway for take off, just a big clear field (with a paraglider you would need a
suitable hill for take off). So if you live on the edge of town you need only carry your paramotor to a
suitable field where you can launch yourself into the air. Otherwise, a paramotor is small enough to
put in the back of a car and you can drive it somewhere else to get aloft.
Once airborne you can fly to all points of the compass travelling at up to 40 kph (25 mph). You can fly
on long cross-country powered-flights or turn the motor off and glide silently in thermals, restarting the
motor in the air any time you like. Increasing the motors speed makes you climb, decreasing it makes
you sink. You steer by pulling on special lines attached to the wing; pull on the left lines to go left, pull
on the right lines to go right, pull on both sides to slow down. An alternative way of steering, for when
you really need both hands free for filming, is to fit a tricycle undercarriage to the paramotor and press
against its foot bars using your feet. You can buy a tricycle undercarriage from a small number of
devotee paramotor-makers.
A tandem paramotor may be more suitable than a solo paramotor if you need to concentrate entirely
on flying, in which case you will take an observer/camera operator with you. Of course, a tandem is
more expensive and less manoeuvrable than the solo craft. But then when flying your paramotor as
an observation platform you want one that is stable and easy to handle, not one that is made for
performing aerobatics.
Learning to Fly a Paramotor
Some paramotoring enthusiasts organise themselves into clubs and offer to teach novices the ways
of the paramotor. They may give you a minimum of 25 hours coaching spread over several days and
offer you the hire of one of their paramotors plus flying equipment. Their syllabus should cover
groundwork and airwork. Groundwork is what you must know before taking to the air, including
knowledge about equipment, motors, safety, flying theory, weather and air law. The airwork is what
you need to know to get airborne, fly around and land. On successfully completing a course they may
give you a certificate that might be validated by a national or international body. The cost of the
course could work out as equivalent to the price of a new paramotor.
However, paramotoring is a sport that so far has gone largely unregulated by the aviation authorities
in most states, including the United States and Britain. Thus you will probably have no need for a
licence to fly a paramotor and a certificate from a club may not be necessary. Indeed, there is nothing
stopping you from learning to fly a paramotor without doing a course at all (but see What You Need,
below). Another way to learn to fly a paramotor is by teaming up with an already experienced
paramotor flyer. Or you could learn to fly a paramotor alone, like the early pioneers of flight; they had
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no one to instruct them. Whether or not you take a taught course or learn by yourself, in the end you
still have to go solo - fly alone on your first flight - because no one else can fly the machine for you.
There are a few dual machines about but they are not in much use.
Should you opt to learn to fly a paramotor alone you must be confident you can do it. Do not be in
such a rush to get off the ground that you make potentially disastrous errors. Perhaps the most
common mishap you can make as a novice paramotor pilot is during launching. Inexperienced
paramotor pilots running along the ground may try to get into their seat too soon, before the wing has
time to lift them properly off the ground. They lose their balance and fall over, and there follows
embarrassment and injured pride. The really unlucky ones get their propeller bent as it bites the dust.
This is about the most serious practical blunder you can make when learning to fly a paramotor, even
with instruction from a club.
Read all you can about paramotoring, especially if you intend to master by yourself the art of how to
fly a paramotor. Work through one of the syllabuses for learning to fly a paramotor. You can pick up a
syllabus on the Web or get one from a club. There is a fair bit about paramotoring online, including
video clips of paramotor pilots taking off, flying about and landing. Two good books are by Whittall (1)
and Goin (2).
What You Need
What are the prerequisites for flying a paramotor?
Enthusiasm for flying and pioneering aerial animal rights.

A budget that will buy and maintain the equivalent of a motorbike.
Be able to transport your paramotor by foot or by car to where you will launch yourself.
Be in reasonably good health, ie able to run a few steps during take off with about 30 kilos (60
pounds) of motor and harness on your back. A disability may not be a problem provided you
can do this and control the paramotor in flight. Some machines are of relatively lighter weight
and you could opt to fit a tricycle undercarriage for a wheeled take off.
You may also want insurance against personal or third party injury. This could be where
gaining a certificate from a paramotoring club can be handy if the insurers insist on evidence
of worthiness.
Advantages of a Paramotor
1. Flying a paramotor is cheap compared with all other means of flying: a paramotor is easy to
maintain, portable and you do not need a licence to fly it.
2. You can pilot your paramotor almost anywhere (but see Disadvantages, below) to make
observations and take photos that you cannot do when flying a remote controlled helicopter.
(As an aerial snooper your helicopter must be in your field of vision the whole time, otherwise
you cannot know where it is, which way it is pointing or even which way up it is - see Aerial
Snooper, Chapter 4. You always know where your paramotor is and what it is doing because
you are strapped to it.)
3. Flying time for a paramotor is one to two hours, depending on your weight and flying
conditions. (Much longer than the 30 minutes or so for a remote controlled helicopter.) And
you can increase your flying time by taking a bit of spare fuel with you - simply land and topup.
4. Fuel is ordinary gasoline (petrol) that you can buy at any filling (petrol) station. However, you
must mix it first with a small amount of oil. The 'gasoil' ('petroil') mixture lubricates the moving
parts; without it the engine will seize up.
5. You could easily fly up to 5,000 metres (15,000 ft) altitude - the world record is over 6,000
metres (18,000 ft). But civil aviation regulations will restrict you in most places to a much
lower altitude of a few hundred metres above ground; however, this is no draw back when
flying a paramotor for animal rights or for fun.
6. In addition to animal rights work you could use your paramotor for wildlife surveys and aerial
photography. In some countries you cannot legally do this for commercial gain from a foot
launched paramotor. However, by fitting a tricycle undercarriage for take off and landing you
miraculously convert your paramotor to a different class of machine to which this rule does
not necessarily apply. Check the aviation regulations of your state.
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Disadvantages of a Paramotor
1. Paramotors are basically fine weather machines. Given a paramotors speed it is unsafe to
use a paramotor when winds blow at 25 kph (15 mph) and over or in poor weather.
2. With no cockpit to shield you from the wind in a cold climate you will be chilled in the cold
months.
3. Civil aviation rules forbid flying paramotors over built-up areas and close to airports (check the
regulations for your state).
4. Animal abusing opponents will not think you are spying on them, until perhaps they get to
know what you are up to and listen for you coming; a paramotor is as noisy as some
lawnmowers. But you can always turn off the motor to glide silently and then turn it on again
in mid-flight when you need it. Quiet electric paramotors are being developed.
Also see: Drone (UAV) Flyer for Animal Protection, Chapter 4.
Bibliography
(1) Whittall, Noel. Paramotoring From the Ground Up: a comprehensive guide. Airlife Publishing:
England. 2001.
(2) Goin, Jeff. Powered Paragliding Bible. Airhead Creations. 2006.
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4.13 Personal Activist

In this section are some simple personal activisms that most people can do. But we start with a bit of
a difficult one; all other activities are far less effective.
The Single Most Effective Thing

You Can do for Animal Life
Stop making babies (or at most make only one).
Seventy thousand years ago there were 15,000 people on Earth; now we exceed seven
billion. The more people, the greater the destruction to animal life and nature. Being veggie
or vegan is not sufficient.
See more about the World Human Population:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_population.
See Chapter 6 for numbers of some of the animals people kill annually.
Some More Self Activism for Individuals
Other activities, should you not be up to the one above, come at different levels of convenience and if
there is a secret for successful personal activism it is that you should do what you feel comfortabl e
with and are good at doing.
1. Let's Stop 'It'
People always call an animal an it, whereas they call a human a he or she. But a chimpanzee, horse,
cat, cow or mouse is as much a he or she as is a human. Calling an animal an it makes him inanimate
material, a depersonalised object. Once a being is depersonalised down to the level of an it, like a
stick or stone, we feel we can do anything we like to it without moral thought. Kicking a stone or
throwing away a stick has no moral consequence. As the philosopher Jeremy Bentham said:
"animals...stand degraded into the class of things." (1) We compound the offence of calling animals it
by calling our own inanimate creations, like a car, ship or country, a she, as though they are real
beings.
Where should we draw the line? Should we call insects and other invertebrates him or her? Yes,
because by creating barriers we create uncertainty about where to put the barrier. Furthermore,
invertebrates may be deserving of more respect than people generally give them. Science is
discovering that they are not simple-minded but rely much more on learning and less on instinct as
hitherto assumed. Some insects can even recognise fellow individuals - and even individual humans by their faces.
2. Speak Plainly
Should we be lulled and sweetened by euphemisms when faced with decisions about what to do with
animals who get in peoples way? Or should we speak openly and honestly about what is happening
and not hide behind word substitutions to cover up what we are doing?
People adopt euphemisms when they want their actions to sound impartial, necessary, professional
and reasonable so that consciences are saved and nobody objects to what they are doing. Do not let
them lure you into euphemistic compliance when animals are getting in people's way. Stop using
euphemisms that support animal wrongs.
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Table 1. Some Frequent Animal-Related Euphemisms
Euphemism
Plain English
Comment
Cull, Control,
Kill
People do not kill wild animals; they 'cull', 'control' or
Harvest
'harvest' them. Cull really means to select and

remove some things from other things, especially
because of inferior quality. But cull is almost always
used as a polite word whose action is somehow
necessary and officially sanctioned.
Infested
Has some
Beaches may be 'shark infested' but never 'human

infested'.
Road kill
Motorist kill
Roads do not kill anyone. It is the motorists who kill.

Motorists kill millions of animals every year.
Meat
Animal
Strictly speaking, meat is muscle. This does not stop

supermarkets selling processed products which they
describe as 'meat' but which can be from any part of
an animal, such as lungs and brains.
Veal. Venison.
Calf. Deer.
Calves for veal are taken young from their mothers

and raised in inhumane conditions for people to eat.
3. Invertebrate Harmony
Invertebrate harmony is the view that we should try to live in harmony with all creatures no matter
what their moral status and treat them with respect and compassion. So let us practice animal rights
at the lowest level, that of the invertebrates: like bees, ants, all sorts of bugs, spiders, worms and
other animals without a backbone. Invertebrates make up 98 percent of animal species, are vital to
the well-being of the biosphere, and we can learn to appreciate them and the many wonderful things
they do.
People harm lots of invertebrates for very little reason and often commit the number fallac y: because
there are lots of them it does not matter if we kill them. But neither number nor body size determine
the value of life. On the economic front many invertebrate species benefit the human economy; it is
only a few species that harm it. Moreover, without flower pollination, the churning of the soil and other
key functions carried out by our boneless friends, life as we know it would largely cease. Indeed,
humanity could not have evolved without the contribution made by invertebrates regulating the
biosphere.
Invertebrates are tiny, but if we are aware of them and practice invertebrate harmony, even on a small
scale, then we shall be more compassionate beings. And by standing and watching invertebrates we
shall also have a better appreciation of the wonder of life.
4. Look Out for Animal Products
Avoid or at least cut down using animal products, such as leather, and feathers in pillows and duvets.
Eschew fur items, not only fur clothing but also in cosmetic and artists brushes. These brushes are
sometimes made from synthetic material but they are also made of animal hair. The labelling is often
obscure and misleading.
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Where do the ingredients of your food, cosmetics or medicine come from? Patronise alternative
products if you find out that any ingredients are derived from animals. Some ingredients to look out for
are:
Rennet: a protein taken from the stomachs of slaughtered calves, lambs and kid goats.
Rennet in the living young converts their ingested mothers milk into solids for
digestion. For centuries rennet has been the chief means for making cheese hard and
is still wildly used today. Some hard cheeses, though, are made with artificially cultured
rennet and may be suitable for vegetarians.
Collagen: another protein taken from animals. It is used in cosmetics.
Gelatin (American English) or gelatine (British English) is derived from collagen and
used in cosmetics and many foods.
Lactose: a sugar that comes from milk. It is added to various foods, lotions and
medicines.
Cochineal: extracted from the ground up bodies of insects and used to add a red
colour to foods and lipsticks.
Musk: oil from the scent glands of certain wild animals, in particular the musk deer. The
deer are killed in traps or confined all their lives to cages hardly bigger than
themselves. However, quite a lot of the musk in perfumes today is synthetic.
5. Library Books
Ask your public, school or college library to buy books on rights, welfare, veganism and other animal friendly subjects. Look up a few specific titles, authors and other essential details your library does not
but should have and hand your list to the librarian. Keep an eye on the bookshelves for sight of your
books and ask the librarian to put them and other animal-friendly books on a prominent stand for
display. Your long-term goal at your library could be to get animal rights accepted as a standard
library shelf subject (if it is not one already).
Buy animal rights books to read and then donate them to your library.
6. Make Menus
Ask for more animal-friendly (or at least less animal-unfriendly) food at your college or work refectory.
For instance, get management to ban eggs from caged hens and offer eggs from genuine free-range
hens and generally to shun factory farmed animals. Persuade management to provide simple
information about the food they offer so that diners know what they are eating and have a proper
choice of alternatives - free-range and organic.
7. Place of Study
Ask for animal ethics to be taught at your school, college or university. Anim al ethics is a bona fide
scholarly pursuit that incorporates animal rights but has broader scope.
Urge your school or college, if they are into cutting up real animals, to dissect animals virtually by
computer program instead. And ask your school not to keep animals on the premises for educating
pupils.
8. Stimulate Ethical Policies
As far as you can, trade with companies that have publicly published ethical policies. For example,
use banks with a stated code of ethics. Pressure companies that have no ethical policies regarding
animals to embrace a code of ethics incorporating animals. Become a shareholder in animal abusing
companies to criticise them more effectively as a shareholder. Publicise their response or lack of one.
Get your company to make its purchases from animal-friendly companies. If your company is not
animal-friendly, ask them why they are not - with the intention of putting ideas into their head. Has
your company a code of animal ethics spelling out how the company should act regardi ng animals
and animal products? Get management or colleagues to compose a code.
References
(1) Bentham, Jeremy. An Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation. 1789:311, chapter
xvii.
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4.14 Author - Playwright

"Writing is difficult, of course, and it takes time. Lots and lots of timeIll
write total rubbish for a long time, but as long as somethings coming out I
dont mind." Work ing Writers: Evie Wyld Interview.
A huge portion of the literature people consume is fiction. Bookshops and public libraries, knowing
this, devote considerable floor space to fiction stories. Fiction storywriters are respected the world
over and outstanding writers are honoured. But you do not have to be a literary marvel to write good
stories. What you need is ambition, grit and a bit of knowhow. So give people a good read with a
subtle underlying animal rights message to influence their opinions and discussions. Remember:
Subtle Stories Sway Sentiments.
Is there an animal rights genre? Yes, some works of fiction are clearly animal rights oriented. Two
examples are the animal rights novel Elizabeth Costello and the animal rights play Every Breath, and
the other examples given here are also strongly into animal rights.
Elizabeth Costello, by J M Coetzee

In Coetzees (b 1940) novel the protagonist, Elizabeth Costello, is a frail, grey haired woman, a
distinguished novelist, delivering lectures at institutions. Her talks include raising questions about the
moral status of animals.
At a dinner given for her after a lecture, discussion turns to isolating a quality that raises humanity
above animals. Someone declares that animals live in a vacuum of consciousness. Costello replies,
What I mind is what tends to come next. They have no consciousness therefore. Therefore what?
Therefore we are free to use them for our own ends? Therefore we are free to kill them?
One of the most celebrated animal rights storywriters, Coetzee sets a tough trail for writers to
emulate: he is a professional writer, received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2003 ("for his riveting
portrayals of racial repression, sexual politics, the guises of reason, and the hypocrisy of human
beings toward animals and nature"), and is the first author to win the Booker Prize twice.
Every Breath, by Judith Johnson
Johnson (b 1962) wrote the play Every Breath to fit into the school curriculum. The play is a family
drama that even-handedly probes dilemmas of the animal-rights vs medical-research gulf. A primary
theme revolves around a teen vegetarian, concerned with animal rights and nature, and his older
sister, a meat-eating scientist, committed to using animals for research. The two other characters in
the play are their mother and her boyfriend and the tensions between the characters threaten to
disrupt the familys unity.
The play received financial backing from both sides of the animal experimentation divide. Actors of
the Y-Touring Company, a travelling theatre outfit (see Street Theatre, Chapter 4), performed the play
at the annual Edinburgh Festival in 2006 and at schools around Britain. After every performance, the
actors retain their stage characters and debate with their audience the meaning of the play. Oberon
Books published the play in 2007.
War Horse, by Michael Morpurgo
This story points out the power of storytelling, emphasizing that bare stat istics (millions of horses
dying in the First World War) hardly make a dent on people but that everyone is roused and inspired
by the story of a single individual.
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The war horse is Joey, bought by the cavalry and transported with other horses from Britain to France
for the First World War. Joeys rider is killed. Joey drifts around no-mans-land and is captured by the
enemy. Eventually, Joeys original owner finds him and takes him home across the sea. Uplifting
ending, though not for the masses of horses, who died of infections, exhaustion and injuries . Britain
alone lost nearly half a million horses, one horse for every two men (R Holmes. The Oxford
Companion to Military History. 2001:417).
Morpurgo (b 1943) originally wrote War Horse as a short story for children, published in 1982. It has
been translated into several languages and made into radio and stage plays and a film.
Doctor Rat, by William Kotzwinkle
Dr Rat is insane, he has been a laboratory rat for so long, and tells of the appalling medical
experiments on the animal inmates, rats to monkeys. Death is freedom, he shouts and stresses the
need for more funding, Weve got to continue verifying facts that were established a hundred years
ago. A revolt breaks out; the rats take over the premises. Dr Rat fights to protect the laboratory and
restore order, but the animal revolution against human tyranny spreads worldwide...
Kotzwinkle (b 1938) wrote his short book as a reflection on inhumanity to animals and the use of
animals in medical research. First published in 1976, the story has been described as clever,
sickening, touching and written with brutal wit.
The Jungle, by Upton Sinclair
Published as a serial in a journal, then as a novel in 1906, the storys characters are immigrants
labouring in the Chicago stockyards meatpacking industry. The stockyards were abysmal for the
workers and worse for the animals. The slaughterhouses were the origin of some of the earliest
international corporations dealing in animals and the story gives insight into how the slaughterhouses
were run. The novel stimulated labour reform, but did little for the animals.
"...and as for the other men, who worked in tank rooms full of steam, and in
some of which there were open vats near the level of the floor, their peculiar
trouble was that they fell into the vats; and when they were fished out, there
was never enough of them left to be worth exhibiting, sometimes they would
be overlooked for days, till all but the bones of them had gone out to the
world as Durham's Pure Leaf Lard!"
Published in 2003 by Sharp Press; also free online from The Project Gutenberg.
Eva, by Peter Dickinson
Dickinson (b 1927) wrote this sharp and humorous novel for young people. Eva is a teenager injured
in a severe accident. She wakes up in hospital materialized into the body of a young chimpanzee from
her dads research laboratory and has to adapt to her new position
Gollancz published the novel in 1988 and Macmillan Children's Books published it in 2001. The story
stimulates discussion on issues like animal rights, medical ethics and euthanasia.
Etre the Cow, by Sean Kenniff
Etre (French for to be or to exist) is a simple bull who spends his life in a pasture. He tries to grasp
his seemingly inescapable predicament: he is fenced in, powerless, but aware. He despairs, yet
recognizes he must defy his bovine condition and decides to confront life...
You can interpret Kenniffs (b 1969) short novel, published in 2010, in many ways: as a story about
animal life, animal rights, what it means to be alive, or as a straight allegory of the human condition.
Short Stories Online
There are many online sources dedicated to the short story, just three are:
Booktrust: www.booktrust.org.uk. Short stories and advice on writing for aspiring
writers of all ages and backgrounds.
World Stories: www.worldstories.org.uk . Stories from around the world.
Carve Magazine: www.carvezine.com. Superior short fiction.
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Write Your Short Story

Try a quick fun trial. Write a short story now of up to 7,000 words. Think about it for a few minutes.
Always start with a simple idea (simple things tend to get complex; therefore, if you start with a
complex idea it will likely get out of hand).
You will want the ingredients of a good story:
Characters - the personalities in your story.
The fox, his lady-fox and her cubs, the fur farmer and his dog.
Plot - what happens in your story.
The easy-going fox has been living at the fur farm making love to lady foxes, not realising
why they and their cubs go missing. He finds out from the farmers dog that he and his
latest love are in imminent danger of being skinned. The fox decides to breakout.
Conflict - obstructions that hinder the main character's fulfilment: the heart of the
story.
The fox cannot abandon his lady-friend or her cubs and they seem doomed.
Climax - the highpoint of the story.
The fox, his lady friend and their cubs manage to flee but run straight into the pursuing
farmer.
Resolution - how the conflict is resolved.
The foxes bonk the farmer on the head and reach the shelter of the forest.
Twist - a sudden new development at the end of your story.
The foxes crash into a bloody trapper who decides to use them as bait. But the foxes
push him onto one of his traps and make their way to freedom and a new life.
Write the story quickly, even before it is all set out in your mind, and see where it takes you. Put your
story aside and reappraise it after some weeks. It may be better (or worse) than you first thought and
reveal faults from which you can improve.
Write Your Play
What is your plays genre: mystery comedy, drama, romance, science fiction, fantasy? You can mould
any genre to animal rights. The play may be any length and divided into one or several scenes (each
scene portrays an event) and larger acts (they have intermissions between them).
Plot
The best plays have simple plots; kick off with something intricate and your task will
become impossible. Write an outline of the plot in a single paragraph. Your scribble is a
basic plan of the play so that you do not get side-tracked.
Structure
The play may be any length and divided into one or several scenes (each scene portrays
an event) and larger acts (they have intermissions between them). How many scenes or
acts might your play have?
Characters
Make up a list of characters. Aim to make each character a different personality. What
drives them? What threatens them? What happens to them?
Drafting
Sketch a rough draft of the dialogue (the key to a good play) and scenes as they come
into your head. Just get your basic ideas down.
Editing
Edit your draft several times. Get the characters and dialogue right: are they interesting?
Cut out everything that does not contribute to driving the action forward.
Criticism
Hand out copies of your play to anyone who will give you their honest opinion about it.
Consider their advice and rewrite as necessary.
Your Future?
Might you have the qualities of a storywriter or playwright? To find out you must keep writing and
learning. Check bookshops and the Web on how to write stories and plays. Get feedback on your
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works and improve your skills via online writers forums, such as WritingForums.org,
WritingForums.com and Writing.com.
People must read your stories, so distribute them widely. As a new author or playwright:
Try non-paying markets: writers' magazines and web sites pay little or nothing,
but display your work.
Try paying markets when confident (and check the books Writer's Mark et and
Writers' & Artists' Yearbook ).
Display your stories on your blog or website.
Submit your play to your local school or community amateur theatrical society to
stage.
You might turn your stories or plays into books. A number of online companies use Print on Demand
(PoD) technology to print books specifically for anyone who makes an order, unlike the bulk printing
and mass distribution of typical publishers. Lulu (www.lulu.com) and CafePress (www.cafepress.com),
for example, offer PoD at no cost to you as an author, and you can set a profit margin, like a dollar or
something per book. Basically, you write and upload your manuscript with a cover design, and when
someone makes an order, they print and dispatch the book and pay you your earnings.
Finally, when you are really hammering out those words, try a regular commercial publisher - but that
is another story!
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4.15 Animal-friendly Traveller

Whats the Problem?
Animal abusers earn money by displaying animals to travellers and tourists, especially in Asia, Africa
and South America. The animals, often taken from the wild, are frequently poorly kept, neglected or
over-worked. They eventually die or their owners kill them when they are past their usefulness. The
final betrayal is selling their body parts as souvenirs. Untold numbers of animals suffer like this for the
tourist trade and you could witness it anywhere in the world.
Many travellers would not tolerate similar cruelties in their own country. Nor should we accept as an
excuse for cruelty the assumed sanctity of another countrys customs and culture. Each of us is
responsible for ensuring as far as we can that our behaviour does not contribute to animal suffering,
even when we are abroad. We can go native in foreign lands but must keep our compassion.
What You Can Do: the Five Freedoms

It is normal to wonder just when you should step in to try to prevent cruelty. Mistreatment may not be
clearly apparent when you are just a temporary visitor to a country with strange customs. But we can
bear in mind a minimum standard for animal welfare. Animals must have access to their proper food,
to water and shelter, should look healthy generally and not have physical wounds or obviously be
mistreated, such as whipped or punched.
When judging whether to intervene you can apply The Five Freedoms as your standard criteria. The
Five Freedoms are applicable worldwide but were first proposed in Britain in the 1960's and
subsequently endorsed by the Farm Animal Welfare Council, set up by the British government to
advise it (see Chapter 8: The Five Freedoms). The Five Freedoms are so basic and applicable to
animals used in trade that they serve for any animal, not just farm animals. The Five Freedoms are:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Freedom
Freedom
Freedom
Freedom
Freedom
from Hunger and Thirst

from Discomfort
from Pain, Injury or Disease
to Express Normal Behaviour
from Fear and Distress
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Examples of Animal Attractions

Some schemes to look out for are these.
Bear dancing: wild bear cubs are caught and trained to stand on their hind legs to
dance and do tricks for onlookers.
Animal photography: young animals like monkeys, chimpanzees and lion cubs, are
made to let tourists fondle them while a photo is taken. Tourists are photographed
standing next to large exotic animals, like an adult lions or bears.
Traditional medicine: eg, bears are kept in tiny cages and farmed for their bile sold as
'medicine' for ailments; tigers are killed for their penis for people in Asia to eat as an
aphrodisiac.
Cats and dogs: across Asia, cats are cooked and skinned alive; dogs are hung slowly
by the neck to die, reputedly to make them taste better.
Souvenirs and trinkets: these are made from animal body parts, like bones, ivory, shells
and coral reefs; many come from species that are protected by law.
Selling animals as pets: many pets are taken from the wild all over the world and die
during shipment by traders.
Circuses and aquariums: for fish, sharks, turtles, dolphins, orcas and all sorts of
animals, where their basic needs are not met.
Roadside Zoos: animals are tethered or caged to attract customers to buy goods on
display.
So what can you do when you discover abuses like these? You prepare yourself before you travel,
take action when you travel, and do some follow-up when you return home.
Before You Travel
You may be using tour operators. Ensure they do not encourage or advocate activities that exploit
animals or that they deal with hotels which do. Tell them at the outset, preferably in writing, that you
want animal-friendly services. Many operators may not be familiar with animal-friendly travel, so tell
them what animal-friendly travel means: non-patronisation of animal cruelty - including being able to
obtain vegetarian or vegan food. If an operator really cannot accommodate your wishes then think
twice about using them.
Prepare before you go on your trip. Being prepared will make you feel more confident and take a lot of
worry off your mind. Aim to get a good idea of what you could do should you encounter animal cruelty
where you intend to travel. You can do much by searching the Web:
Find out what animal mistreatment you might expect to come across. You can count on
certain abuses in particular countries, such as serving tortured cats and dogs in
restaurants in China and south-east Asia and bear dancing in India and the Balkans.
List potential helpers in the region where you will be travelling, especially humane
societies and bodies that enforce animal welfare.
Try to find out animal friendly laws where you are going. You will then have a measure
of control over abusers by quoting to them the law in their country as a stimulus for
them to stop their abuse.
While You Travel

The simplest thing is to ensure as far as possible that you patronise only cruelty -free attractions.
Avoid paying for entertainment, goods or food that you think may contravene humane behaviour to
animals. However, a stronger response is to object and complain about abuse. Take immediate action
while travelling if you see animals being mistreated or you may lose the opportunity to help them. The
least you can do is find who is in charge, outline your position and ask them to st op what they are
doing. You have made a stand, however they react, and communicated to them that not all tourists
approve of their activity.
A stronger step is also to complain to the local authorities. Legal protection is so varied that in some
countries you may not easily be able to persuade the authorities to take action. But even in foreign
countries you have a right to complain. Use your right for the animals you see abused. Remind the
authorities that the money tourists spend is an important means of revenue for their country and that
animal abuse turns tourists away and gives their country a bad name.
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In serious cases, where you really have to get in touch with the authorities, collect as much evidence
as you can for them. This would be best before you tackle the abusers themselves about their
behaviour.
Note the date and the place. Record how many animals are involved, whether young or
old, and their species. Take photos or video and keep any freely available documents
(like leaflets). Try to collect written and signed statements from other witnesses with
their addresses. Finally, get the names of the abusers concerned.
Lodge a complaint with the local police if you think anything is illegal. Inform local
animal welfare organisations that may be able to help and request they send an officer
immediately to check the situation. The testimony of an expert witness, such as a vet,
can be invaluable.
Tackle your hotel, tour operator and local tourist office if they have any involvement.
Ask your local consulate or embassy for guidance on what can be done.
Ask other witness of the abuse to follow your example; the more people who protest,
the more seriously you will be taken. Give witnesses full details of who to contact.
Prompt and continuing action is crucial; the more you dawdle the greater the chance that all the
evidence will fade and the authorities will do nothing. Try to keep the originals of any documents, but
first make copies of them if you have to hand them over as evidence. Stay in the area as long as
possible until the problem is in hand or return later. Keep a record of everyone you contact and
decisions made.
Be persistent. If you are not satisfied by enforcement officers tell them you will speak to their
superiors, and do so if need be. If the authority is reluctance to act and you still cannot get anywhere,
try the local dignitaries, such as the local mayor and councillors. You may find that persuading people
to act is easier if they know you have alerted the local news media about your story; officials want to
keep their jobs and often do not want a bad press.
When You Return Home
If you could not contact local animal welfare organisations where you saw the abuse, write to them on
your return home to say what happened and ask if there is anything they can do. Also give your tour
operator the full story, even if they were only remotely implicated. Say that as an animal friendly
traveller you can only support and recommend tour operators if they take positive action to recognise
animal abuse and, if not suppress it, then at least not to patronise its perpetrators.
Don't feel that you are powerless to help animals on your travels. Being an animal friendly traveller
you help local communities because in the long-run they will gain from a healthier respect for animals.
A better life for animals will not come about overnight, but a continual flow of Western ideas about
animal ethics and complaints from disaffected travellers will count.
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4.16 Politician
Politically minded? Then start your own animal political party. Think again if you presume that
advocating for animals is not a hot political issue. Members of the most successful animal rights party
in the world sit in the Dutch parliament. The party leader, Marianne Thieme (b 1972), said, "We want
a constitutional amendment, guaranteeing animals the right to freedom from pain, fear and stress
caused by humans. (1) The party's manifesto lists over 200 actions to protect animals and nature
from human exploitation.
The Dutch animal rights party began in 2002 when two women set up Partij voor de dieren (Party for
Animals). Inevitably, few people took them seriously at first. But the news media gave them wide
coverage, drawing in valuable supporters and attracting candidates to stand in all but one of Hollands
electoral districts. The partys activists fought the elections with a tiny budget and minimal political
experience, and had to struggle with their non-political full-time jobs. The outcome was that the Party
for Animals won two seats in the 150 member legislature, almost two percent of total votes in 2006.
Nine of their representatives also won sits in Hollands provincial states.
Elsewhere other animal activists have also founded animal rights political parties: in Canada (Animal
Alliance Environment Voters Party), Germany (Partei Mensch Umwelt Tierschutz - or Tierschutzpartei
for short), Spain (Partido Antitaurino Contra el Maltrato Animal) and Britain (more below).
Animal Welfare Party
Forming new political parties is common in countries like Holland with proportional representation. But
it is not altogether uncommon in countries with a first-past-the-post electoral system, such as the
United States and Britain. Indeed, the Animal Welfare Party (previously called Animals Count) is one
of the latest parties to emerge on the British political arena. The Animal Welfare Party was originally
chaired by co-founder Jasmijn de Boo (b 1975) who was an active member of the Dutch Party for
Animals and one of their candidates for the 2004 elections to the Parliament of the European Union.
The overriding factor in the constitution of the Animal Welfare Party is respect for living beings. This
respect is based on recognising that animals have an interest in fulfilling their lives and avoiding
suffering. The Party's constitution states that humans have a moral obligation to protect the interests
of animals and that by doing so will live in a more worthy human society. The aims of the Animal
Welfare Party can be summed up as:
Promote animal rights.

Advance the moral and legal status of animals.
Encourage animal welfare education.
Protect nature.
Advocate healthy living.
Starting a Political Party

So what must you do to start a political party? First, get together with other people who share your
politics and commitments. Second, follow the rules for starting a new political party in your country.
The rules will likely include registering your party with the appropriate authority, opening a bank
account in the partys name, and making a formal public declaration of intent that you are forming a
new political party. Your formal declaration would include:
The
The
The
The
name of your party.

address of your party headquarters.
names of the party leader and main post holders, such as chair and treasurer.
party's manifesto, along with the party's mission, aims and constitution.
As well as supporting animal rights you will have to give thought to your mainstream policy: taxation,
health, education, law and order, defence, foreign policy, and so on. You must also deliberate on how
your party will be funded, happily by a high profile patron - with an open cheque book. Not least you
should inform the news media with a press release (see Chapter 3: News Media) to win supporters.
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Your Political Prognosis

Your chances for gaining power are best if you live in a multi-party state with a proportional
representation electoral system. Proportional representation favours many small parties getting seats
in the legislature. However, in the proportional representation system you would almost certainly have
to form a coalition with one or more other parties, in order to dominate other groupings. Therefore you
would have to jiggle your policies a bit to make your policies acceptable to your coalition partners.
It is unlikely you will be elected to govern in a state with a strong two-party first-past-the-post system.
Nevertheless, in a two-party system the party in power might conceivably invite you one day to join
them in a coalition should they become weak and desperate for your support to bolster their
administration.
However, you could still have a positive influence for animals even if you never get to wield power,
and even if only a minority of the electorate supports you. Your mere presence could make the main
parties moderately revise their policies in your direction in order to capture the vote that would
otherwise go to your party. This is what happened in Holland in the run up to the elections to the
European Parliament in 2004. Political commentators stated that the Party for Animals would do well,
consequently mainstream parties added animal issues to their own policies to seize the animal vote.
In fact, Canadas Animal Alliance Environment Voters Party see themselves as deliberately playing
this role. Rather than develop as a strong independent party in their own right, they lend their
endorsement to animal-friendly candidates standing for the major parties, which is strategy you could
try.
Your Colour
Political parties often identify themselves with a colour for easy recognition. Colours in Europe are
traditionally red for left wing, blue for right wing, and green for parties that strongly support nature.
Yellow and pink tend to be associated with centre parties , orange for nationalistic parties, black for the
far right and purple for royalist parties. Buff could be your appropriate political colour - the colour of
animal disguise and camouflage. Failing that, why not a green-buff union!
References
(1) Animal Welfare Party at www.animalwelfareparty.org.
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4.17 Prisoner Supporter

Animal Rights Prisoners
The animal rights movement attracts all sorts of people and a few have broken the law in 'acts of
conscience' and landed in jail. Among the first animal rights activists to feel the weight of the law were
Robin Howard, convicted of damaging two boats used for hunting seals, and Ronnie Lee and Cliff
Goodman, jailed for three years for damaging animal research equipment, in 1970's Britain, according
to the Animal Liberation Front.
Sentences of up to twelve years for some convicted animal rights activists are startlingly
disproportionately lengthy when measured against convictions for crimes such as homicide and rape.
(For more about offences see Chapter 5: Law & Order.) The worst conception of animal rights
prisoners is that they are dangerous extremists and terrorists who must be locked away to protect the
public. Another view is that they are caring individuals who risked their liberty to help animals. Either
way, you may want to support animal rights prisoners and there are a number of good reasons for
doing so.
Befriending prisoners is not necessarily endorsing their crime (befriending a fine dodger
does not necessarily mean you endorse fine dodging).
Anyone who risks jail for a cause, no matter whether you think their actions were right
or wrong, clear or confused, is worthy of support.
Anyone in jail deserves help and sustenance on humanitarian grounds. Prisoners, like
other people, desire compassion and respect.
Befriending animal rights prisoners is a form of activism, provided you openly declare
that it is. In this case you are providing camaraderie to animal rights prisoners, assuring
them that they are not abandoned.
Finding Prisoners to Support

A few animal rights web sites, like the Animal Liberation Front, list prisoners for support or have links
to web sites that list prisoners. Pick out a prisoner and make sure they are still doing time (information
on web pages gets stale and the prisoners may be out and about). If you intend to visit make sure
your prisoner is not too far from where you live. Three ways of supporting prisoners are letter writing,
fundraising and visiting.
1. Letter Writing
Writing a letter will be the easiest first step for you to take to support a prisoner. Even when writing to
a complete stranger and never getting beyond sending only the one letter, receiving it can be a
pleasant distraction from a tedious existence for the prisoner. However, do not expect your prisoner to
reply quickly, if at all, and do not feel obligated to corres pond for the whole of their jail sentence;
should they reply, write only as many letters that you feel like sending. It is also better to cultivate a
letter writing relationship with just one prisoner than to write cursorily to several prisoners and then
give up because of the inconvenience of writing so many letters.
Your first letter could amount to just a few lines. Writing it might be difficult so here are some
suggestions:
Write where you found your prisoner's details.

Say why you are writing, eg because you wish to be active in animal rights by
engaging in prisoner support or that you are merely seeking a pen pal.
Describe some generalities about your life.
Ask them what life is like in prison and if they have plans for the future.
Ask if you can offer some assistance, eg by sending them articles they lack.
Close by writing that you hope your prisoner will reply but that you will not be
offended if they do not respond.
Some letter writing things to do:
Write your name and address on your envelopes in case your letters are
rejected.
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Date all of your letters to keep track of them.

Give a friends address if you do not want to reveal your own. (Post office box
numbers do not necessarily protect you because in some cases anyone can find
out the address by walking into a main post office and simply requesting it.)
Send photos or drawings, but keep them impersonal and without sexual
implications.
List all the objects you enclose with the letter you write. Do the same if you reach
the stage of sending parcels, such as toiletries. This is a check that your prisoner
receives everything you send them.
Be frank with your prisoner about what you are and are not ready to do (like write
indefinitely or send a hacksaw blade).
Know your prison's rules about letter writing. Ask the prison for a copy of the
guidelines for visitors and prisoners.
And some letter writing things not to do:
Do not be critical (your prisoner has already been condemned by the law) but
give your support helpfully and unconditionally, even if your prisoner is cynical or
hostile.
Do not let your prisoner impose on you or be manipulative. Tell them you will
break off relations if they are.
Do not build false hopes with your prisoner, such as by making promises you
might not keep.
Do not write anything compromising. Escape plans and details of the prisons
security are out, as is writing racially offensive or obscene messages; the jailers
may read your letters routinely and can stop them. Much the same applies to
phone calls you may make to your prisoner; prison staff can listen in.
2. Visiting
There might come a time when you may want to visit your prisoner. Never just turn up; always ask
your prisoner in advance if they would like a visit. Notify the prison that you wish to visit and be sure to
get a copy of their regulations for visitors. Find out the prisons visiting rules, such as if they permit
handing prisoners anything, and stick to them. Take identification with you to show the jailers you are
who you claim to be. Make sure you arrive well before time to avoid disappointing your prisoner with a
non-visit because of some unexpected mishap. Expect that you might be searched.
1. Fundraising
A prison does not necessarily cater for all the needs of its prisoners. Your prisoner might lack
commodities like food, stationery, magazines, books or the travel costs for their family and friends to
visit them. So you could ask them if they would like you to fundraise for them. Of course, you are
under no obligation to raise funds, but if you are into fundraising then you might consider it. Or,
instead, you might chip in now and then and buy them the odd item from your own pocket.
Life in prison for months or years can be grim, but a befriender from the outside world can bring a
prisoner a measure of relief and encouragement for better days ahead. However, once you have
begun to support a prisoner and get worried about the writing/visiting system, do not keep things to
yourself but tell your prisoner and sort them out with the prison authorities.
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4.18 Public & School Speaker

As an animal activist you may be called some day to speak for animals. In any case, you might wish
to give talks about animal rights to schools and community groups, professional associations and to
any society that wants an interesting speaker at their meeting. There is plenty of scope in animal
rights activism for you to be an independent speaker. Alternatively, you could speak on behalf of an
animal rights organisation. Some organisations even give you training. Once you get into your stride
you may find that you are a naturally gifted public speaker and that giving talks is a bracing and
worthwhile craft.
Titles for Talks
As a public speaker you could ask patrons whether they would like you to tailor a talk to their
particular activities. You may also want to develop a few talks on specific stock -in-trade titles. Your
own titles for talks could be something like:
What are rights and what do people gain from animal rights?
Is animal rights based on inane thinking or critical reasoning?
Is vegetarianism immoral?
Why has philosophy from ancient times to the Renaissance condemned animals?
Are animal rightists anti-human?
Is factory farming moral farming?
What is animal testing and is it good for people?
Why promote animal rights?
How does the property status of animals affect animals?
Is wearing fur good for us?
Shaping the titles of your talks in the form of a question, like the ones above, will help you focus on
what exactly to speak about and will give your talks a direction. By posing a question you give your
audience an augment with a conclusion that may be controversial and that they can agree with or
dispute. It makes your talk more interesting than merely describing a situation or rolling out a list of
facts with no clear finale. So begin your talk with a question and end it with a conclusive answer. Do
not just tell your listeners but convince your listeners of the rightness of your case.
What You Need to Be a Speaker
You will need certain personal qualities for giving talks to audiences. You should:
Enjoy speaking in front of a group of people.

Have a good knowledge of animal rights issues and/or specialist knowledge in your particular
field of animal rights.
Have good presentation skills.
Be able to empathise with diverse kinds of audiences.
Have the ability to deal with questions from your audiences.
Should you think you do not have these qualities then you may be able to develop them. While some
people are naturally accomplished speakers, the art of public speaking can be learned and improved
with experience and there are many clubs, books, web sites and courses on the subject. The key
requirements are enthusiasm, persistence and - preparation.
Preparation
You must plan your presentation to carry it through effectively; you cannot just turn up hoping for the
best. (A presentation is a talk plus anything else that goes with it, such as showing a video or hosting
a question and answer session at the end of your talk.)
Depending on who you are addressing, talks could last 15 - 20 minutes for school children or 30 - 45
minutes for adults. It is useful to bear in mind that the more you pack in to your talk the more your
listeners will forget, even by the time they walk out the door. Your most important point might simply
be to make a good overall impression and you do not need to prattle on overly long to achieve that.
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At the composition stage of writing your talk think about the characteristics of your audience. What is
their age group? How much might they already know about animal rights? And whether they might be
inclined for or against rights? A class of young school children, a meeting of farmers or medic al
students pose different challenges. Seeing things from their perspective will help you prepare.
Research the topic for your talk, use reliable sources of information and look out for specific
illustrations that strengthen your argument. What about dis playing statistics? Detail will probably bore
your audience and they will forget it quicker than you can spill it out. Instead, they will remember best
an understandable, clear and striking visual graphic. For example, when talking about vegetarianism
or factory farming you could display a very basic diagram of the annual number of animals people
consume against the increasing human population. Draw everything simple - and extra big so that
people at the back of a hall can see clearly.
Anticipate questions that your listeners might ask at the end of your talk and devise reasonable and
impartial answers. Finding good answers to potential questions will further your understanding of your
subject. Your knowledge will also help keep you calm and unflustered during your talks because you
know you will be able to cope with questions. Your confidence will enhance your credibility with your
audience as well as the standing of animal rights with them.
Learn a talk as thoroughly as you can. Knowing it back to front will fortify your composure when
presenting it. It is said that Winston Churchill spent one hour rehearsing important speeches for every
minute he spent delivering them. This will be too much of a chore for most speakers. But try to deliver
without reading from notes, although an occasional glance is in order to remind you of major points
and changes in direction. Give most of your attention to the audience.
Presentational Tips
Arrive early and chat with some of the audience. Get to know them a little. It will help
improve your nerves and limber you up. Speaking to people you have met and spoken
to can be easier than addressing an audience of complete strangers.
Make sure any equipment you use, like visual aids, works properly. While checking
equipment, go over in your mind the important points you are going to make and
imagine delivering your opening remarks.
The ultimate aim of your talk is to change or strengthen the attitude of members of your
audience in favour of animal rights. So speak from your heart and try to inspire your
audience without putting on an overblown act.
Concentrate everything on getting your key message (one or two points) across to the
audience. That is the reason for giving your talk.
Do not be alarmed if you see blank faces. Do not waffle on but interact with your
audience. Ask if they understood what you have just been going over and restate or
rephrase again if necessary.
Strive to grab your listeners attention by enlivening your subject. One formula is to
develop a dialogue; look at individuals and ask them rhetorical questions, like What do
you think happened? or How would you react if...?
Displaying graphics will provide added interest to your talk. They can act as prompts for
points you wish to make.
Keep an eye on the clock and do not ramble on past your allotted time or you will risk
annoying people.
Leave time for a discussion or a question-and-answer session at the end of your talk.
Answer questions fully and with respect, irrespective of whether you think the
questioner is hostile or stupid. You could also encourage questions throughout your
talk.
Someone asks you a question and you are stumped for a reply. No one knows all the
answers and if you do not know say so. If appropriate say you will find out and get back
to the questioner with an answer.
Complete silence on closing your talk? Activate blank faces by asking if they agree with
such-and-such a point; pick out individuals and ask for their opinion.
Made a mistake or forgot a line? Backed into the blackboard and brought it crashing
down? Everyone goofs-up occasionally. Carry on and learn from your blunders so that
you make a better show next time.
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At the end of your presentation, so that you can improve on it, get feedback by asking
people what they thought about it. Talk to the organisers or circulate a questionnaire.
Given the nature of the human onslaught on animals it is easy to fall into the habit of
being negative or emotionally charged. However, be upbeat and positive. Emphasise
solutions to problems, not just the problems or atrocities themselves.
Diplomatic tact is an asset; remain calm, factual and professional, especially when
confronted by an aggressive individual or a disruptive audience (see Chapter 4:
Teacher, under Disruptive Students).
Approaching Institutions
The most direct way for getting engagements is by looking up institutions, schools and colleges,
societies and clubs. Phone them and ask if they would like a speaker. Make sure they clearly know
that you speak for animal rights and not about animal welfare, environment, or some related field.
When you have given a talk at these places ask for referrals to other parties.
In addition, promote your own web site or blog specialised for animal rights outreach speaking (see
Chapter 3: Internet, and Chapter 4: Blogging). On your web site tell readers:
About yourself and why you speak for animals.
Your lecturing experience, relevant qualifications.
Age ranges you address and duration of talks
Typical themes of your talks, examples of their content, and duration
Tools you use: videos, booklets, activity sheets, etc
Your catchment area or how far you are prepared to travel to an engagement.
That your talks are free but reimbursement for travelling expenses is appreciated.
You may also want to say if and how your talks are adapted to school curricula.
Alternatively, give talks by volunteering through one or more non-profit organisations that offer animal
rights presentations to schools and elsewhere and are looking for speakers. A non-profit organisation
might require that you are well versed on animal rights issues and have some experience delivering
lectures and presentations. A few non-profits give training and material to their would-be speakers.
Better still, you can work through non-profits as well as promote your own web site for giving talks.
When a school or institution is interested in engaging you, confirm the time and date with them in
writing. At the same time find out:
The theme(s) they would like you to cover.
The number of students in the class.
The students' age group.
The students' level of knowledge of animal rights.
How long your presentation is expected to last.
Any special areas that you should cover or avoid.
Whether you can show videos, illustration, etc and what facilities are available, like
visual aids or video equipment.
It may be an idea to put most of this in a booking form to send them when confirming your
presentation.
Getting Material for Talks
Ask established animal rights organisations for relevant material to hand out at your talks: videos,
DVDs, leaflets, posters and any merchandise. Many organisations would be happy to recruit you to
distribute their stuff and you could also offer to fundraise for them through your talks.
Further Development
Perhaps you do not want to give talks yourself. Then an alternative approach is to develop a list of
experienced people who would like to give talks and market your speakers to schools and societies.
Send out letters of introduction with brochures outlining your service and your speakers. If you can
afford it consider a full-size four page colour brochure with pictures; it stands the best chance over
any other kind of literature of being filed for future action if they cannot use you immediately. Send out
newsletters with the brochures when you are established.
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4.19 Drone (UAV) Flyer for Animal Protection

Take to the Air
How can you observe animal abuse in inaccessible or prohibited outdoor areas? Remote low altitude
aerial surveillance using drones (also called UAVs) is a bourgeoning market. So fly a miniature drone
which records action on the ground with stills or video. Supply animal protection organisations with
footage and document animal abuse for them as evidence for litigation. Abuses include illegal
sporting, hunting and poaching, and activities normally out of sight, such as at abattoirs and factory
farms. See the work of ShadowView (www.shadowview.org), a drone specialist animal protection
group.
In the jargon, drones are sometimes described with long-winded names like unmanned aerial vehicles
(UAV), unmanned aerial systems (UAS) and remotely piloted aircraft (RPA), all shortened to
important-sounding initials. Some people call a miniature UAV an MAV.
What are Drones/UAVs?
Civilian drones are miniature aircraft piloted by someone on the ground instead of in the aircraft; they
are flying robots. Drones are either fixed wing or rotary (that is helicopters). A fixed wing plane could
be ideal for surveying large areas over land or sea. Helicopters can speed along too, but in addition
they can hover and dodge about a small area to keep a continuous record of what is happening on
the ground.
Hitherto, drones have been expensive, large, high-flying and long-range aircraft. Possibly the most
well-known drone/UAV is the Predator, a multi-million dollar reconnaissance machine and rocket firing
assassin that the US military use for killing missions.
But advances in camera, flight and battery technology since the 1990s are making possible cheap
miniature drones for civilian purposes. A mini-drone may cost you anything from a few hundred
dollars to a few thousand dollars. Add to this the cost of cameras and miscellaneous items.
Mini-drones are up to about a metre long (three feet) and weigh around two kilograms (eleven
pounds). Flight endurance of drones is about 30 minutes depending on payload weight and you need
a clear patch of land for take off and landing. Helicopter drones are variously multi-rotored: tricopter,
quadcopter, hexacopter and octocopter.
Applying Mini-Drones/UAVs
Animal protection organisations are employing or considering drones to document poaching of big
game in Africa, the killing of seals in Namibia, illegal hunting or baiting of hares, badgers and foxes in
Britain, and driftnet fishing in the Mediterranean involving whales, dolphins, sharks, turtles and birds
as well as fish. These organisations include the World Wildlife Fund, PETA, Sea Shepherd
Conservation Society, League Against Cruel Sports, and Ulster SPCA.
It is said that drones/UAVs will transform society in many ways. Just a few uses of civilian drones are:
Wildlife conservation: assessing deforestation, distribution and density of populations

and species, and poaching (eg illegal trade in horns and ivory).
Industry: inspecting integrity of structures, such as buildings, bridges, power lines and
pipelines.
Search and rescue: in difficult terrain, for instance mountains and deserts, take images
through cloud, rain or fog, day or night using thermal imagery
Police: examining traffic and crowd size, scanning motor vehicle license plates,
patrolling borders.
Agriculture: monitoring free-ranging livestock, evaluating crops such as for moisture or
fertilizer content.
Archaeology: discovering and mapping new sites for excavation.
Cinema & television: soaring and hovering shots of actors and scenes.
Leisure: flying drones, either solo or with a club, as a hobby.
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Flying Your Drone/UAV.

You could be a team of one to fly your drone but it is easier to be a team of two members: the pilot
and the camera operator. The pilot remotely controls the aircraft and the camera operator, standing
next to him, is responsible for observing and recording pictures. Their jobs are separat e because
drones are as demanding to fly as full scale aircraft carrying a crew.
The drone pilot must concentrate all the time on keeping his craft in the air. He can set an irregular
course using GPS (Geographical Positioning System), controlled via satellites, that the drone will fly
by itself automatically. Or he can manipulate a small console or transmitter which includes controls .
The controls are for the ailerons (for rolling), elevators (for pitching), rudder (for yawing), and throttle
(for speed). Piloting a helicopter, whether a full size one you can sit in or a drone that you can tuck
under your arm, takes more patience and skill than controlling a fixed wing aircraft. You have to make
the drone helicopter hover, fly upwards and downwards and go forward and backwards.
The camera operator controls where the camera points, the mode the camera is in and what it
records. The camera transmits images of everything it sees, displaying them on a laptop monitor for
the camera operator to see and save if useful. Fixed wing drones often carry a camera within their
fuselage. But an external payload can be attached to the bottom of the airframe of helicopter drones.
Cameras should be easily interchangeable, for example, if you wish to use thermal as well as daylight
imaging. Selecting the right cameras for the right jobs takes as much consideration as selecting the
right drone.
What Kind of Drone/UAV?
For animal rights work, depending on your objective, a helicopter drone may be more suitable than a
fixed wing drone. With a helicopter, the camera operator can see what is happening by flying the
drone backwards or turning it in its own length. However, if you need to cover a lot of ground quickly,
rather than observe a small patch for a while, you might swap your rotary drone for a fixed wing
drone.
Some drones, just like the larger people-carrying aircraft, have aerobatics capabilities (like military
fighters). These are for hobbyists who want to fly loops and roles with their drones. You will want a
model that is a stable platform (more like an airliner) for taking pictures without blurring images.
The more equipment your drone carries (the greater the payload) and the more windy and adverse
weather your operating area is prone to, the heavier your drone should be for strength and stability.
Generally, the size of your drone will dictate the camera payload. Flight time shortens as the camera
weight increases.
You can design and build your own mini-drone but you will find it a lot easier to buy one complete or
as a kit to assemble at home. Assembling a drone as a kit could take you five to twenty or so hours
and you should not need any specialist knowledge or tools.
The Law for Drones/UAVs
Flying drones is a serious enterprise. It is regulated by law, so do an online search to find out what the
law in your country says about flying commercial drones (whether you fly them for profit or not). In the
United States, for example, the Federal Aviation Administration restricts flying drones to below 130
metres (400 feet); this is no handicap for animal rights/welfare work. And the Civil Aviation Authority in
Britain reminds you that when flying your drone you must be careful to keep your aircraft a safe
distance from people, vehicles and structures, and only fly it in suitable weather.
As more commercial drones take to the air worldwide, so the law of each country is adapting itself and
changing to accommodate this new industry. Be careful to stay within the law and keep up to date
with it as it changes.
Flying drones seriously, you will need public liability insurance and you might insure cameras
separately.
Beware Drone/UAV Pitfalls
A drawback when flying a miniature drone is that usually you cannot let the machine out of your sight,
so you have to stay close to it. Presently, this is demanded by law in some countries. Furthermore,
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you may not know which way it is facing or even whether it is upside down unless you can see it.
Monitors are developing, however, to the point where you can track some drones however and
wherever they fly and the law may change accordingly. Until then you cannot spy behind far-off hills
and other blind spots where you cannot see your drone. If you need to fly over obscured terrain,
consider piloting a paramotor and going up in person (see Paramotor Flyer in Chapter 4).
The weather can be another problem; all aircraft, manned or unmanned, are affected by it. Some
drones will cope better than others in wind and rain, but even if your drone can speed along at a
spanking rate of, say 50 k/hour (30 mph), and the wind is gusting more than this, then it would be rash
to fly it. It is likely to crash. You just have to wait for better conditions.
Beginning Drones/UAVs
Flying drones is a serious activity. But for a complete beginner, possibly the best way into it, to fathom
whether you like it and gain basic experience, is to start at hobby level. A concise outline is Craig
Issods eBook Getting Started with Hobby Quadcopters and Drones. Search the Web for information
and guides on miniature drones (and UAVs, UASs, RPAs, and of course MAVs!) and literally
work your way upwards.
Useful Drone/UAV Links
ShadowView: www.shadowview.org. A non-profit drone/UAV group.
Quadcopters: www.quadcopters.co.uk. An example of one of the growing number of online multi-rotor
specialists.
Dragonfly: www.draganfly.com. An online drone business.
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4.20 Scientific Investigator

The Scientific Investigator: scrutinises, analyses, reports
A scientific investigator researches and reports evidence for publication so that campaigners acting
on the information can reform harmful practices. This is a bit like doing investigative reporting
(Chapter 4: Investigative Reporter) but has a scientific bearing, making use of statistical techniques
and scientific report writing. A science or social science degree could be of value here; however,
anyone with a strong ability and fondness for investigating and writing can educate themselves on
how to go about doing it. In recent years much has been written about scientific investigative research
(1) and proficiency comes with action and practice.
An Example Investigation
Pet shops are fairly easy to identify, open to the public for perusal and, looking innocent, you can
question the shop assistants. These factors may be some of the reasons why pet shops have come
under the scrutiny of investigative researchers. The aim of these researchers is to protect animals
from the pet trade by identifying illegal practices and ill-treatment that can then be acted on. Jordi
Casamitjana, an independent animal welfare consultant and investigator, carried out a number of
investigations and one was on pet shops in Scotland (2), outlined below.
Scientific work for an investigation comes in at the very beginning. You must take utmost c are to
design your investigation so that your prospective findings can stand up to thorough questioning by
anyone wanting to shoot them down. For example, to investigate pet shops you must first clearly
define and state what a pet shop is. One way of doing this is to find out what the law says constitutes
a pet shop. If there were no laws relating to this and nothing else acting as a guide, then you would
have to write down your own definition, such as a premise that sells animals as pets as a commercial
business, excluding breeders who handle or raise pedigree pets for sale.
You also need an adequate number of pet shops to visit because the more shops you check, the
more your findings will be reliable. How many pet shops to choose? This is somewhat subjective but
at least a quarter to a third of total pet shops in the region seems reasonable, which is how
Casamitjana chose.
There were various other problems Casamitjana had to address before he could set foot inside his
first pet shop. One was that he was going to look for abnormal behaviour among the shops animals.
So what constitutes abnormal animal behaviour? Casamitjana defined abnormal animal behaviour as
actions not normally seen in animals living in the wild and he concentrated on stereotypies. A
stereotypy is behaviour, seen in humans as well as animals, that is repetitious and appears not to
have an obvious function. Pet shop stereotypies include pacing up and down, rocking back and forth,
pacing round in circles, head bobbing, and bar-biting (of a cage). You can see stereotypical behaviour
in animals at zoos and factory farms. Animal behaviourists think that animals living in unstimulating
conditions in captivity perform stereotypies to help them cope with the frustration, boredom and stress
of their living conditions. A stereotypical behaviour by an animal indicates a problem of well -being.
Casamitjana identified other conditions indicative of potentially poor welfare in pet shops. He
considered the animals housing (which might be barren and cramped) and compared it with officially
approved standards. He also noted animals trying to escape, animals vocalising, customers teasing
or handling the animals, shop assistant proficiency - judged by the shop assistants standard of advice
- and shop compliance with legal regulations, such as not selling animals to minors. Finally, after
detailed preparation, Casamitjana posing as a customer was ready to visit the pet shops.
Among Casamitjanas findings was that over half the pet shops he visited had animals who showed
abnormal behaviour and were clearly distressed, possibly because of inadequate housing. Several
shops had poor customer-animal interactions. Shop assistants often failed to give adequate advice
and often gave poor advice. Some shops did not have a valid pet shop licence to operate and others
were in breach of their licence. Casamitjana wrote his report and it was published by Advocates for
Animals as an indictment on pet shop standards. Campaigners working for pet shop animals are now
better armed to help these animals. Knowledge is power!
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Define Your Subject

A subject for your investigation may not immediately occur to you. Choosing one will then be your first
task; read Investigation Ideas in Investigative Reporter, Chapter 4. Three tips are:
Select an investigation that deeply interests you, for should your interest wane while on
the job you may never complete it.
Always keep your research plan simple. Plans that are initially simple often grow
complicated, so if you start with an already complicated plan it is likely to balloon out of
control.
Try to discuss your chosen subject of investigation and work out some details with an
established investigator if you can find one (search the Web).
Your Report
Like Casamitjana, you will have to know how to write a report. The aim of writing one is to convince
readers that what you did is important and that action should be taken about your findings. Your
research report will be the only concrete evidence of your research. If you do not write a report or
have no other documentary evidence, like video, to show what you found then no one will know what
you did and no action can be taken. Furthermore, the quality of your research will be judged directly
by the quality of your writing (succinct, clear, logical and strictly relevant) and how well you convey the
importance of your findings. The best way to know how to write a report is to study reports by other
researchers. To find them check books, journals and the Web. You will see that there are four basic
sections to a written report:
Introduction: the problem and why you are investigating it.

Methods: what you did to investigate the problem.
Results: the specific findings of your investigation.
Discussion: your interpretation of your findings and how it fits in with other investigators
work (if any).
You will want a pithy descriptive title for your report and may wish to include other sections in it,
like:
Abstract: a brief statement of what you did, what you found and your conclusions. This
goes at the top of your report under the title.
Acknowledgements: to people who helped you. This could go at the end of the report.
Appendix: stuff that might be added, like raw data, that does not fit in the body of your
report. The Appendix goes at the back of the report.
References: a list of the authors with their published works that you cite in your report.
This goes at the very back of the report.
A strong move is to write a literature review and mix it in with the Introduction. A lit erature review is a
summary of the findings and conclusions of other researchers (if any) on your subject of investigation.
For example, you can state in one sentence that so and so, investigating such and such, found this
and that and concluded whatever. You should try to build on the findings of other researchers to:
Add substance to your report.

Give your report more context, breadth and greater credence.
Establish yourself as knowledgeable about your subject.
Another good move is to design your study from the outset from the best techniques of other
investigative researchers while avoiding their faults. Even if no one has published anything on your
subject for investigation, you should mention it. If there are no publications on your subject then you
will be a trailblazer and researchers following in your steps will cite you in their report!
References
(1) Forbes, Derek. A Watchdogs Guide to Investigative Reporting. Konrad Adenauer Stiftung. 2005.
(Accessed online 18 May 2007.)
(2) Casamitjana, Jordi J. Caged to Sell: a study of animal related problems in Scottish pet shops in
the year 2003. Scotland: Advocates for Animals. 2003.
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4.21 Solo Information Worker

The Work
Assemble and display to the public the information and eye-catching material from the larger animal
activist organisations. This is sometimes called tabling. Obtain a foldable table on which to arrange
your goods, pick a site where to pitch it; this is your portable information centre. Try tabling at street
markets, fairs and festivals, wherever you can lay out your shop and lots of people pass by. Collect
booklets, brochures, CDs, videos, pamphlets, posters, newsletters, stickers, badges and petitions for
people to sign and many organisations will give you their donation collection tins.
Practical items to take with you are a tablecloth, a transparent waterproof cloth for when wet weather
threatens, paperweights for windy days and victuals to sustain y ou. Get a portable chair unless you
intend standing all day. Ask the appropriate authorities beforehand if you need permission to set up
where you intend, there may be restrictions, and get the officials name in case you have to refer back
to them because of any problem.
Chit Chat With the Public
Engage in polite conversation with people who approach your information centre. Should they be
particularly interested in animal rights, you might convince them to take on a practical role of some
sort (with you at your centre or with an animal rights organisation). In this case do not let them go
without getting their contact address or phone number and soon get in touch with them again or their
initial willingness may cool. Do not waste time disputing issues wit h convinced detractors or by
converting the already converted when you might miss other people standing nearby who may be
sympathetic. Be friendly, helpful and patient to win hearts and minds.
The Tabling Portable Display
Portable display panels bearing pictures, text and documents will make an attractive background to
your centre. Arrange your display panels around the back and sides of the table. The panels could
treble the working area of your information shop. They may be single or double width, hinged together
with plastic or tape, and be single or double tiered (one on top of the other) and made of laminated
plywood for lightness and strength. Suitable dimensions are in the region of 0.5 thick x 65 wide x 100
high in centimetres (about 0.25 x 25 x 40 in inches) that you are able to carry comfortably and that
your local art or hardware shop can supply.
Cover the panels with coloured cardboard and pin or stick your material to them. Place a heading in
large letters over the top of each panel, like Factory Farming Tortures Animals, or Veal Calf
Outrage, or Animals Made Into Fur Brushes. Add pictures with simple and concise text next to them
for the passing people to read. Passers-by may not want to hang around long to read much, so make
text brief. The less text you write, the more people will remember! Let the pictures carry the impact
and it is the pictures that people will recall most vividly.
This Be Your Motto?
At times it is appropriate to offer a payment or donation to your suppliers for your stock of information
material, especially if your suppliers are among the smaller charity organisations. Their material can
be expensive for them to produce, so work hard to distribute it to best advantage. Persuade to
Convert could be your information centres tabling motto!
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4.22 Voluntary Worker Abroad

Volunteer to work abroad - for your gap year, career break, change of direction, early retirement or
just a vacation. Organisations around the world engaged in animal, wildlife and conservation projects
need volunteers to work with them for at least a month to a year or more and you might find a niche
working in animal rights. You travel about, live in a new-to-you environment, plunge into the local
population and culture, pick up a foreign tongue; altogether an unforgettable experience.
Although many opportunities exist for working with animal welfare and conservation organisations, at
present few bona fide openings currently exist for purely animal rights work. So you could mix animal
rights with animal welfare and conservation. An example of a good project that combines all three,
would be one that effectively rehabilitates animals stolen from the wild, say for the pet or zoo trade,
back to the wild.
Search for Animal Rights Openings
So how do you find animal rights volunteer positions? Search the Web. One web site for example
states, Experience the magic of India while helping to promote animal rights. Then goes on to say,
"Working for an animal welfare NGO with a strong track record, you'll have plenty of chances to roll up
your sleeves and get involved in spreading awareness about the care, management and nutrition of
pets and homeless animals to all sections of Indian society." This NGO, however, is only one percent
into animal rights. Still, this is a good start.
Animal welfare and conservation are not the same as animal rights (Chapter 2: Comparing
Philosophies). Therefore, when volunteering for an animal welfare or conservation organisation be
careful that you will actually be active in some way for animal rights. Some bodies involved in animal
welfare and conservation oppose animal rights. Conversely, some people in animal rights oppose and
disparage animal welfare, taking the view that Animal welfare laws do little but regulate the details of
exploitation. (1)
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Check Bona Fides

How do you check the honesty of an organisation? The only way is to ask them for a list of all (or say
twenty) of their recent volunteers with contact details so that you can check their experiences. A good
organisation ought to be able to give you a list. They must send you a reasonably full list because if
you get only half a dozen or fewer names the people listed may be in league with the organisation to
say good things and there is no point contacting them for an opinion. If the organisation has no time
to send you a full list, or does not do that sort of thing, or makes up some other excuse, tell them why
you want the list. If they still refuse then seriously consider dropping them flat.
What You Need
To be successful on your voluntary work abroad you:
Need energy, enthusiasm and a real commitment to work hard to meet the mental and
physical challenge.
Should be able to adapt to circumstances if you find yourself working in isolated
surroundings, possibly living in conditions you might consider sub-standard or primitive,
out of touch with your family and friends, and experiencing many strange cult ural
differences.
Should be able to commit yourself for several months, offer certain skills or expertise if
a particular project demands it, and meet travelling costs, living costs and other
expenses like administration, insurance and taxes.
Home Thoughts
Alternatively, instead of going abroad, you could opt for volunteering at an animal rights organisation
in your neighbourhood. An example is People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals who advertise on
their web sites for volunteers in their American and European offices. An organisation like this needs
volunteers to assist in administration office work, participate in demonstrations and photo calls, carry
out research for campaigns, pack parcels, distribute leaflets and undertake other duties as necessary.
Finally
While travelling as a voluntary worker in any kind of job, whether related to animals or not, keep an
eye open for animal abuses that you can do something about on your own initiative. Read AnimalFriendly Traveller in Chapter 4.
References
(1) Best S & Nocella A J (eds). Terrorist or Freedom Fighter? Reflections on the liberation of animals .
Lantern Books. 2002:12.
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Chapter 5
The Law & Animal Rights
5.1
Terrorism
Snappy Essence
Terrorism is the use of intimidation and violence, often against innocent
people, to impel change in society. Some terrorists remain shady; society
honours others. For animal rights, the most practical way to advance is on a
broad front, everyone doing what they do best.
"Their number is not important, but their thought." Leo Tolstoy (1)
A Definition of Terrorism
Terrorism is the systematic use by people of intimidation and violence, often against innocent people,
to impel change in society. Through terrorism a small number of people can exert a disproportionate
influence on society. Massive security forces are often ineffectual when combating a few dedicated
terrorists who strike anywhere then vanish to fight another day.
Terrorist organisations are small, typically with around a dozen to a few hundred i ndividuals,
occasionally a few thousand. Violent animal rights extremists are often referred to as terrorists by
some politicians and news media. Since the 1970's the number of violent animal rights extremists has
been growing in Britain and their approach has spread abroad, especially to countries like Australia
and the United States. However, despite the news reportage they stimulate, it is said that British
violent animal rights extremists number less than 400 people and draw on less active backing from up
to 4,000 supporters, out of a total population of 64 million.
Background to Terrorism
Terrorism is as old as history, but the expression terrorism originated in 18th century revolutionary
France. The state ordered the arrest, torture and execution of thousands of citizens during the French
revolution (1789), in the period known as the Reign of Terror, to murder political enemies and impose
order on society. Robespierre (1753 - 1794), French lawyer and radical political leader, is quoted as
saying, "Terror is nothing but justice, prompt, severe and inflexible." Robespierre personally ordered
dozens of executions and himself fell prey to the terror when he was imprisoned and guillotined.
Many people turned to terrorism after the Second World War when their nations sought independence
from colonialism. Once they gained independence, however, several erstwhile terrorists became
respected leaders of their country. Menachem Begin (1913 - 1992) led the Irgun, a terrorist group
fighting British rule in 1940's Palestine. One of the Irgun's acts was the bombing of the King David
Hotel in Jerusalem, the central British administrative offices, killing over 90 people. In 1977 Israel
elected Begin as Prime Minister. Ironically, Israel then had to deal with Yasir Arafat (1929 - 2004),
himself a one-time terrorist, fighting Israel for Palestinian independence, who subsequently became
President of the Palestinian Authority and a Nobel Prize winner for peace.
144
So terrorists do not necessarily remain contemptible shadowy figures, even though terrorism is
rejected with horror and aversion by most people most of the time. A well-known phrase is 'someone's
terrorist is someone else's freedom-fighter'; somebody is or is not a terrorist depending on where your
political sympathies lie. You can always justify your terrorist inclinations by appealing to philosophy.
With a utilitarian attitude your doctrine would be 'better a few people should die for the sake of the
majority of people'. Under a deontology viewpoint your doctrine would be 'do your duty irrespective of
the consequences, whether the outcome is good or bad'.
But What Really is Terrorism?
Terrorism causes widespread public anxiety because anyone may be injured or killed. But for national
governments to fight terrorism effectively they first need to know what they are fighting. Exactly what
terrorism is, however, and who is and who is not a terrorist, have always eluded clear definition. What
happens in actuality is that both sides in a dispute convincingly employ words like terrorism and
terrorist to bring discredit on the opposing side.
So you must be careful when politicians and national bodies define terrorism. Who are these
politicians and national bodies, what are their political interests and how exactly do they propose to
tackle terrorism? If you are not careful they may fool and manipulate you, ostensibly against terrorism,
but in reality to further their own questionable political aims. You may find yourself sanctioning laws
and actions that buttress their powers but conflict with democratic society and work against your
personal liberty.
Animal Extremism & Terrorism
Politicians, the news media and people with vested interests in animals sometimes accuse animal
rights extremists of terrorism. Violent animal rights extremism is largely confined to Europe and North
America. It began in Britain in the mid-1970's where animal rights extremists began using violent
methods (for instance see illegal examples see Chapter 3, Direct Action) to make their point or
intimidate people such as livestock exporters, fur traders, animal breeders and animal laboratory
workers.
It is fair to say that these animal extremist activities should not be taken lightly. Some of them, like
arson, carry a jail sentence and others, like setting up letter bombs and booby-traps, can cause
serious injury. However, although there have been narrow escapes, violent animal rights extremists
have not intentionally killed anyone with such conduct. On the other hand some animal rights activists
have died while on actions (a case is Jill Phipps, see her entry, Chapter 7).
But should we label violent animal rights extremists as terrorists? It makes sense to distinguish
terrorist from violent extremist in order to maintain the right level of response t o their acts. Terrorists,
like the Irgun and today's Al Qa'eda, do not hesitate to kill people deliberately. Al Qa'eda terrorists in
2001 hijacked four airliners in the US and used them as guided missiles to kill 3,000 innocent people.
It would be an over reaction, but one often found in the news media, to lump violent animal rights
extremists with terrorists.
Does AR Extremism Work in Practice?
No one can say with certainty whether direct action (Chapter 3: Direct Action) or extremism for any
cause is efficacious. Discussing animal rights, Richard Ryder sums it up:
"Yet any historian knows that in some earlier reform movements little
progress was made until illegal and sometimes violent acts occurred.
Whether reforms would have been achieved without the direct action of the
suffragists, for example, or whether they would have been achieved more
slowly, are matters for conjecture." (2)
Most people might agree that extreme actions can sometimes lead to big effects. The Boston teaparty is an often cited case. Angered at having to pay taxes to the British crown without Parliamentary
representation, Colonialists in Massachusetts in 1773 flung the consignment of tea, on which tax had
to be paid, off merchant ships into Boston harbour. Their act developed into the American War of
Independence, radically changed American society and led in 1776 to the world's first major
declaration of human rights (see entry Animal Rights Basis, in Chapter 2).
145
One ingredient of the Boston tea-party was the publicity the action created. People delight in reading
about excessive and exceptional human behaviour - and the modern news media deluge us with
extremisms. Violence gets noticed; quiet initiatives are seldom trumpeted. Whether publicity caused
by animal rights extremism is good or bad there is no doubt that it thrusts animal rights into the public
conscience. Extreme direct action stirs up controversy, stimulates debate and keeps it alive. When it
comes to animal rights you might therefore argue that extremism is good for animals (that is it gets
publicity).
The flip side of extreme action is quietly and politely improving attitudes by education and argument,
by appealing to rationality, compassion and a sense of justice, and by changes in the law (for
example see Chapter 4 entries, such as Teacher, Animal Lawyer, and Philosopher). This is slow work
but effective in that it makes for a great and long-lasting change in people's attitudes and in most wars
it is attitudes that must be won.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it is impossible to know the single best way to bring about a revolution in society. The
most sensible means is probably to advance on a broad front, everyone doing the best they can in
their own way.
References
(1) Tolstoy, Leo. Pima (Letters): 8 - 15 March, 1881, 63, 45 - 52
(2) Ryder, Richard. In Peter Singer (ed), In Defense of Animals. 1985:77 - 88.
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5.2
Violence or Nonviolence
Snappy Essence
No one has succeeded in weighing the efficacy of violence versus
nonviolence to the satisfaction of all. People argue as their opinions tak e
them. Possibly the best overall course is to remain true to basic humane
principles.
"In moral terms, the granting of rights to animals leads to the conclusion that
direct action in their defence is not only permissible but also a moral duty,
although whether this justifies some of the more extreme actions involving
violence is an open question." Robert Garner (1)
Scope of AR Extremism
Animal rights extremists have harassed their opponents, carried out arson attacks, planted and sent
bombs and other devices through the post and issued death threats to individuals, animal
laboratories, shops, factories, farms and other targets. Animal rights extremists caused 2.6 million
($4 million) of damage to property in 1,200 actions during the year 2000 and are the prime cause of
violence in Britain since violence in Northern Ireland eased, according to BBC News (2). The police
fear that sooner or later someone will be gravely injured.
Many analysts maintain that the Animal Liberation Front (ALF) is an extremist group, an instigator and
leader of animal rights violence. Set up in 1976 by Ronnie Lee, ALF claims it is not a violent
organisation. But this may depend on what you call violent. Kinds of actions typically carried out by
groups claiming inspiration from ALF are outlined in the entry Direct Action (Chapter 3). Analysts say
ALF promotes 'leaderless resistance' groups, each group consisting of one or a handful of individuals,
autonomous and completely detached from their instigating body, yet acting toward the same ultimate
goal.
Another two extreme animal rights groups were the Animal Rights Militia, first active in the 1980's, and
the Justice Department, created in 1993. Both groups claimed to be unrelated to the ALF, although
many critics saw the same few people behind all three groups. The Animal Rights Militia claimed they
were behind the grave robbing in 2004 of a woman involved with animal abuse; two years later three
animal activists in their thirties were tried for the theft and sentenced from four to twelve years jail.
The ALF has a branch in the United States, where they are a horror to the Federal Bureau of
Investigation (FBI). The FBI classifies some political and economic opponents as 'terrorists' and lumps
ALF members with them. Other US agencies classify terrorists only as political groups who cause
people bodily injury or death, so are not concerned with ALF.
Can We Justify Violence?
A few people utterly reject reacting violently; even if seriously physically attacked they would rather
die than fight back. However, most people would hit back with violence if sufficiently motivated. But
whether you are for or against violence there is a good pragmatic question to ask about it. Is violence
efficacious?
Kinds of Violence
First, a little digression. What sort of violence are we talking about? Violence is not possible to define
definitively, but for the purpose of the following discussion let's make out four kinds of violence. These
are imperfect definitions but they cover a lot of ground. They are (1) zero violence (nonviolence), (2)
physical and mental violence to people, and (3) violence to property (property damage).
1. Zero Violence
This is peaceful resistance by masses of people in the style of Mohandas Gandhi (1869 - 1948) and
Martin Luther King Jr (1929 - 1968). Analysts of violence often quote these men as the prime
exponents of nonviolence for Indian independence and black American civil rights, respectively.
Gandhi's style of nonviolence is never violent under any circumstances, but is not necessarily always
legal. For example, Gandhi incited people not to pay salt tax and he called for mass trespasses. The
British imprisoned Gandhi several times for his intransigence.
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2. Physical & mental violence to people

Physical violence, like brute assault or murder, is rare in animal rights campaigning and not
representative of the animal rights movement, although the news media make much of it given an
opportunity. Harassment or torment, for instance by a noisy crowd screaming insults while picketing
someone's home, is a mental torture for the occupant. Mental violence like this clearly overlaps with
violence to property (below) in that you will likely suffer mental trauma if your home is burnt down in
an arson attack.
3. Violence to property (property damage)
Some people claim that you cannot be violent to property because property cannot feel pain. They
call property damage sabotage, to set it off from violence. Eco-activists in the United States have
called property damage ecotage or monkeywrenching. Destroying equipment, say at an animal
laboratory or slaughterhouse (when no one is around to be injured) may be absorbed by insurance
and therefore cause little personal bother to the owners. However, violence t o property could
conceivably end up as violence to people if care is not taken; someone trapped in a burning building
might die or be injured or someone might be run over accidentally in a subsequent high speed car
escape.
Views For & Against Violence
Physical violence to people is pretty straight forward. As for the other kinds of violence, people voice
assertions for and against them and their effect on powerholders (the people in society who hold
power). The following table is a summary that contrasts s ome important points of what people say for
and against nonviolence and violence (mental violence and property damage).
Table 1. Nonviolence vs Violence

Popular Views For & Against
Nonviolence
1. Anyone can do it; no need for special
training or physical fitness.
Mental Violence & Property Damage

1. Animal activists cannot muster the full
force of nonviolent action (eg mass
marches and mass arrests) so must rely on
violence.
2. Appeals to many people.
2. Appeals to relatively few people

(especially the young).
3. Must use nonviolent methods because

there are too few activists ready to break
3. Breaking the law is an effective weapon

because you need only a few activists
the law.
ready to do it.
4. You are not likely to be hurt or go to jail

for doing it.
4. There is a chance you could go to jail.
5. The possibility of hurting innocent people

is very low.
5. The possibility of hurting innocent people

is low - provided you take adequate and
well thought out precautions.
continued...
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...continued
6. Makes the news media focus on the
issues, not on the violence which would
then eclipse the issues.
6. Brings an issue to public notice and if the

violence is continuous keeps it there.
7. Is slow and low key but nevertheless can

be effective in the long-run. Makes political
7. Sometimes there is an obvious and

agreeable link between a violent action and
transformations come about by steady

change (eg Britain slowly progressed from
absolute monarchy to liberal democracy
without a violent revolution).
its result. Is necessary for political change

(eg France and Russia overthrew their
absolute rulers by bloody revolution).
8. Takes a long time but is more effective in

the end. We must be patient.
8. Must advance however we can because

time has run out; cannot be concerned
about principles.
9. In democracies we should use

democratic methods within the democratic
system to pursue goals.
9. We must shatter laws that protect

injustice, regardless of democracy or public
opinion, especially when powerholders
refuse to respond.
10. We should be open and accountable

and therefore should cultivate a good
relationship with the powerholders and
police.
10. We must confront powerholders and

police because they are repressive agents
of the state.
11. Less likely to provoke violent counter

measures against you by the powerholders
11. Provokes retaliation by the

powerholders (showing that violence is a
and avoids futile cycles of violence and

counter-violence.
serious threat to them).
12. More likely to win over public sympathy,

particularly if powerholders retaliate with
violence against you that you do not resist.
12. Can win public sympathy, provided

people are not injured (eg Sea Shepherd
ramming whaling ships).
13. Weakens powerholders because they

cannot justify repressive counter-measures
to retain their authority.
13. Makes powerholders see nonviolent

activists as less unreasonable and therefore
are more ready to compromise with them.
14. In our moral relationship with others we

are guided by the Golden Rule: 'treat others
how you would like them to treat you'.
14. In our moral relationship with others we

are guided only by desired results: 'the end
justifies the means' (ie the result justifies
the methods we use to get there).
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Is Violence Efficacious?
No one has been able to weigh the efficacy of nonviolence versus violence and come up with an
ultimate conclusion that everyone can agree upon. The reckoning is too complicated. Instead, people
argue for violence or nonviolence as their attitudes take them.
The American philosopher Tom Regan outlines how we might hypothetically justify violence against
people to save animals (3). In his opinion, you could use violence against people provided you have
tried all nonviolent means first, that you have adequate time and conditions, that you are rescuing
animals from extreme or mortal harm and that you do not use violence excessively. However, Regan
thinks that in actuality we can never justify violence to people even when these conditions are met.
Nonviolent methods, he says, are never sufficiently exhausted. He holds this view even though he
acknowledges that animals are harmed and dying all the time and that the violence some animal
rights activists do is like nothing compared with the huge harm people do to animals, often backed by
the law and social respectability. Applying nonviolent methods, for Regan, is the only way to advance,
even though they are laborious, strain our patience and the results are often ambiguous.
What about the effectiveness of property damage and mental violence to people? Partly by using
these means some animal rights activists in Britain have succeeded in closing down companies
breeding cats and dogs for experimentation (Hillgrove Farm and Consort Kennels) and are on the
road to closing down Huntingdon Life Sciences, a much bigger breeder. (See the Chapter 3 entry
Direct Action, under Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty.) Such determined campaigns show that these
methods can be effective, at least in the short-run. These methods contribute to save some animals
and create publicity, public debate and new converts for animal rights.
Property damage can also work on another level, for example, through apparently unjustifiable,
pointless destruction or defacement of property - what people call vandalism. Karen Dawn, American
writer and journalist, tracks controversial animal related stories in the news media (Chapter 4: Media
Watcher). Through her web site (DawnWatch.com) she alerts her subscribers to send rational,
animal-supportive responses for publication to the news editors where the stories appear. In Dawn's
opinion there is no unfavourable or adverse animal rights publicity. She says any publicity keeps the
issue of animal rights alive and enables members of the public to send intelligent and enlightening
comments to the press to influence the reading public for the better.
Critics of violence, however, say that rescuing a few animals and closing down some animal -using
companies are only fleeting victories. They say that what we need is to create lasting change and for
that we must transform the views of the majority of people in society. For example, Bill Moyer (1933 2002) was an American activist who fought for civil rights and the environment for nearly 40 years. In
his Practical Strategist (4) he summarises his discoveries about how successful nonviolent campaigns
develop and describes a nonviolent method for activists to develop their strategies.
Moyer's argument is that ultimate power lies with the people, not with the powerholders (in Moyer's
case nuclear power companies and official state authorities and in our case politicians, animal
experimenters, factory farmers and other upholders of animal exploitation). Powerholders, says
Moyer, can only prevail as long as the majority of people believe the powerholders are working in the
interests of society. Changes in the opinion of the majority of people, says Moyer, can force new
conditions, such as fresh social policy and legislation that powerholders are forced to accept in order
to retain power. Moyer says that activists must target the majority of people by nonviolent activities to
"alert, educate, win over, inspire and involve" them through upholding society's values, traditions and
sympathies; a social movement on the violent fringe will only alienate the majority of people and so be
ineffective.
Can Moyer's campaigning style really help in the case of animal rights? His outlook is based on mass
nonviolent resistance. Bruce Friedrich, a vegan who has worked for animal rights in the US and
specialised in 'confrontational' animal activism, voices an alternative opinion (5). Friedrich considers
nonviolence in the manner of Gandhi and King (above) and warns that animal rights activists cannot
follow their example. Gandhi and King, two giants of activism, could muster millions of people to
march for their cause and rouse world public opinion behind them. But in contrast, says Friedrich,
there are too few animal activists to hold massive demonstrations and world public opinion is
presently not on their side. Consequently, Friedrich believes we have nothing much to learn from
Gandhi and King nonviolence.
150
Friedrich's models for action are the underground slave railroad in America and the resistance to
Nazism in Europe: small numbers of people using intrigue, deception and sabotage fought for the
interests of others. Friedrich acts where he puts his mouth. In Washington DC he assaulted the
visiting mayor of London by throwing water in the mayor's face (6). He did a year in jail for 'destroying
government property' - battering a jet fighter with a hammer (6). And he was arrested by the British
police for streaking Buckingham Palace with "go vegan" painted across his buttocks, just as President
George W Bush was meeting the monarch (6, 7).
Indeed, you could argue that the campaigns of Gandhi and King, along with other social change
campaigns, are not strictly comparable with animal liberation. As animal liberation philosophers have
stated, the objects for freedom are not humans but the liberation of species not our own.
Campaigning for social change directly affecting humans has human self-interest at its heart,
something that campaigning on behalf of other species lacks. Campaigning for animal liberation,
philosophers point out, is therefore more difficult.
Going back to Moyer, you could argue that it is not necessary to engage in extremism for animal
rights. We could win over more people to animal rights by making rational arguments for rights and by
showing evidence beyond a reasonable doubt that issues harming animals also harm human society.
An exemplar is Ray Greek and co-workers who make a scientific case that animal experimentation
harms humanity (8). Another example is the many activists who argue about the effects of factory
farming on human society, such as chemicals in human food, contamination of water and the spread
of disease to people.
But an altogether different approach to sharpening our rational skills and appealing to reason to win
over the public, is limiting as far as possible the mechanisms for harming animals. Harms must be
countered with technology to make effective, inexpensive alternatives, like:
Animal eating: formulate synthetic but realistically satisfying meat.

Animal experimenting: devise superior non-animal procedures.
Animal wearing: produce attractive, durable, realistic, synthetic fibres to replace wool,
fur and leather.
When people see that animal abuse does not benefit them, but corrupts or exhausts human society,
more people will favour animal rights.
Conclusion
Many actions must be won to win a war, whether world war, war on terrorism or war on animals. Each
action is just a small part leading to overall victory. We cannot know which actions contribute
significantly to the final victory so we have to fight them all. Therefore, until we know what kind of
actions actually work, activists should contribute what they can, whether raucously demonstrating in
the street or quietly philosophising in books. "We are all working toward the same goal and we should
support one another - as long as basic humane principles are not violated." Bruce Friedrich. (5)
References
(1) Garner, Robert. Animals, Politics and Morality. 1993:239.
(2) BBC News. Animal Rights, Terror Tactics. 30 August 2000. www.news.bbc.co.uk. (Accessed
online 1 July 07).
(3) Regan, Tom. How to Justify Violence. In Best A & Nocella A J Jr (editors). Terrorists or Freedom
Fighters? New York: Lantern Books. 2004.
(4) Moyer, Bill. The Practical Strategist: movement action plan (MAP) strategic theories for evaluating,
planning and conducting social movements. Social Movement Empowerment Project, San Francisco.
1990. (Accessed online 6 July 2007.)
(5) Friedrich, Bruce. Strategic Nonviolence in Perspective. No Compromise: the militant, direct action
newspaper of animal liberationists and their supporters. Issue 11. (Accessed online on 2 July 2007.)
(6) News Releases. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. (Accessed online 4 July 2007.)
(7) Telegraph.co.uk. 19 July 2001. (Accessed online 4 July 2007.)
(8) Greek, Ray & Greek, Jean S. Sacred Cows and Golden Geese: the human cost of animal
experiments. Continuum: New York; London. 2000.
151
5.3 The Law: US & Britain

Snappy Essence
When doing animal rights you may wish to k now a bit about which law
enforcement agents might come down on you. However, virtually all animal
rights activists have nothing to worry about.
Might you run afoul of the law? When doing practical animal rights you would do well to know a bit
about what you may be up against.
United States
One of the Federal Bureau of Investigation's (FBI) ten top priorities is to "protect the United States
from terrorist attack. You would think this applies to Al Qa'eda, Hamas and Hezbollah. It does, but
the FBI apply it equally to investigating and preventing animal rights extremists and 'eco-terrorists'
from operating in the US.
"...one of today's most serious domestic terrorism threats" are animal rights extremists and ecoterrorists, said the deputy assistant director of the Counter Terrorism Division of the FBI in testimony
before the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works in 2005 (1). A threat is posed in
particular, the FBI say, by the Animal Liberation Front (ALF), the Earth Liberation Front (ELF) and
Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty (SHAC). The FBI sees these groups as 'special interest extremist
movements'. The FBI say that from January 1990 to June 2004 these extremists claimed over 1,200
events causing the loss of millions of dollars.
You might, however, be sceptical about the FBI matching animal rights and eco extremists with
callous and fanatical international terrorist killers. But the FBI say that extremists such as these use
direct action against individuals and companies and define direct action as "often criminal activity" that
damages property or causes economic loss to business interests or other concerns (see Chapter 3:
Direct Action). The FBI say they only get involved when "volatile talk turns into criminal activity" and
have no interest in activists who debate issues and labour to change policies by peaceful means. The
FBI stand alone, however, as the only US law enforcing agency to classify animal activists as
terrorists.
FBI vs Extremists
The following is how the FBI sees animal rights extremists. Animal rights extremists are organised as
small groups of one or more individuals who carry out actions. They keep rigid security procedures
and generally act entirely independently and separately from each other so that discovering them and
planting informers is difficult. Common targets of extremists range from fur farms to restaurants and
include research institutions and the pharmaceutical and cosmetics industries. Their methods of
attack include animal releases, phone call harassment, making personal threats to individuals, paint
spraying and damaging property, theft, arson, bomb attacks and occupation of premises. They incite
illegal activities on their web sites and post targets and instructions for making incendiaries on the
Internet. None of this has endangered human life, but the FBI believes this may change and their web
site quotes a threat from an extremist threatening to kill people.
152
The FBI try to "detect, disrupt and dismantle" animal rights and eco activists engaged in illegal
pursuits. They bring together intelligence analysts, program managers, agents in the field, locally and
federally, engage over a hundred 'Joint Terrorism Task Forces' and liaise with law enforcement
agencies internationally. The FBI offered a reward of up to $30,000 for information leading to the
arrest of animal rights extremists for attempted arson in Los Angeles. Some prosecutions of
extremists in recent years have been for releasing fur farm animals, attempted firebombing and arson.
The FBI arrested a number of SHAC activists for attacking the New Jersey branch of Huntingdon Life
Sciences and in 2006 a federal judge sentenced six activists from four to six years imprisonment.
(See Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty, Chapter 3: Direct Action.)
Why has the FBI come down so heavily on animal rights and eco extremists? Part of the reason is
because the Bush administration strengthened American law with various Ac ts relating to domestic
extremism (ie 'terrorism'). One law in particular is the Patriot Act. The Patriot Act became law in 2001
and provides US law enforcement agencies with greatly strengthened powers for countering
terrorism. By broadening the official interpretation of terrorism to include 'domestic terrorism' the Act
managed to ensnare animal rights extremists. For such an important Act, it was rushed through the
normal law making procedures in record time in the wake of the 9/11 attack on America and an
increasing number of people are criticising it as an attack on American civil liberties.
Britain
The National Extremism Tactical Coordination Unit (NETCU) was set up by the British Government in
2004 and is staffed by police officers to deal with domestic extremism, specifically to protect research
and business. NETCU define extremists as the "small minority of campaigners who seek to further
their cause by committing criminal offences" and are often associated with single issue campaigns,
like animal rights, anti-war protestation, anti-globalisation and anti-genetically modified crop
production.
NETCU essentially focus on animal rights extremists and define this extremism as "Any unlawful or, if
not actually unlawful, recognisably anti-social act, motivated by an intention to disrupt lawful business
or to intimidate, perceived by any party involved to be rooted in opposition to the perceived
exploitation of animals." Examples include abusive language, threatening behaviour, mass trespass,
and damage to property. (2)
NETCU is headed by a National Co-ordinator for Domestic Extremism and is one of a number of
bodies policing domestic extremism in Britain. The organisation advises and operates with other
national law enforcement bodies and with counterparts in Europe and the US (especially the FBI),
working with them on investigations and exchanging intelligence and expertise. NETCU also liaise
with industry, business companies, academic institutions and the Government, providing them with
advice and information about countering domestic extremism and associated illegal activities.
Extremist Tactics
NETCU say there is a pattern of animal rights extremist tactics that intensifies over time. The tactics
themselves reach out beyond their 'primary targets', such as animal experimenters and their
institutions, to strike at confederate companies or 'secondary targets', such as their suppliers, industry
contractors and other service providers, and even shareholders of these companies. They also picket
the employees and families of confederate companies, even their friends and neighbours.
Stage One
Extremists may politely write, phone and visit their primary targets asking them to stop their activity.
They do the same with their secondary targets, asking them to stop trading with the primary target.
They may also publish the names of their targets on the Web and demonstrate outside their homes.
Stage Two
Contact is the same but this time abusive or threatening. Extremists trespass on the company's
property to disrupt the company's work. They gather information about the company's clients (such as
by bribing staff or stealing documents) to identify secondary targets. They photograph the company's
staff and staff cars, demonstrate outside staff homes and make t hreats against staff on their web site.
153
Stage Three
Extremists damage and vandalise property at their target company's staff homes. They harass and
are abusive to staff members, their families, friends and neighbours. And they try to harm the
reputation of individual members of staff.
Establishment Fights Back
One of the primary weapons directed against animal rights extremists in Britain is judicial injunctions
or anti-social behaviour orders issued by a court of law. These state specific places activists must not
enter or defined activities that individuals or groups must not do. Activists breaching an injunction
served on them may be arrested and land up in prison.
At times in their zeal the police have over-acted. A case in point was in 2006 when the Law Lords
ruled that the police had violated the right of citizens the freedom to protest when they blocked a
group of people from travelling by coach to an anti-war demonstration. But most often it is not the
police but activists who get into trouble. Through 2006 and 2007 a number of animal rights activists
were:
Found guilty of mailing indecent articles by post.

Convicted of sending dead animals to companies.
Jailed for conspiring to damage an animal research company.
Jailed for trying to firebomb a house.
Charged relating to improvised postal bombs.
Charged with blackmail.
Jailed for intimidation.
Jailed for sending threatening letters.
Sentenced for burglary.
Fined for breaching an injunction.
Jailed for breaching an anti-social behaviour order.
Sentenced after an activist's DNA matched threatening letters sent more than
two years earlier.
Jailed (three activists) from four to twelve year for desecrating a grave and
kidnapping its corpse.
Thus the law does not favour illegal (or even 'anti-social') animal rights activists. But nor does it favour
anti-animal rights activists. In 2006 the police cautioned an Oxford University student for sending a
malicious email to animal rights activists.
For a discussion about breaking the law see the entry in Chapter 5: Violence or Nonviolence?
References
(1) Federal Bureau of Investigation. www.fbi.gov. (Accessed May 2007.)
(2) NETCU. www.nectu.org.uk. (Accessed May 2007.)
154
5.4
Police Arrest
Snappy Essence
Almost all animal rights activists are never arrested by the police. However,
if the police do arrest you it is well to k now what to expect and what you can
do. Gen up here.
"You do not have to say anything. But it may harm your defence if you do
not mention when questioned something which you later rely on in court.
Anything you do say may be given in evidence." British police caution.
Be Prepared
Most people do not want to be arrested by the police and by far the majority of animal rights activists
never are. But people who try to change society by using direct action run the risk of arrest. You may
even want to be arrested as part of your strategy, if you carry out an open rescue or similar action, to
challenge the establishment and send your message to the public with greater impact (see Chapter 4:
Animal Rescuer). One way or the other, the prospect of arrest can be emotionally disagreeable, so
prepare yourself by knowing what to expect.
Some common charges brought by police against animal rights activists concern offensive behaviour,
intimidation, affray, obstructing public access, obstructing the police, trespass and property damage,
and you might brush up against any of these charges at some point in a civil rights or animal rights
campaign.
The account of the law presented in this section is generalised for English speaking countries. But
laws vary locally, from one country to another, and change from time to time, so before going animalactive you may wish to find out which laws you might conceivably breach that are applicable to you
and in what circumstances you could be arrested. Should you think that you could be arrested you
must get professional advice for your location. Remember that in the criminal justice system of the
English speaking countries you are innocent until proven guilty.
In the Street & At Your Door
The police can detain you when you are out and about. They might search your clothing and bags if
they suspect you of breaking the law. Should you be in a car when they stop you they might search
that too. On finding nothing, some police will let you go and give you a receipt with their identification
number and the circumstances of the encounter. If they do not give you a receipt , make a note of their
identity numbers and the circumstances in case you need the information later; you may want to
make a complaint if the police were unreasonable. After the police have searched you, ask them
whether you are free to go and leave if you are free. If you are not free to go, they might continue to
detain you for a while or arrest you. In a serious incident you would do well to find witnesses. After the
incident find a lawyer. See a doctor for a physical examination if you were injured.
Perhaps the police have been given information about you, think you may be dangerous, and intend
to arrest you. They might then arrive at your home in the early hours of the morning. That is the most
likely place to find and nab you, while you are sleepy before you can run, assuming you might do a
quick departure. The police may search you, but they do not have the right to search your house
unless they first obtain a search warrant.
At the Police Station
At the police station the police should tell you the reason for your arrest, if they had not already done
so when they arrested you. Depending on the country you are in, you may be obliged to give your
name and address, they may remove your personal belonging, and take your fingerprints, saliva swab
and photograph. You may then be shown to a cell where you have to wait.
You may have to wait a long time in the cell but the police cannot detain you for more than a certain
period without charging you with an offence. Being charged with an offence means that you will have
to appear in court. The period of waiting in the cell could be 24 hours or longer (some say the police
make you wait to 'soften you up'). Eventually they will get round to interviewing you. After the interview
155
they will charge you with an offence or say you are free to leave and not charge you. Either way you
should soon be out of the police station and home again.
Your Tactics
Go along with the police when arrested. Use force and they will subdue you. Resisting arrest can be a
crime and look bad for you, even if you are innocent and wrongly arrested. Your best tactic is to be
civil and co-operative as far as possible.
At the police station, phone a dependable family member, friend or colleague who can help you. Let
them know the police have arrested you and tell them the name of the police station where you are
being held. The police should allow you to do this. Keep the phone call to the point as they will not let
you talk for long.
You may be emotionally upset so calm down and try to relax. Speak to the officer assigned to look
after your welfare (you should have one). Ask for a drink, the toilet, medication or anything else you
need. Do not rush. You will probably not feel up to it but ask for pen and paper and make notes of
what is happening and the identities of the officers involved with you. Do not rely on memory alone;
details can fade and blur in the confusion of your situation and with the passage of time.
Know Your Rights
While being interviewed at the police station bear in mind that the police may not have enough
evidence against you and might rely on you to incriminate yourself. Do not allow your situation to
frighten you into admitting anything. You can best do this by knowing your legal rights. You always
have legal rights although they vary from one country to another. Among your rights at the police
station you may be able to:
Know why you have been arrested and the charge against you.
Inform someone you know about your arrest.
Have a lawyer present and to consult with privately.
Speak to the officer in charge of your welfare.
Be treated respectfully and humanely by the police.
Two of your most important legal rights are to remain silent and to have a lawyer present.
Remaining Silent
You have the right in some countries not to answer questions put by the police. In the United States,
under the Fifth Amendment of the US Constitution, citizens and non-citizens have the right to remain
silent whether questioned by the police or other government agency (for instance FBI). However, in
certain US states you have to give your name and address, although not anything else.
After arrest by the police in Britain you used to have a right to silence, but not anymore. You must
state your name and address. However, refusing to answer other questions is not a crime as such
and the police cannot force you to speak. So do not be intimidated that your silence might be held
against you if you have the prospect of going to court.
Be careful when you do say something, even if you are innocent and think you have nothing to fear.
Do not let any deception or apparent friendliness by the police loosen your tongue. It is always better
to remain silent rather than lie, which can go against you, innocent or not.
During the interview the police may take written notes or use a tape recorder. You may be able to see
these notes or a transcript of the recording. But do not sign anything unless they describe your
situation correctly and if your lawyer says you should sign. The same applies to signing anything,
written by you or provided by the police. The exception is a receipt for your possessions and whatever
your lawyer okays.
Having a Lawyer Present
You have the right to have a lawyer present in person at the police station and should be allowed to
phone one. Tell the police you will say nothing unless you are advised by your lawyer and then onl y
answer through him. Be honest and straightforward with your lawyer. Having a lawyer present is not
an indication of guilt. A lawyer is for you to use to protect your legal rights.
156
Your lawyer should advise you on what to answer and when to stay quiet. Even if you have nothing to
hide, what you say could be misinterpreted, even distorted by someone and held against you. When
you reply to questions only state what you are certain about.
Do not worry about taking a long time to find a lawyer. You might try finding one through an animal
rights organisation, your trade union or professional association, or a Citizens Advice Bureau. If you
cannot fix yourself up with one you might get a lawyer on duty at the police station to represent you. In
some circumstances your lawyer could be free of charge.
Suing the Police
The police sometimes act outside their legal powers and if this happens with you then you could sue
them. A common claim people bring against the police is wrongful arrest and detention for an act t hey
did not commit. Assault by the police is another common claim. You will likely need evidence and
witnesses to support your claim. Perhaps you can get free legal aid if you are unemployed or on a low
income. On winning your case you will get financial compensation. Lose your case and you may have
to pay the costs of your legal suite including the costs the police bore.
Keep in mind that law courts do not dispense justice; they dish out the law (sometimes justice and the
law coincide, but not always). So you must seek advice about your legal standing from a good lawyer
- no matter how just you think your case!
157
Chapter 6
Animal Statistics
6.1
Animal Statistics
The following table gives rough estimates of the numbers of some of the animals people eat, wear
and experiment on worldwide. This is a limited selection because the kind of animals people use and
their numbers people kill are vast and estimates are not always available. See the following pages for
details and more information.
Interpreting Statistics
Statistics always need interpreting with care. If you are not wary you may easily make mistakes and
get a distorted view of what you are trying to find out, as the following two problems show.
Total Counts vs Spot Counts
When interpreting animal statistics ask yourself whether they are about all the animals alive in the
year or a count of all the animals alive on just one day of the year (for instance on 1st of January or
30th June). The latter kind of count is sometimes called a spot count and often yields far fewer
numbers. Sources of statistics do not always make clear which kind of figure they are using.
158
Commercially Viable Numbers vs Absolute Numbers

Bear in mind when reading animal statistics whether they include only commercially viable adult
animals or all animals - living and dead, young and old. A good example of this is chicken statistics.
Half the number of egg-laying chickens is not recorded on official statistics because male chicks are
eliminated soon after hatching (they are minced up to make fertiliser and pet food). To get the real
number of chickens in the egg-laying industry (as opposed to just egg-laying hens) you must double
the number to include the missing thrown-out males (one male hatches for every female).
Table 1. Estimates of Some of the Annual Worldwide Consumption of Animals
Annual Worldwide Mass or Number
250,000,000 tonnes
40 kg per human
Meat Consumption
Chickens
50,000,000,000
Pigs
1,200,000,000
Sheep & Goats
500,000,000
Beef Cattle
300,000,000
Fish
132,000,000 tonnes
Farmed mink: 30,000,000+

Farmed fox: 5,000,000+
Fur-bearers
Wild fur-bearers: millions
Experimental Animals
41,000,000 to 100,000,000
159
6.2
Meat Consumption Statistics
This entry summarises the amount of meat people eat worldwide and is based on official statistics
from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Animals and meat on this page
mean livestock and poultry and exclude sea food (see Fish Statistics in Chapter 6).
Summary
People eat about 250,000,000 tonnes of meat annually worldwide (Table 1).
China consumes more meat than any other country (Table 1), but not on average per
person (Table 2).
Each human eats on average 40 kilograms of meat annually worldwide (Table 2).
On average each person in the top ten meat-eating countries eats 123 kilograms of
meat per year (Table 2).
The amount of meat people eat is growing by about five million tonnes per year (Table
1).
More & More Meat

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) started collecting records in 1961. Their statistics show
that the average amount of meat consumed per person has doubled over the last 40 years, increasing
steadily from 21 kilograms per person in 1961 to 40 kilograms per person in 2002. Most of this growth
is in the developing countries as their populations and incomes increase. China, for example, eats
over 20 times its 1961 tonnage. However, although China is the biggest meat eating country (Table 1)
the average consumption per Chinese is 52 kg per year, way below America at 125 kg of meat per
human per year (Table 2) and western European counties, such as Britain at 80 kg of meat per
human annually.
In addition to meat, people are also consuming more eggs and milk. This increased consumption of
animals has been called the 'Livestock Revolution'. According to the UN, the average meat
consumption of livestock (cattle, sheep, pigs, etc, excluding sea food) per human will reach 54
kilograms per person in 2050 (The State of Food and Agriculture. Food and Agriculture Organization
of the United Nations, 2009). For the foreseeable future, perhaps for as long as humanity persists,
therefore, billions of animals will continue their cataclysmic fall every year down the abyssal human
throat.
It is not possible to collect totally accurate statistics about millions of animals from all over the world.
As FAO says, "Data are reported by individual countries, which may have varying capacities for data
160
collection." Therefore the statistics on this page are only a rough guide to consumed animal tonnage
and you should look upon them as minimum figures.
Table 1. Meat Consumption per Country.

Top Ten Countries & Worldwide, 1998 - 2002.
Meat in this Table means livestock and poultry only.
Millions of metric tonnes.
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
China
59
60
64
65
68
United States
33
35
35
35
36
Brazil
12
13
14
14
15
Germany
Russian Federation
France
Japan
Mexico
India
Italy
World
224
228
234
238
247
For the source of these figures see Notes for Tables 1 & 2, below.
161
Table 2. Average Annual Meat Consumption per Human.

Top Ten Countries & Worldwide, 1998 - 2002.
Meat in this Table means livestock and poultry.
Kilograms of meat per human.
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
New Zealand
140
138
122
147
142
Luxembourg
NA
NA
147
134
142
Bahamas
123
141
152
135
124
Denmark
126
130
130
139
146
Cyprus
126
132
134
132
131
United States
120
124
122
120
125
Spain
115
114
112
115
119
French Polynesia
105
103
107
109
112
Canada
103
107
107
108
108
France
102
100
100
103
101
World
38
38
39
39
40
For the source of these figures see Notes for Tables 1 & 2, below.
Notes for Tables 1 & 2
Figures from both tables are based on statistics collected by the Food and Agriculture Organization of
the United Nations (FAO), FAOSTAT on-line statistical service (FAO: Rome, 2005). Both accessed
online February 2008. FAO define meat consumption as "...the total meat retained for use in country
for each country per year. Total meat includes meat from animals slaughtered in countries,
irrespective of their origin, and comprises horsemeat, poultry, and meat from all other domestic or wild
animals such as camels, rabbits, reindeer, and game animals."
162
6.3
Chicken Statistics
What goes cluck , cluck , cluck and has 50 billion heads?
All the chick ens people k ill in one year!
Summary
Factory farms keep almost all chickens worldwide and every year they:
Raise and kill over 40 billion broilers (Table 2).

Keep over 6 billion egg-laying hens, killed after a year, who lay over a trillion eggs
(Table 3).
Kill over 6 billion male chicks soon after hatching in the egg-laying industry (Table 1).
In total people kill over 50 billion chickens annually (Table 1).
Types of Chicken
Almost all chickens in the world are factory farmed. The four categories of factory farmed chicken are:
Broiler
Male and female chickens packed into huge sheds and slaughtered after a few weeks to eat.
Egg-layer
Hens crammed into cages and each hen made to lay up to 300 eggs in a year. After one year they
are worn out slaughtered.
Male chicks in the egg-laying industry
A male chick hatches for every female chick. They are not wanted because they do not lay eggs so
killed soon after hatching and sold as fertiliser and pet food.
163
Breeder
Breeders are mainly females and breed more broilers and egg-layers. They are slaughtered after
about a year.
Chicken Numbers Worldwide (Table 1.)
Table 6.1 shows that there are over 50 billion chickens worldwide: broilers, egg-layers, male chicks
and breeders. All the chickens are killed within or after about a year.
Table 1. Breakdown of Chicken Numbers Worldwide

Broilers
40 billion (see Table 6.3.2)
Egg-layers
Over 6 billion (see Table 6.3.3)
Male chicks in the egg-laying industry
Over 6 billion
Several millions
(60 million in the US alone)
Breeders
World Total
Over 50 billion
Numbers of Broilers Produced Annually (Table 2)

About 40 billion broilers are alive in any one year. Just three countries produce over half of them: US,
China and Brazil. Worldwide the number of broilers is increasing by about a billion per year.
Table 2. Numbers of Broilers Produced Annually.

Top ten countries & Worldwide for years 2008 to 2012.
Figures are in billions.
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
United States
8.3
8.0
8.3
8.4
8.3
China
5.9
6.1
6.3
6.6
6.9
Brazil
5.5
5.5
6.2
6.5
6.8
European Union - 27 states
4.3
4.4
4.6
4.8
4.8
Mexico
1.5
1.4
1.4
1.5
1.5
India
1.3
1.3
1.4
1.4
1.4
Continued...
164
...Continued
Russia
0.8
1.0
1.2
1.3
1.4
Argentina
0.7
0.8
0.8
0.9
0.9
Iran
0.7
0.8
0.8
0.8
0.8
Turkey
0.6
0.6
0.7
0.8
0.8
Others
7.2
7.4
7.6
7.8
7.9
World Total
36.8
37.2
39.2
40.5
41.5
See Notes for Table 2, below.

Numbers of Egg-laying Hens and Eggs (Table 3)
The figures in this table are an example of the worldwide numbers of egg-laying hens and the number
of eggs they produce, in this case for the year 2011. For this year, there were about 6.4 billion egglaying hens producing one trillion three hundred billion eggs. China is the biggest producer (2.5 bill ion
hens and 1.3 trillion eggs) and the US is the second largest producer (340 million hens and 90 billion
eggs).
Table 3. Numbers of Egg-laying Hens & Eggs.

The top ten egg production countries & worldwide for 2011.
Countries
Number of Hens
Number of Eggs Produced
2,500,000,000
474,000,000,000
United States
340,000,000
90,000,000,000
Brazil
280,000,000
38,000,000,000
India
240,000,000
58,000,000,000
Indonesia
240,000,000
24,000,000,000
Mexico
190,000,000
47,000,000,000
Japan
140,000,000
42,000,000,000
Russia
140,000,000
39,000,000,000
China
Continued...
165
...Continued
Ukraine
110,000,000
16,000,000,000
France
50,000,000
15,000,000,000
6,400,000,000
1,300,000,000,000
World Total
See Notes for Table 3.
Notes for the Tables

A precise count of the number of chickens and their eggs worldwide is impossible and therefore
figures in all these tables are rounded to avoid spurious accuracy and totals do not necessarily add
up. The source for the figures in Table 2 is Livestock and Poultry: World Mark ets and Trade. United States
Department of Agriculture (web site accessed July 2012). USDA state that their data are based on
USDA-FAS attach reports, official statistics, and results of office research. Figures for 2012 are their
projections. Figures are in billions; thus, the total number of broilers produced for 2011 was about 40 billion.
The USDA data were in tonnes of ready to cook chickens (that is minus heads, feet and internal
organs). The live slaughter weight of US broilers, according to USDA information, averages around
2.5 kg (5.5 lbs). Therefore, for these tables the assumption is that each ready to cook chicken weighs
about 2 kg (4.4 lbs) and gives a conservative estimate of broiler numbers worldwide. Given the
imprecise nature of counting chickens, their weight and that the USDA data for this table included only
the countries which are the major animal producers, the World Total in this Table 2 is a minimum
figure. The figures in Table 3 are based on The Statistical Reference for Poultry Executives, by Watt
Executive Guide to World Poultry Trends, 2011 (www.WATTAgNet.net).
166
6.4
Pig / Hog Statistics

What squeak s and weighs over a 100 million tonnes?
All the pigs people k ill in one year!
Summary
People worldwide keep about two billion pigs (Table 1).
At least half the world's pigs live in China and 85 percent of pigs live in three countries:
China, European Union and United States (Table 1).
People kill over one billion pigs annually worldwide, an average of 23 million pigs a
week (Table 2).
Three countries kill about 85 per cent of the world's pigs: China, European Union and
United States, respectively about 12 million, five million and two million pigs per week
(Table 2).
Table 1. Total Number of Pigs People Keep Worldwide.

Figures are in millions.
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
China
1,080
1,119
1,148
1,118
1,117
European Union 27 states
418
411
414
411
407
United States
183
182
179
180
183
Brazil
68
70
72
75
76
Russia
43
45
47
47
50
Canada
45
42
41
41
41
Japan
27
28
28
27
27
Mexico
25
25
25
25
25
Korea, South
23
23
24
20
22
Ukraine
14
14
16
16
16
Others
24
15
16
16
16
2,012
1,972
2,008
1,972
1,979
World Total
Source: see Notes for Tables, below.
167
Table 2. Number of Pigs People Kill Worldwide.

2008
2008
2010
2011
2012
China
637
656
678
641
658
258
258
262
260
258
United States
115
115
114
115
117
Brazil
35
36
37
38
38
Russia
27
29
30
30
32
Canada
31
30
29
28
28
Japan
17
18
18
17
17
Mexico
16
16
16
16
16
Korea, South
14
15
15
12
15
15
10
10
10
1,171
1,187
1,125
1,175
1,196
Ukraine
Others
World Total
Source: same as for Table 1.

The source for the figures in Table 1 and Table 2 is Livestock and Poultry: World Mark ets and Trade.
United States Department of Agriculture. www.fas.usda.gov (web site accessed July 2012).
The USDA provide two sets of figures in their original data: 'Total Beginning Stock s' and 'Production
Crop'. Beginning Stocks are the animals alive at the start of the year and breed the Produc tion Crop.
The number of Beginning Stocks remains roughly constant from year to year and it is largely the
Production Crop that is slaughtered.
USDA state that their data are based on USDA-FAS attach reports, official statistics, and results of
office research and that their data include only those countries which are the major animal producers.
World Totals, therefore, are minimum figures.
Livestock are impossible to count accurately; therefore the figures in these tables are rounded to
avoid spurious accuracy and totals may not necessarily add up exactly. Figures for 2012 are a
projection.
168
6.5
Sheep & Goat Statistics
Summary
People keep about 1,000,000,000 sheep worldwide (Table 1).
About half the world's sheep live in seven countries: China, Australia, India, Iran,
Sudan, New Zealand and Britain (Table 1).
People kill about half a billion sheep and goats a year worldwide (Table 2).
About half the world's sheep and goats are killed in just two countries: China and India
(Table 2).
Table 1. Number of Sheep Kept Worldwide.

Figures are rounded in millions.
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
China
136
144
157
171
174
Australia
106
99
101
101
100
India
61
62
62
62
63
Continued...
169
...Continued
Iran
52
52
52
52
52
Sudan
48
48
49
50
50
New Zealand
40
40
40
40
40
Britain
36
36
36
35
35
Turkey
27
25
25
25
25
South Africa
26
26
25
25
25
Pakistan
24
25
25
25
25
Others
469
477
490
505
512
World Total
1,025
1,034
1,064
1,091
1,101
For the source of these figures see Notes, below.
Table 2. Number of Sheep & Goats People Kill Worldwide.

Figures are rounded in millions.
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
China
181
155
177
193
200
India
85
85
89
92
94
New Zealand
32
33
32
31
31
Australia
28
31
31
31
31
Turkey
24
24
24
23
23
Spain
20
19
20
20
19
Britain
18
17
19
19
18
Continued...
170
...Continued
Saudi Arabia
10
11
10
11
11
France
Italy
Others
68
66
58
55
50
World Total
483
458
477
492
494
For the source of these figures see Notes, below.

Notes
Sheep are Ovis species. It is impossible to count the number of livestock worldwide accurately,
therefore figures in both tables are rounded to avoid spurious accuracy and do not therefore always
exactly add up to the total.
Figures for Table 1 are from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations: FAOSTAT online statistical service (http://faostat.fao.org). Figures for Table 2 are from Sheep and Goat Slaughter,
selected Countries. United States Department of Agricultural (accessed online March 2010). They
obtain their data from "counselor and attach reports, official statistics, and results of office research".
171
6.6
Cattle & Beef Statistics
Summary
People keep about 1,300,000,000 beef cattle worldwide (this ex cludes dairy cattle)
(Table 1).
Over half the world's beef cattle live in three countries: India, Brazil and China (Table
1).
People kill nearly 300 million beef cattle annually worldwide (Table 2).
Half the world's beef cattle are killed in three countries: India, Brazil and China (Table
.2).
Table 1. Number of Beef Cattle People Keep Worldwide.

Top ten countries & Worldwide, 2008 to 2012.
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
India
364
371
378
383
387
Brazil
224
229
234
240
246
China
151
149
147
146
145
Continued...
172
...Continued
United States
124
131
130
129
126
120
119
117
116
115
Argentina
71
66
61
60
62
Colombia
36
36
36
36
37
Australia
37
37
36
37
38
Mexico
30
30
30
28
27
Russia
30
28
28
27
27
Others
100
89
70
69
68
World Total
1,325
1,309
1,287
1,291
1,298
For the sources of these figures, see Notes for Tables.

The figures for these two tables are based on 'Live Cattle Selected Countries Summary'. 'Total Cattle
Beginning Stocks' plus 'Production (Calf Crop)' In Livestock and Poultry: World Mark ets and Trade.
United States Department of Agriculture.www.fas.usda.go v (accessed July 2012).
USDA state that their data are based on USDA-FAS attach reports, official statistics, and results of
office research. USDA say the cattle are adults and calves raised for meat and exclude dairy cattle
but include buffalo in India. Their figures for 2012 are a projection.
USDA data included two classes of cattle: Total Beginning Stocks and Production Crop. Total
Beginning Stocks are the animals alive at the start of the year and most of these animals are used to
breed the Production Crop for the year. Virtually all the Production Stock is killed for food (some
would replace Beginning Stock and some Beginning Stock would be killed). The figures in Table 1
include both categories. Cattle numbers in Table 2 are only the Production Crop.
The World Total in both tables is a minimum figure. One reason for this is that the original USDA data
do not include every country, although they do include the worlds major animal producing countries.
Furthermore, the USDA figures are based on cattle who are officially counted (for example, at farms
and slaughterhouses); cattle slaughtered outside official premises may not be counted. For example,
non-walking cattle (that is non-ambulatory cattle, too injured to walk) may be killed before they get to
the slaughterhouse and are not counted. In the US alone, non-walking cattle totalled 465,000 in 2003,
including 185,000 calves, and 450,000 in 2004, including 180,000 calves (calves in this case are
cattle under 230 kg / 500 lbs).
Livestock are impossible to count accurately. Therefore the figures in both these tables are rounded
to avoid spurious accuracy and totals do not necessarily add up exactly.
173
Table 2. Number of Beef Cattle People Kill Worldwide.

Top ten countries & Worldwide, 2008 to 2012.
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
India
60
61
62
62
63
Brazil
49
49
49
49
50
China
45
43
42
41
41
United State
36
36
36
36
35
31
30
39
29
29
Argentina
15
12
12
12
13
Australia
10
10
10
Russia
Mexico
Colombia
Others
30
26
21
21
21
World Total
296
286
277
279
281
For the sources of these figures, see Notes for Tables.
174
6.7
Fish Statistics
Summary
Generalising the data in the tables below for the year 2001 as representative for recent years:
People catch about 92 million tonnes of wild (non-farmed) fish annually in Earth's
oceans and seas (Table 1).
People farm about 38 million tonnes of fish annually - about 22 kg of fish per person
worldwide per year (Table 2).
By weight of catch, China, Peru, United States, Japan and Indonesia are the biggest
fishing countries, catching about a third of the world's total wild caught fish, with China
the biggest, catching nearly a fifth of the world total (Table 1).
China, India, Indonesia, Japan and Thailand combined produced about 80 per cent of
the world's farmed fish, with China the biggest producer farming about two-thirds of the
world's total farmed fish (Table 2).
Wild Caught Fish (Table 1)

People catch about 100 million tons of wild fish from the seas and oceans per year. This is nearly a
five-fold increase over 1950 when people took about 20 million tonnes of fish per year. Britain, once
an imperial sea power, ranked 21st in 2001 with 0.7 million tonnes of wild caught fish. Nowadays,
around 3.5 million boats fish the seas and oceans worldwide, with Russia and US owning the largest
fleets of deepwater fishing boats.
Table 1. Tonnes of Wild Caught Fish for 2001.

Top Five Producing Countries & World Total.
Data include shellfish.
1 tonne = 1 ton.
China
16.5 million tonnes
Peru
8.0 million tonnes
US
4.9 million tonnes
Japan
4.7 million tonnes
Indonesia
4.2 million tonnes
World Total
92 million tonnes
Source: see Notes, below.

The World's Three Most Wild Caught Fish
By weight. 1 tonne = 1 ton.
Peruvian anchovy (Engraulis ringens).

Also called the Peruvian anchoveta.
7.2 million tonnes in 2001.
Maximum length 20 cm (8 ins). Prefers sub-tropical waters, swims in massive shoals,
particularly off Peru and Chile. A filter-feeder on plankton.
Walleye Pollock (Theragra chalcogramma).
Also called Alaska Pollock.
175
Length up to 80 cm (2 ft 6 ins). Lives throughout the north Pacific. Can live up to 15 years.
Chilean jack mackerel (Trachurus murphyi). 2.5 million tonnes in 2001.
Length up to 70 cm (2 ft 4 ins). Found in south Pacific and south-west Atlantic. Feeds mainly
on fish larvas and small shellfish. Can live up to 16 years.
Farmed Fish (Table 2)

People farm about 38 million tonnes of fish per year. This is a 38-fold increase since 1950 when about
one million tonnes was farmed. In 2001 the US ranked 10th at 0.5 million tonnes of farmed fish and
Britain ranked 19th with 0.2 million tonnes of farmed fish.
Table 2. Tonnes of Farmed Fish in 2001.

Top Five Producing Countries & World Total.
Data include shellfish.
1 tonne = 1 ton.
China
26.1 million tonnes
India
2.2 million tonnes
Indonesia
0.9 million tonnes
Japan
0.8 million tonnes
Thailand
0.7 million tonnes
World Total
38 million tonnes
Source: see Notes, below.

The World's Three Most Farmed Fish/Shellfish
By weight. 1 tonne = 1 ton.
Pacific king oyster (Crassostrea gigas).

Also called Japanese oyster.
Usually 8 to 30 cm long (8 to 12 inch), a filter feeding oyster favouring shallow waters,
introduced around the world from Japan. Reared primarily in estuaries.
Grass Carp (Ctenopharyngodon idellus).
Grows up to 1.5 m and 45 kg (5 ft and 90 lbs). Lives in lakes and rivers. Original home was
China and eastern Siberia and now introduced around the world. Feeds on plants and
invertebrates. Maximum reported age is 21 years.
Silver carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix).
Grows up to 1.0 m and 50 kg (3 ft 3 inch and 110 lbs). Prefers slow flowing waters of large
rivers. Original home China and eastern Siberia but introduced around the world. Feeds on
phytoplankton and zooplankton.
Notes
Data for both tables are from S Vannuccini (2003): Overview of Fish Production, Utilization,
Consumption & Trade. Food & Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Fishery Information,
Data & Statistics Unit. Data for The Worlds Three Most Wild Caught Fish, for The Worlds Three
Most Farmed Fish/Shellfish and for fish elsewhere are from Food and Agriculture Organizati on of the
United Nations (FAO).
176
6.9
Fur Statistics
Summary
Most farmed furs come from mink and foxes.
About thirty million mink are farmed annually worldwide (Table ).
About five million fox pelts are marketed each year (Table 2).
Over eight million wild fur-bearing animals are trapped per year in North America
(Table 3 & Table 4).
Racoons and muskrats are the most commonly trapped wild fur-bearing animals in
North America (Table 3 & Table 4).
This section provides an impression of the numbers of animals killed for their fur by showing official
statistics for worldwide farmed mink and foxes (Tables 1 & 2) and for trapped fur-bearing animals in
North America (Tables 3 & 4).
Information about the worldwide trade in furs is incomplete because official statistics of farmed
animals and trapped animals (eg Russia and China) are often not made available. Thus the figures in
this section are sparse and dated. Even when statistics are published, not all fur-bearing animals and
pelts (or 'furskins') are recorded. For instance, in addition to millions of foxes and mink killed for their
pelts, millions more are kept as breeders to replenish stock, many animals die too young to produce
marketable pelts, and many pelts are discarded as sub-standard before reaching market.
Bearing this in mind, therefore, statistics tend very much to under estimate the numbers of animals
killed for their fur and you must treat the numbers below strictly as estimated minimums. The figures
in these tables are rounded to avoid spurious accuracy.
Farmed Mink Numbers Worldwide (Table 1)
About thirty million mink are farmed worldwide annually. Eight countries produce nearly 90 percent of
them. Denmark produces over a third. However, China's fur industry is growing fast and reached 8
million farmed mink in 2005 (Dying for Fur, see References below), second only to Denmark.
Farmed Fox Pelt Numbers on the World Market (Table 2)
About five million fox pelts go onto the world market each year. Finland is the world's biggest producer
of farmed fox pelts, about half the world's supply. China and Russia are also leading producers. The
number of China's farmed foxes is growing annually; it was estimated at 3.5 million for 2005 (Dying for
Fur, see References below), overtaking Finland.
177
Wild Fur-bearer Numbers Trapped in North America (Table 3)

People in the United States trap over seven million wild fur-bearing animals a year (Table 3). Far
more fur-bearers are trapped in the US than in Canada (compare with Table 4), possibly because the
US has a much larger human population and therefore many more trappers. The US International
Trade Commission report that the US is the world's largest "volume" producer of pelts trapped in the
wild. Racoons and Muskrats are the most commonly trapped fur-bearers (also see Table 4).
Top Ten Fur-bearer Numbers Trapped in Canada (Table 4)
Muskrat, beaver and marten are the most commonly trapped fur-bearing animals in Canada and well
over a million wild fur-bearers are trapped annually.
Table 1. Farmed Mink Numbers Worldwide, 1998 - 2002.

Numbers are in millions.
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
Denmark
11.9
10.5
10.9
12.2
12.2
Netherlands
2.7
2.7
2.8
3.0
3.0
United States
2.9
2.8
2.7
2.6
2.6
Russia
3.3
2.7
2.2
2.5
2.7
Finland
2.1
1.9
2.0
2.0
2.0
China
1.2
1.5
1.7
2.0
1.7
Sweden
1.3
1.3
1.2
1.3
1.4
Canada
1.0
0.9
1.0
1.2
1.2
All Others*
3.7
3.5
3.7
3.8
4.1
World Total
30.1
27.8
28.2
30.6
30.9
* Other mink farming countries include the Baltic States, Spain, Norway, Italy, Germany, Ireland,
France, Iceland, Belgium and Argentina. Source: based on Fursk ins. Industry & Trade Summary. US
International Trade Commission, publication 3666, 2004.
178
Table 2. Farmed Fox Pelt Numbers on the World Market, 1998 - 2002.
Numbers are in million.
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
Finland
2.7
2.1
1.9
2.1
2.1
* Other Scandinavian
0.7
0.5
0.4
0.4
0.4
China
0.4
0.8
0.9
1.0
1.2
Russia
0.7
0.4
0.4
0.4
0.4
All Others
0.3
0.4
0.4
0.4
0.4
World Total
4.8
4.2
4.0
4.3
4.5
* Norway, Sweden and Denmark. Source: based on Fursk ins. Industry & Trade Summary. US
International Trade Commission, publication 3666, 2004.
Table 3. Wild Fur-bearer Numbers

Trapped in the United States 1997/98 Season
Racoon
2,896,000
Muskrat
2,183,000
Beaver
429,000
Coypu
398,000
Mink
190,000
Red Fox
164,000
Coyote
159,000
Continued...
179
Continued...
Otter
29,000
Otter
29,000
Total
7,062,000
Source: based on Fursk ins. Industry & Trade Summary. US International Trade Commission.
Publication 3666. 2004.
Table 4. Top Ten Fur-bearer Numbers Trapped in Canada, 1999/00 - 2001/02
1999/00
2000/01
2001/02
Average*
400,100
207,300
291,300
300,000
215,200
221,100
260,400
223,000
141,100
149,700
119,100
137,000
83,500
63,600
77,100
75,000
44,400
54,700
55,400
52,000
26,500
30,000
71,700
43,000
33,700
443,000
48,500
42,000
40,600
27,800
34,900
34,000
38,900
25,800
30,100
32,000
16,600
16,100
23,500
19,000
1,000,000
800,000
1,000,000
1,000,000
Source: based on Fur Statistics 2004, vol 2, no 1. Statistics Canada, Agriculture Division.
180
References & Other Useful Sources for this Entry

You should be able to find all these on the Web.
Andrew Linzey. The Ethical Case Against Fur Farming. 2002.
Hsieh-Yi, Yi-Chiao, Yu Fu, B Maas & Mark Rissi: Dying for Fur: a report on the fur industry in
China. EAST International/Swiss Animal Protection SAP. January 2005 (revised April 2006).
Similar to Fun Fur? A report on the Chinese fur industry, by the same authors.
The Socio-Economic Impact of European Fur Farming. European Fur Breeders Association /
International Fur Trade Federation. Undated but latest figures are for 2004.
International Fur Trade Federation (IFTF) web site.
Fursk ins. Industry & Trade Summary. US International Trade Commission. Publication 3666.
2004.
Fur statistics (2004): Statistics Canada, Agriculture Division.
181
6.9
Numbers of Animals in Biomedical Research
True and reliable numbers of animals used for experimental purposes in biomedical research are
difficult to find or do not exist. Estimates range between 40 million and 100 million animals.
Summary
Countries often keep poor records of the numbers of animals they use in biomedical
research.
Estimates for the number of animals used worldwide for biomedical research range
between 40 million and 100 million animals (Table 1).
Japan and United States use more experimental animals than all other countries
combined (Table 1).
Six countries using the largest numbers of experimental animals are Japan, United
States, Britain, Canada, France and Germany; combined they may use around half the
experimental animals worldwide (Table 1).
Britain keeps good records on the numbers of animals used. Nearly four million animals
were used in 2011, up by over a million animals from 2000 (Table 2).
Reliability of Estimates
Estimates for the numbers of animals used in biomedical research are rough because some countries
keep incomplete or no records. The United States for example does not count certain animals, such
as the much used rats and mice. Britain may keep more reliable and detailed data than any other
country on numbers, species and the purpose experimental animals are put to and some of these
details are summarised below. Britain is said to have the most stringent laws concerning laboratory
animals. However, this strength is only relative to other countries.
Numbers of Animals Used in Biomedical Research (Table 1)
Statistics for the year 2000 (Table 1) show that the six countries using the largest numbers of
experimental animals are Japan, United States, Britain, Canada, France and Germany. Combined
they might use around about half the experimental animals worldwide. China is not reported but is
182
one of the biggest: players, and nowadays may be the biggest ...using lab animalsin scientific
research16 million a year, compared to 12 million in the 25 European Union countries in 2005
(Analysis of Current Laboratory Animal Science Policies and Administration in China. Qi Kong &
Chuan Qin. ILAR e-Journal, 51:2010).
Table 1. Numbers of Animals Used in Biomedical Research.

The Six Highest-using Countries & Worldwide, for 2000.
Japan
12,000,000+
United States
12,000,000+
Britain
2 - 3,000,000
Canada
2 - 3,000,000
France
2 - 3,000,000
Germany
2 - 3,000,000
Worldwide
40,000,000 to 100,000,000
Table 2. Number & Kind of Experimental Animals in Britain in 2000 & 2011
Kind of Animal
Number 2000
Number 2011
Mice
1,605,722
2,679,763
Fish
242,757
563,903
Rats & other rodents (eg guinea pigs)
593,967
289,466
Birds
120,505
162,618
Sheep
16,078
37,714
9,661
15,915
27,389
15,461
Amphibians
Rabbits
Continued...
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...Continued
Horses & donkeys
452
8,380
Cattle
6,801
5,102
Dogs
4,745
4,552
Pigs
8,326
4,340
Primates
2,951
3,020
663
795
1,358
691
63
383
Other mammals
457
269
Cats
613
235
Goats
325
196
Deer
160
50
Total
2,642,993
3,792,857
Other carnivores
Ferrets
Reptiles
Source for Table 2: for 2000: Statistics of Scientific Procedures 1987-00. Home Office. Source for
2011: Statistics of Scientific Procedures on Living Animals, Great Britain 2011. Home Office, 2012
(Table 3). www homeoffice.gov.uk (accessed July 2012).
Number and Kind of Experimenta l Animals in Britain (Table 2)
Britain records possibly the most detailed inventory of experimental animals, and thus is a good
example of a country's population of biomedical research animals. Table 2 indicates that nearly four
million animals are used annually as experimental animals, up by well over a million animals from ten
years earlier. The vast majority of experimental animals are rodents, then fish and birds. About three
per cent - but nevertheless something like 80,000 - are other mammals.
Number of Procedures on Animals in Britain (Table 3)
This table presents the annual number of procedures by primary purpose, a procedure being a single
experiment on one animal (the same animal can be used more than once, of course). Experimenters
in Britain annually carry out around four million procedures on animals. Toxicity testing is for
protecting humans from potentially harmful chemicals, for instance eye and skin irritants and finding
out a substance's concentration that causes death.
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Table 3. Number of Procedures on Animals in Britain for 2000 and 2011.
Primary Purpose
2000
2011
Breeding
699,600
1,614,000
Research
872,800
1,311,300
Medicine
929,700
658,000
Toxicity testing
161,200
116,200
51,400
1,500
Education & Other

Total
2,600,000 +
Numbers are rounded. Source: same as Table 2.
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3,700,000 +
Chapter 7
Personalities
7.1
Aristotle (384 - 322 BC)
Aristotle was one of the greatest thinkers, his thoughts spanning biology, physics, politics, music,
logic, ethics, metaphysics and many other subjects. A philosopher who lived in ancient Greece, his
views were widely held by Western philosophers and Christian and Muslim religions. His opinions are
still very influential and with regard to animals on how we should treat them.
Aristotle was born in Thrace, south-east Europe, and studied in Athens. As a teenager he was a pupil
of Plato and then became a distinguished member of Plato's Academy. Later he opened his own
school, the Lyceum, in Athens. The king of Macedon asked him to teach his son, who later became
Alexander the Great, conqueror of peoples from Egypt to Persia and ruler of the largest empire of its
day.
As well as philosophy, Aristotle immersed himself in politics, literary criticism and the natural sciences.
He is the first person known to modern society to study nature impartially to understand how it works.
Aristotle maintained that our only source of knowledge is from our sensory experience, as opposed,
say, to intuition or revelation, and that we can discover the essence of all things by reasoning.
Some of Aristotle's conceptions are that men are more rational thinkers than women and therefore are
their superiors. Also that people with superior intellect should command weaker minded people, who
should be their servants or slaves. Aristotle is attributed as saying, "Equals should be treated equally,
and unequals unequally(from his most well known work Nicomachean Ethics, vol 3).
Apropos animals, he argued that animals are below humans because only humans can reason and
therefore we can use animals without the consideration we would give to people. Aristotle's
philosophy on animals is widespread in Western society today, partly because of the accomplishment
of Aquinas incorporating Aristotle's thoughts into the Catholic Church: see Aquinas, this chapter.
7.2
Thomas Aquinas (1225 - 1274)
Thomas Aquinas was born in the Kingdom of Naples, became a philosopher, theologian and
Dominican monk and studied and taught in the schools across medieval Europe. His synthesis of
Greek philosophy and Catholic faith became the official doctrine of Roman Catholicism and, through
the Church, on people's attitudes about harming animals. Aquinas' philosophy is called Thomism and
its importance for animal rights is that it released people from misgiving and guilt about what they
might do to animals.
Aquinas convinced the Church Fathers that reason and faith are compatible, and set about absorbing
the rational ideas of Aristotle and ancient Greek philosophy into the faith of the Catholic Church.
Aquinas expounded his doctrines, including his opinions regarding animals, in Summa Theologica
(Summary of Theology), his most widely read work. In it he writes that God made animals and plants
for man; animals cannot reason, so people can use them as they wish; and killing animals is a
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violation only if they are someone's property. Aquinas quotes Genesis 9:3: "Everything that moves
and lives shall be meat to you."
Thus, to quote Aquinas from the Summa Theologica:
"According to the Divine ordinance the life of animals and plants is
preserved not for themselves but for man. Hence, as Augustine says (De
Civ. Dei i, 20), 'by a most just ordinance of the Creator, both their life and
their death are subject to our use.'
"Dumb animals and plants are devoid of the life of reason whereby to set
themselves in motion; they are moved, as it were by another, by a kind of
natural impulse, a sign of which is that they are naturally enslaved and
accommodated to the uses of others.
"He that kills another's ox, sins, not through killing the ox, but through
injuring another man in his property."
See Descartes (below) for more about negatively shaping people's attitude to animals. You can
download Summa Theologica free, from the Web.
7.3
Jeremy Bentham (1748 - 1832)
Bentham was a professor of law at Oxford University and a leading nineteenth century philosopher.
He was a member of a circle, called the Philosophical Radicals, that influenced social and political
change in England. Most people might remember Bentham for working out the principle of
utilitarianism: that your action is right if it increases the happiness, pleasure and good of the greatest
number of people.
Bentham is famously noted in animal rights circles for stating (albeit in a footnote) that the capacity for
suffering is the essential characteristic that entitles animals to equal consideration of moral interests:
"The question is not can they reason? Nor, can they talk? But can they
suffer?" Bentham, J. 1789. An Introduction to the Principles of Morals and
Legislation. Chapter xvii.
7.4
Nicolaus Copernicus (1473 - 1543)
Polish physician and mathematician, Copernicus is distinguished for his contribution to our knowledge
about the heavenly bodies. He helped prepare the way for our understanding of humanity's place in
the universe and from there, without him realising it, to our modern attitude toward animals.
The ancient Greeks believed Earth was at the centre of the universe and the stars and planets moved
in perfect circles around the Earth. This theory of how the heavenly bodies work is called the
Ptolemaic system, after Ptolemy (c 100 - 170), who lived in Alexandria and developed the idea. In the
Middle Ages the Church incorporated the Ptolemaic system into the Church's world view: that God
made the world at the centre of creation, forged man as master of the world ruling over animals and
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nature, and gave humans souls which abide after death in the surrounding heavens. In other words,
humans are supreme on Earth over all creatures
The Ptolemaic system had a practical use for predicting seasonal events. But the mathematics behind
it was long and complicated. Copernicus' calculations were complex but eventually led to a
simplification, that of assuming the sun is at the centre of the universe and everything revolves around
it. Copernicus published his ideas in 1543 in his book De Revolutionibus Orbium Coelestium (About
the Revolutions of the Heavenly Orbs) as he lay on his deathbed.
The idea of the sun-centred universe gradually filtered through Europe and caused growing alarm.
Inadvertently Copernicus had started to change the established religious assumption of human
supremacy and set going a revolution in human society. If the sun-centred idea was right, then the
Church's authority was wrong and humanity is not in a privileged position at the centre of the
universe. Moreover, if the Church was wrong about this then the Church could be wrong about
everything else and its inflexible all demanding authority would crumble, as it did.
Copernicus helped start the transformation from thinking that humans are supreme over animals to
the realisation that man is but an animal himself.
7.5
Charles Darwin (1809 - 1882)
Charles Darwin, British naturalist and scientist, closed a perceived chasm between humans and
animals. His theory of natural selection changed people's perception of themselves from specially
hand made by God to being just another animal evolved from animals. Thus, in a major way he
prepared the ground for the development of animal rights. Given that humans are animals and
humans have rights, then other animals might also have rights and we should consider what these
rights are.
Darwin started developing his theory, to explain how species evolve, while sailing round the world
(1831 - 1836) on board HMS Beagle. He began his theory while a young man but was so anxious
about the Victorian public's reaction to his theory that he delayed publishing it until his late middle
age, in his book Origin of Species. Printed in 1859 the book obliquely challenged the creation of
species described in the Bible, that God made each species perfectly formed, permanent and
unchanging, and that God made man in his own image.
Darwin called the process of species evolution natural selection, as opposed to artificial selection
whereby people selectively breed plants and animals, such as for agricultural stock. Natural selection
and its implications - popularly called Darwinism - were resisted by the Victorian public (and still are
today by many people) because if humanity descended from animals then people are not spec ial and
rationally cannot be held above other forms of life.
Darwin amassed convincing evidence to show that species evolve because environmental conditions
change over time, that creatures better adapted to changed conditions tend to leave more
descendants, and that these descendants gradually replace less well adapted types which eventually
die out. Sometimes people call this process the 'survival of the fittest'.
What happened to the Peppered Moth (Biston betularia) is an example of natural selection at work in
our backyards. The moth rests by day on tree trunks and used to have a common light coloured
version and a rare dark version. But pollution since the Industrial Revolution has killed off the plants
(epiphytes) that used to cover the bark of trees. Nowadays the bark is exposed and black. The agent
of natural selection is moth-eating birds; they easily notice the lighter moths resting on the darkened
trees and eat more of them than the darker version. In these conditions darker moths are better
camouflaged (better 'adapted' or 'fitter') than the lighter ones and flourish. (Ironically, industrial
pollution is so prevalent that people assume trees with bare bark are natural and trees with plants
growing on them are sickly.)
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Alfred Wallace (1823 - 1913), British naturalist, independently discovered the process of natural
selection and with Darwin made their work known in a joint scientific paper. However, their theory of
natural selection did not specify how traits pass from one organism to another. Belatedly, well into the
20th century, scientists learned of the discovery of the theory of inheritance by Gregor Mendel (1822 1884), an Austrian monk and part-time experimental biologist. The ideas of Darwin and Mendel were
coupled together to make the modern theory of natural selection. This 'Neo-Darwinism' - natural
selection acting on inherited genes - forms the basis of genetics and evolutionary theory.
Darwin is buried near Isaac Newton in Westminster Abbey, London.
7.6
Rene Descartes (1596 - 1650)
Descartes was a French philosopher and mathematician whose articulate reasoning about the nature
of animals was and is still widely held by many people, to the detriment of animals. Descartes
maintained that animals cannot reason and do not feel pain; animals are living organic creatures, but
they are automata, mechanical robots. Descartes held that only humans are conscious, have minds
and souls, can learn and have language and therefore only humans are deserving of compassion.
Unfortunately for animals, science adopted his view. Scientists maintained that animals are like
unfeeling robots up to and for most of the 20th century, and some 21st century scientists still hold on
to this idea more or less. Under Descartes' view the exploitation of animals cannot be a wrong, for you
cannot harm things, like robots or sacks of potatoes, which do not possess thoughts, feelings or a
sense pain.
Philosophers honour Descartes as the first really modern philosopher. Prior to Descartes' thinking
people asked what the world is and how ought we to live in it. But Descart es asked what can we know
of the world (now the branch of philosophy called epistemology, the theory of knowledge). Descartes'
great contribution to knowledge was his method of tackling the question he posed. He did not accept
established ideas about the world as his starting point, as had generally been the rule since the
Ancient Greeks. Instead, he began by asking the most basic questions. He questioned everything he
could, tried to take nothing for granted, and if he found ideas unsound he discarded them .
From Descartes' method grew the philosophy of rationalism, the belief that everything can be known
about the world by sitting down and reasoning about it. Rationalism dominated Western philosophy in
the 17th and 18th centuries before giving way to empiricism, the method of nascent science.
Empiricism supports the belief that all knowledge must derive from observation and experience via
our senses. No amount of reasoning will tell you if it is raining outside, you have to get up and look.
The young science married its empiricist outlook to Descartes' rational approach and became an
effective force in society. After Descartes, and until the rise of quantum theory in the 20th century,
people generally held that truth can be discovered with certainty, so long as you follow the right
method of enquiry, that of rationalism and empiricism.
Descartes' process of thinking led him to believe that nature splits the world into physical matter and
immaterial mind. His body-mind dualism was embrace enthusiastically by subsequent philosophers,
scientists and people generally, well into the 20th century. Descartes is famed for concluding that,
even if all his thinking was wrong, there was one thing he could be absolutely certain about: he
existed - because he could think. This conclusion is encapsulated in his famous phrase, cogito ego
sum - I think, therefore I am.
In his latter years, Descartes settled in Sweden to teach philosophy to Queen Christina and soon
died, supposedly from the frigid Swedish climate.
For a similar view on animals see Aristotle and for an alternative see Darwin.
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7.7
John Lawrence (1753 - 1839)
Lawrence is one of the earliest writers in modern times on animal rights and welfare. He called his
book, published in 1796, A Philosophical and Practical Treatise on Horses, and on the Moral Duties of
Man Towards the Brute Creation. (1) It is a detailed account on the horse and horsemanship and
remarkable in its day for a chapter entitled On the Right of Beasts. In this chapter Lawrence implores
us to treat animals kindly and with consideration because they are rational, sensible and have souls.
As such, Lawrence argued, animals have a basic right of care, which should be endorse by the state.
Lawrence recounts wanton cruelty he saw around him - horses thrashed with whips, cattle with
tongues cut out and sheep with feet cut off (all alive) - and says,
I therefore propose, that the Rights of Beasts be formally acknowledged by
the state, and that a law be framed upon that principle, to guard and protect
them from acts of flagrant and wanton cruelty, whether committed by their
owners or others. (2)
Lawrence also expresses that the state should enact laws to protect livestock during transportation
and slaughter, anticipating Martin's Act passed by Parliament in 1822, the first law by a state to give a
measure of protection to domesticated animals (see Richard Martin, below).
Lawrence declared that wilful cruelty, as well as vivisection, should be outlawed and he opposed
animal baiting. Yet he favoured killing animals for sport - as long as they were subsequently eaten. He
also supported fox hunting, in the belief that foxes are vermin, and deserve as predators to be hunted
and killed in turn. (But then who should hunt and kill the human predators, or are humans exempt
from this logic?) Possibly his acquisition of a small farm and his interest in poultry might have
influenced his attitude to hunting.
Very little is known about his life, but he was born in England where he lived and was descended from
a line of brewers.
References
(1) Lawrence, John. A Philosophical and Practical Treatise on Horses, and on the Moral Duties of
Man Towards the Brute Creation. T Longman: London. 1796.
(2) Op cit. volume 1, chapter 3, page 123.
7.8
Richard Martin (1754 - 1834)
Richard Martin was an Irish politician and an animal and human rights activist. Animal welfarists
remember him especially for pioneering legislation through the United Kingdom parliament to outlaw
cruelty to animals. They also honour him as a leading founder of the Royal Society for the Prevention
of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA). Founded in 1824 the RSPCA was the modern worlds first animal
welfare organisation. The RSPCA inspired other countries to establish similar societies , such as the
American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, set up in 1866.
Martin had a reputation for being extraordinarily kind hearted to people and animals, earning the
nickname Humanity Dick. He was a keen duellist and considered as one of the best exponents of
duelling in Ireland. When an unbalanced bully, George Robert FitzGerald, killed a dog, Martin
challenged him to a shoot-out and they wounded each other. When asked why he defended animals
so utterly, Martin is said to have encapsulated his passion for duelling and his concern for animals
with the explanation: Sir, an ox cannot hold a pistol! The law later hanged FitzGerald for another
offence.
190
When aged 22 Martin became a member of the Irish Parliament. But when the Act of Union dissolved
the Irish Parliament about 1800 he took a seat as a member in the United Kingdom parliament,
representing County Galway, where he was born.
Martin fought for social reform on many fronts, including emancipation for Catholics, abolition of the
death penalty for convicted forgers and freedom for slaves. But he is remembered in particular for the
legislation, popularly called Martin's Act, or the Cruel Treatment of Cattle Act, that, with the help of
others, he drove through Parliament. Martin's Act banned the ill treatment of equines, cattle and
sheep. Martin's Act was the first parliamentary law by any country to proscribe cruelty to animals.
Extract from the Cruel Treatment of Cattle Act 1822, also known as Martin's Act:
"...if any person or persons shall wantonly and cruelly beat, abuse, or illtreat any Horse, Mare, Gelding, Mule, Ass, Ox, Cow, Heifer, Steer, Sheep,
or other Cattle...and if the party or parties accused shall be convicted of any
such Offence...he, she, or they so convicted shall forfeit and pay any Sum
not exceeding Five Pounds, not less than Ten Shillings, to His Majesty...and
if the person or persons so convicted shall refuse or not be able forthwith to
pay the Sum forfeited, every such Offender shall...be committed to the
House of Correction or some other Prison...for any Time not exceeding
Three Months."
None of Martins further attempts to introduce laws to protect animals succeeded, including bans on
dog-fighting, cock-fighting and bull-baiting. Instead, people took to mocking his energetic prosecution
of anyone ill-treating an animal. Alongside this, Martin was a sport hunter, hunting his estate of 9,000
ha (22,000 acres), a third of County Galway, that he inherited from his father. Many influential people
who supported the RSPCA were also sport hunters or farmers, which is why the organisation
floundered by largely excluding wild animals and farmed animals from its remit. The RSPCA did not
begin to become a less ineffective humane society until over a 170 years later in the 1990s.
When Martin was 72 he fled Britain to Boulogne because of political intrigue and inheritance debts on
his estate. The town was a busy French port and a popular resort for British expatriates and he died
there a few years later. However, a year after his death, Martins Act was finally enlarged to ban the
fighting and baiting of animals. Martins graveyard in Boulogne was bombed during the Second World
War, so his bones were re-interred in the cemeterys ossuary. A marble plaque was erected there
from RSPCA funds with the inscription ...he piloted...the first act to protect animals.
7.9
Henry Salt (1851 - 1939)
Henry Stephens Salt wrote the first book entirely devoted to animal rights, Animals' Rights:
considered in relation to social progress, printed in 1892. In his book he sought to impress people not
to kill or eat animals and submitted that this is the distinction of a civilised society:
"...it is ourselves, our own vital instincts, that we wrong, when we trample on
the rights of the fellow-beings, human or animal, over whom we chance to
hold jurisdiction."
Salt was a British social campaigner, writer, naturalist, prominent anti-vivisectionist and vegetarian.
He was born in India and educated in England. After attending Cambridge University he taught
classics at Eton preparatory school but left to adopt a vegetarian life-style growing vegetables at a
remote country cottage while writing for a living.
191
Salt believed animals should be free to live their own lives and that humanity has a responsibility to
treat them compassionately and justly. His animal rights book influenced Gandhi (1869 - 1948),
political and spiritual leader of India and advocate of vegetarianism and of non-violent protest.
Salts social other reform interests included schools, prisons, criminal law, flogging in the Royal Navy
and food-animal slaughter. In 1891 he founded and was general secretary of the Humanitarian
League that opposed, on grounds of ethics and good social science, the infliction of avoidable
suffering on any sentient being whether man or beast. Among the Leagues aims was better
protection for wild and domesticated animals, abolition of corporal punishment and the death penalty,
and opposition to vivisection, the fur and feather trade and hunting for sport (such as fox hunting with
hounds).
Among his books are A Plea for Vegetarianism (1886), The New Charter, a Discussion of the Rights
of Men and the Rights of Animals (1896), The Logic of Vegetarianism (1899) and Our Vanishing
Wildflowers (1928).
References
Henry Stephens Salt. Animals' Rights: considered in relation to social progress . Macmillan: New York.
1892. Reprinted 1980.
7.10 Steven Best (b 1955)

Steven Best's critics brand him as an American militant animal rights activist on the extreme fringe
and a spokesman for terrorists. More sympathetic people describe him as an associate professor of
philosophy at the University of Texas, El Paso, and a scholarly, although outspoken, voice on animal
rights.
After leaving school Best drove trucks and worked in factories for some years. Then after studying
film and theatre he took degrees in philosophy and joined the staff at Texas University. In 2002 his
colleagues recognised his talents by appointing him to the chair of the philosophy department. But
after three years of ups and downs they unseated him after a vote of no confidence. Best claims this
academic reversal was because of his animal rights activism, an assertion his colleagues reject.
192
The road to animal liberation began for Best one day in his mid-twenties. While eating a burger at a
fast food restaurant he was smitten by a revelation. He made the connection between what he was
eating and animals; he converted to veganism. Revelation struck again a few years later while
reading Peter Singer's book Animal Liberation. Best was already a human rights activist and now he
became an animal rights activist. By working for animals, he s ays, he is also working for humans.
Best is a controversial figure partly because of his involvement with the British originated Animal
Liberation Front (ALF). ALF, for its hundreds of actions to rescue animals and destroy the property of
companies that harm animals, is often denounced as a terrorist group by the news media and
government bodies (such as the FBI and the US Department of Homeland Security). So when Best
co-founded the North American Animal Liberation Press Office in 2004 he was a marked man. As for
his academic career, he accepts that in a conservative, conformist academic world his open support
for ALF will retard his prospects. But he insists that academics must speak out and that it is time to
show support for ALF.
Best says he supports ALF because of their effective and fair methods of fighting the real terrorists the people who violate and kill animals. Best professes he is not an ALF activist and that his ALF
press office simply gives information on ALF activities. But he believes that educating the public and
legislating for animal friendly laws cannot by themselves succeed in abolishing animal abuse. Animal
activists, he says, must attack the animal abusers directly. For justification he cites the human slavery
abolitionists' attacks on slave traders in the 18th and 19th centuries.
So Best was surprised one day in 2005 by a Home Office notification from Britain that he was banned
from entering Britain. Best had been arranging a trip to Britain to address an animal rights meeting
marking the effective campaign to shut down a farm that had been breeding guinea pigs for
experiments on animals. Apparently, the Secretary of State, on the strength of newspaper reports,
had listed Best as an advocate of violence and terrorism and therefore as a threat to public order.
The ban was part of the British governments action to control extremists and terrorists as a result of
the 9/11 terrorist attack on the US. After considering an appeal by Best, however, the Home Office
rescinded and let him in - but still banned his fellow animal activist colleagues from entering Britain.
To Bests knowledge this was the first time anyone from the US had been prevented from entering
another country for advocating animal rights.
Steven Best is a philosophy professor who lives with his rescued cats, but his objective is
revolutionary politics. He intends to annihilate social injustice and humanitys lethal control over
animals and nature that are, Best says, intrinsic to capitalism and civilization. He wants to wake
people to action and motivate them to transform the world into a true democratic, libertarian and
socialist society.
Best says: I always prefer a conversation to a war, but we are in a battlefield not at a bargaining
table. (1) However, one critic replies: What makes Best a caricature rather than a serious dissident
is not his intellectual vapidity, colossal as it may be, but his unwillingness to distinguish between the
life of a human and that of a rodent. (2)
Some of Best's animal liberation books are: Terrorists or Freedom Fighters? (editor, with Anthony J
Nocella Jr), 2004; Animal Rights and Moral Progress, 2006; and Igniting a Revolution, (editor, with
Anthony J Nocella Jr), 2006.
References
(1) The Epiphanies of Dr Steven Best. Claudette Vaughn. Vegan Voice. 2004. (Accessed online
February 2007.)
(2) Staff Editorial, The Daily Iowan, January 2005. (Accessed online February 2007.)
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7.11 Andrew Linzey (b 1952)

This page is an extract taken from Animal Preacher, Chapter 4.
Widely considered an authority on Christianity and animals, Andrew Linzey (b 1952) has been
preaching and writing about Christianity and animal rights since the 1970's. Linzey is a British
Anglican priest, theologian, academic and a champion for animal rights within Christianity, whose
vocation is to change Christian attitudes to animals for the better. Linzey says (1):
"Anglicans, like most Christians, haven't really woken up to the moral issue
of our exploitation of animals."
"All the stuff about animals not having language, not having rational souls,
not having culture, not being persons - all of these are human
constructions."
"In God's eyes, all creatures have value whether we find them cuddly,
affectionate, beautiful or otherwise."
Linzey is distinguished for his accomplishments relating to theology and animals. At Oxford University
he held the world's first fellowship in Ethics, Theology and Animal Welfare, which was the first
university position to unite ethics, religion and animals. In 2001 the Archbishop of Canterbury
presented him with an honorary degree of Doctor of Divinity, the highest distinction he could make to
a theologian. The distinction was granted with particular reference to Linzey's work on the rights and
welfare of 'God's sentient creatures' and is the first time it has been conferred for work embracing
Christianity and animals. Linzey says:
"Animals make a special moral claim upon us because, interalia, they are
morally innocent, unable to give or withhold their consent, or vocalise their
needs, and because they are wholly vulnerable to human exploitation.
These considerations make the infliction of suffering upon them not easier but harder to justify." (2)
References
(1) Linzey, Andrew. Christianity and Animals. Rynn Berry interviews. 1996. www.satyamag.com.
(Accessed May 2006.)
(2) Linzey, Andrew. The Ethical Case Against Fur Farming. A statement by an international group of
academics, including ethicists, philosophers and theologians. (Accessed online May 2006 at Respe ct
for Animals and other web sites.)
7.12 The McLibel Two

The name McLibel epitomises the six year libel trial fought by two ordinary Londoners, Helen Steel (b
1965) and Dave Morris (b 1954), against the international, multi-billion dollar fast food giant
McDonald's. The legal conflict exposed dubious practices of unrestrained big business and
demonstrated the interconnectedness of animals, green issues and social justice.
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London Greenpeace was a small group in 1980's London campaigning for social justice (and no
relation to Greenpeace). McDonald's, symbol of globalisation and the American lifestyle, epitomised
for them much of what they were fighting to change. In 1986 they produced a leaflet accusing
McDonald's of corrupt practices, including cruelty to animals, destruction of rainforests, exploitation of
their staff and selling unhealthy food. Many groups worldwide were demonstrating against McDonald's
but London Greenpeace brought all the issues together in the one leaflet: What's Wrong With
McDonald's and distributed copies outside McDonald's restaurants in London.
McDonald's was spending millions of advertising dollars every year convincing people to eat their junk
food. They threatened or sued everyone who criticised them, no matter who they were, whether
national corporations, the press or individuals, and almost everyone backed down from this giant.
McDonald's could not sue London Greenpeace as it was only an association of individuals, so they
pick five activists and told them to apologise or appear in court.
Three activists recanted but Helen Steel, sometime gardener and nightclub bar worker, and Dave
Morris, previously a London postman, stood firm. Consequently in 1990 McDonald's served libel writs
on them - even though both denied distributing the offending leaflet. Steel and Morris were unwaged
at the time of the trial and could not afford a lawyer. But despite being naive of libel law and court
procedures they decided to fight the case themselves. Their moral claim was to defend t he right to
criticise and scrutinise multi-national companies. Fortunately, pre-trial hearings gave Steel and Morris
valuable experience with court procedures and they had free but sporadic advice from sympathetic
lawyers. McDonald's engaged the best professional team of lawyers they could buy.
The trial proper began in 1994 at the Royal Courts of Justice in London. A witty reporter called the
case the McLibel Trial, a nickname that stuck, and Steel and Morris were dubbed the McLibel Two.
Keeping everything going was an ordeal for the Two. A typical day started at seven or earlier in the
morning to get ready for the day's proceedings, such as preparing questions to put to witnesses.
Once home from court, preparations continued up to midnight for the following day. All this was on top
of looking after their mundane domestic affairs, whereas the McDonald's team of lawyers had
partners at home and office staff to help them.
What gave the McLibel Two the strength to keep going was the thought that the case was not a
personal struggle between them and McDonald's, but a campaign for justice against a multinational
company trampling over people, animals and nature. Encouraging letters from a well -wishing public
and 40,000 in donations and other support lifted their spirits. The 'McLibel Support Campaign' held a
march for free speech and questions were asked in Parliament opposing the use of libel writs by big
companies to silence critics.
In one of the several legal machinations, McDonald's council succeeded in discharging the jury, which
might have proved hostile to McDonald's, on grounds that its members were ordinary people who
would not understand the scientific evidence. But Steel and Morris petitioned the House of Lords, the
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highest court in Britain, and the jury was reinstated. After all, the McLibel Two were ordinary people
and if they could understand the evidence then a jury should be able to understand it as well.
Everyone thought the trial would take only a few months, but it ran for six years turni ng into the
longest trail in British legal history (and subsequent legal battles continued for several more years
until 2005). Finally, the judge reached a verdict. Steel and Morris were guilty of libelling McDonald's
and had to pay them 60,000 in damages (later cut by a third). Damages were relatively light because
the judge upheld some of the allegations against McDonald's, such as causing animal suffering,
exploiting children through advertising, and misleading the public about their foods goodness. Steel
and Morris swore never to pay McDonald's. McDonald's chose not to force them to pay - possibly with
public relations in mind.
The McLibel Trial was a moral victory for the McLibel Two and the biggest public relations blunder in
the history of business for McDonald's. McDonald's became a symbol of corporate badness using
animals, nature and people merely as means to make a profit. The McLibel Trial received worldwide
coverage in the news media for the right of ordinary people to freedom of speech against powerful
multi-nationals. As Dave Morris said:
The reality is that McDonald's itself is a completely nondescript, money making organisation, full of hot air - without advertising it would be nothing.
(1)
References
(1) Dave Morris, One-Off Productions. 1996. (Accessed online February 2007.)
Other Sources
Helen Steel. One-Off Productions. 1997. (Accessed online February 2007.)
7.13 Ingrid Newkirk (b 1949)

Ingrid Newkirk is an animal rights activist - sometimes militantly, arrested over 20 times - and cofounder and president of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), said to be the worlds
largest and most prominent animal rights organisation.
Born in Britain, Newkirk was schooled and brought up in India an only child and insatiable animal
eater. By age 19 she owned her own fur coat (squirrel). Her adult life was spent in the eastern United
States where she became aware of animal suffering after taking some cats to a shelter thinking they
would be cared for. They were killed instead. A career change led her to become a deputy sheriff
handling cases of animal cruelty. After sliding towards vegetarianism for some years she finally
committed herself one day when (with a pork chop scheduled for supper) she saved a starving pig,
the only survivor of animals abandoned at a farm. But Newkirk is no namby -pamby; she was also a
poundmaster, which means she had to kill hundreds of stray animals.
Then she met Alex Pacheco, a volunteer at the animal shelter where Newkirk was working. Pac heco
was a university student and already an established animal rights activist (Undercover Investigator,
Chapter 4). He gave her a copy of Peter Singers book Animal Liberation. Singers book and
Newkirks work with animals coalesced and she and Pacheco founded PETA in 1980 working from
her home in suburban Maryland. Dedicated to establishing and defending animal rights, their goal
was to influence as many people they could about animal suffering. That is still PETAs goal today,
now based in Norfolk, Virginia, with over a million members, hundreds of staff and affiliates abroad.
After many years of dedicated work, Pacheco left PETA to explore new areas of animal rights.
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PETA and the personality of Newkirk become synonymous. As president of PETA , Newkirk speaks
internationally on animal rights issues. She believes that animals are sentient, have intrinsic value and
deserve equal consideration of interests with humans. Controversially, Newkirk compares humanity's
treatment of animals with the Holocaust (The Animal Holocaust, Chapter 1).
PETA focuses on a number of areas but primarily on factory farms, laboratory animals, animals in the
clothing trade and in the entertainment industry, because, as Newkirk says, these areas have the
greatest numbers of animals who suffer the most for the longest time. Newkirk herself is a board
member or supporter of a number of animal rights organisations, such as EarthSave International and
United Poultry Concerns. She also openly supports the Animal Liberation Front (ALF), often branded
by detractors and news media reports as a terrorist group (Terrorism, Chapter 5). This and other
activities have brought her to the attention of the FBI.
Newkirk's method is to outrage and repel people. She says PETA is the biggest animal rights group
because it succeeds in getting attention by doing outrageous things. As an outrage directed to herself,
and to remind us of what humanity is doing to animals, she directed in her will for some of her skin to
be barbecued and eaten, other parts of her skin to be made into leather goods, and her feet should be
scooped out and turned into umbrella stands (in the manner of elephants feet).
Critics of Newkirk claim she made PETA a lean radical abolitionist group but then let it degenerate
into welfare. Newkirk responds by saying that PETA is abolitionist but on the way to abolition if you
can ease the suffering of animals then you should not turn your back on them (see the entry New
Welfarism, Chapter 2: Comparing Philosophies). Newkirk says:
"The opportunities for activism are all there and I believe every single part is
vital, because all the spokes in the wheel are needed in order for the wheel
to go around." (1)
Newkirk has written Kids Can Save the Animals: 101 easy things to do (1991); You Can Save the
Animals: 251 simple ways to stop thoughtless cruelty (1999); 250 Things You Can Do to Mak e Your
Cat Adore You (1998) - the first animal rights cat-care book; Free the Animals: the story of the Animal
Liberation Front (2000); Mak ing Kind Choices: everyday ways to enhance your life through earth and
animal friendly living (2005).
References
Ingrid Newkirk interviewed by Catherine Clyne. Satya. 2000. (Accessed online February 2007.)
Sources for this page include:
PETA at 20 Years: Activism and Controversy. Catherine Clyne, Satya. 2000. (Accessed online
January 2007.)
Ingrid Newk irk - tak ing on the critics, Animal Liberation NSW, 2001 (originally for Vegan Voice).
(Accessed online January 2007.)
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We're stunt queens. We have to be. Gary Younge. Guardian. 24 February 2006. (Accessed online
January 2007.)
7.14 Jill Phipps (1964 - 1995)

Jill Phipps was a British animal rights activist and veteran campaigner for animals. She was crushed
under the wheels of a truck during a protest to stop the live export of calves. The calves were being
transported to Coventry Airport in England for export to Amsterdam and thence to farms across
Europe to make veal. Protesters gathered outside the airport. Phipps and a few protesters broke
through a police cordon with the intention of slowing one of the trucks by chaining themselves to it.
Phipps was caught under a truck and her spine snapped.
Protesters had frequently burst through police lines on earlier days, but this day something went
wrong. For lack of evidence the truck driver was not charged with manslaughter. Jill Phipps family
blame the police for keeping the transporters moving. Her mother said, Whatever happened they
were determined to keep the convoys going. They had no contingency plan for people running into
the road. (The Guardian. 5th February 2005.)
Phipps death evoked widespread public sympathy and stirred fellow activists resolve to keep up their
protest against live animal exports. The exports from the airport eventually stopped when the aviation
freight company went bankrupt.
The plaque on Jill Phipps grave reads Died as she lived fearlessly fighting for animals. Her memorial
web site states Jill is not a martyr, she is a hero and her actions will inspire and give courage to
everyone who knew her and to many thousands of people who never met her.
For more about live animal exports see The Battle of Brightlingsea, in Direct Action, Chapter 3.
7.15 Henry Spira (1927 - 1998)

"Their suffering is intense, widespread, expanding, systematic and socially
sanctioned. And the victims are unable to organize in defence of their own
interests." Henry Spira (1)
Henry Spira is celebrated for his animal liberation campaigns and winning strategies. His friend and
colleague Peter Singer said of him, Henry Spira was the most effective activist of the modern animal
rights movement. Singer wrote Spiras biography as a tribute to him and to show people how to
action animal liberation: Ethics into Action: Henry Spira and the animal rights movement. (2)
Spira was born in Belgium and his family settled in New York City when he was 13 to escape Nazi
persecution of Jews. He served in the American army, worked on a car assembly line, and taught at a
New York college. But his main occupation from age 16 was seafaring in the American merchant
marine. As a seaman he fought for human rights against the then crooked and ruthless American
maritime union and was thrown out of the navy for his troubles. While active in civil rights he even
crossed the FBI, who put him under surveillance.
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Only when Spira reached his forties did he become animal-oriented after someone gave him a cat to
look after. Contemplating his feline companion, Spira asked himself why people took care of some
animals while sticking a fork into others. Just then he happened on an article, Animal Liberation, in the
New York Review of Books (1973). It was written by Peter Singer - a philosopher and animal rights
writer Spira had never heard of - but the article inspired him to attend Singers lectures. As Spira later
wrote, Singer made an enormous impression on me because his concern for other animals was
rational and defensible in public debate. It did not depend on sentimentality... (1)
Spira was more pragmatic than philosophical, as getting things done was foremost to him. His tactics
were to set a relatively small feasible goal, assemble activists with diverse contributing expertise,
study the problem from all angles, especially from his opponents point of view, and enter into
constructive discussion with his adversary whenever possible. Then, when Spira was prepared, he
submitted his target to a sustained campaign until he won.
Spira was a highly effective animal liberation activist yet he was personally modest. He did not seek
status or money for himself and worked for animals from his cluttered New York City flat. He elected
to go without the staffing and financing of the big regular animal protection organisations. Although
honoured by prestigious organisations he shut away all his awards in a cupboard.
Spira's first big battle for animals started in 1976 with New York City's Museum of Natural History. The
Museum's laboratory was experimenting on cats, apparently to learn about sexual behaviour, but
according to Spira it was simply mutilating them. His group kept up a campaign of pressure on the
Museum to stop the research. Finally, a year later and after much publicity, the laboratory closed. The
campaign was acclaimed as the first American victory for animals against vivisection.
Building on that experience he took on Revlon, the cosmetic industry giant, and their Draize test. The
test supposedly evaluates the safety of commercial preparations for humans by dripping drops of the
substances onto the eyes of rabbits who are held down in racks. A highlight of the campaign was a
full-page newspaper advert, one of many in Spiras animal liberation career, placed in the New York
Times exclaiming How Many Rabbits Does Revlon Blind for Beautys Sake? Eventuall y Revlon
admitted their error and opened a fund of hundreds of thousands of dollars to explore alternatives to
the Draize test. Other cosmetics companies chipped in so as to look good. Thanks to Spira, the better
cosmetics companies now print not tested on animals on their products.
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Spira took on other seemingly inflexible corporations, including Avon, Procter & Gamble, and the
poultry and fast food industries. He also attacked the United States Department of Agriculture,
exposing their branding of cattle's faces with red hot irons; the Department dropped its branding soon
afterwards. And he took on the slaughterhouses, ending the practice of hoisting conscious cattle into
the air by a leg to await slaughter.
Spiras campaigns put on the political agenda cosmetics testing and cruelty to food-animals. His
victories were the first big successes of the American animal rights movement to reduce the suffering
that humans inflict on animals.
References
(1) Spira, Henry. Fighting to Win, in In Defense of Animals, ed. Peter Singer. 1985:194 - 208.
(2) Singer, Peter. Ethics into Action: Henry Spira and the animal rights movement . Rowman and
Littlefield. 1998.
7.16 Philosophers Three

"All animals are somebody - someone with a life of their own." Tom Regan
Tom Regan (b 1938)

Among Tom Regan many books is The Case for Animal Rights (1983). Translated into several
languages it made him a public name. Regan, an American advocate for animal rights and an
emeritus professor of philosophy, asserts that animals have intrinsic value (a value in themselves
irrespective of any value to human needs) because they have feelings, beliefs, preferences,
memories, expectations, and so on. He calls animals with such features "subjects of a life" because
"what happens to them matters to them." He says "All animals are somebody - someone with a life of
their own. Behind those eyes is a story, the story of their life in their world as they experience it."
Regan sees the animal rights movement as part of the human rights movement and maintains that
animals who are a subject of a life should have similar rights to life as humans.
Regan's position clashes with his contemporary, Peter Singer (see below). Singer argues that
subjective human preferences can occasionally outweigh the int erests of animals. To avoid this,
Regan counters that it is better that animal rights are based on intrinsic value. Regan says this will
thwart people putting their own interests before animals whenever it suits them, prevent exploitation of
individual animals for the greater good (of humans), and stop morality being an exclusively human
club.
Among Regan's books on animal ethics are: All That Dwell Therein: essays on animal Rights and
environmental ethics (1982); Defending Animal Rights (2001); and Empty Cages: facing the challenge
of animal rights (2004).
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Richard Ryder (b 1940)

Richard Dudley Ryder, British animal ethics philosopher and animal welfare campaigner, was a
psychologist who experimented on animals but now speaks out for animal rights.
Ryder denounces utilitarianism because it justifies the exploitation of some animals if there is a net
gain in happiness for the majority of other animals (that is humans in practice). Instead, he advocates
his philosophy of painism: that all animals who feel pain should be worthy of rights and that moral
worth should be based on reducing the pain of individuals.
He coined the term speciesism in the 1970's, popularised by Singer (below) in his book Animal
Liberation, and coined painism in the 1990's to describe his ethical philosophy.
Ryder's books include Victims of Science (1975), on the use of animals in research; Animal
Revolution (1989), on the recent history and development of animal rights; Painism (2001), on the
moral theory of painism; and Putting Morality Back Into Politics (2006).
Peter Singer (b 1946)

Australian ethicist and professor of philosophy, Peter Albert David Singer, first took part in a public
demonstration for animals in his twenties while at Oxford University. The protest was held in the street
against factory farming and featured caged paper-mache hens and a stuffed calf in an imitation stall.
201
Peter Singer is widely credited with inaugurating the modern animal rights movement through his
book, Animal Liberation (1975), which questions the human treatment of animals. It is the book for
which he is most well-known to the public - its second edition was translated into over 17 languages,
including Chinese, Korean and Hebrew. The book gave the animal rights movement a philosophical
basis and, along with Singer's status as a reputable philosopher, awoke interest in academic circles
that set off a chain reaction of thought and publications about animal ethics and animal liberation.
Singer believes that our treatment of animals is one of the foremost ethical issues of today. He says
toleration for the mistreatment of animals is a prejudice that, like sexism and racism, does not have a
rational basis, and failure to take into account animal s uffering is to be guilty of speciesism.
Singer's ethical philosophy is practical, following utilitarian principles: the best solution to a moral
problem is the one with the best likely consequences for the majority concerned. Hence, you may be
morally justified if you cause relatively little harm to a few beings to minimise a greater harm to more
beings. Thus, you might experiment on (but not kill) some humans or animals to save the lives of
many more humans or animals; but it would be wrong to kill or cause severe pain to the many to save
a little distress to the few.
Although Singer argues in Animal Liberation that we should not give greater preference to the
interests of humans over animals, he also argues that some individuals are more valuable than others
and deserve higher priority in moral disputes. In Singer's view, a sentient animal, a subject of a life,
like a rat, has a higher priority to life as he has more to lose than a non-sentient being, like a worm.
Similarly, a being who is more sentient, like a chimpanzee, has more to lose than a being who is less
sentient, like a rat.
Among his many activities, Singer is a founder member of the Great Ape Project that is trying to
influence people to confer on the great apes the same basic rights as humans. And Singer sets an
example to us all: he does not just lecture about ethics, he gives away a fifth of his income to good
causes.
Singer's many books include: Practical Ethics (1979 ); Animal Factories, with James Mason (1980);
The Expanding Circle (1981); In Defence of Animals, editor (1985); Applied Ethics, editor (1986);
Ethics into Action: Henry Spira and the animal rights movement (1998); One World: ethics and
globalization (22002); In Defense of Animals: the second wave, editor (2005); The Way We Eat: why
our food choices matter, with Jim Mason (2006); and over 300 articles on ethics.
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Chapter 8
Five Extras
8.1
Universal Declaration on Animals
We address questions about human welfare and nature conservation at the highest levels of
government, debate them at international meetings, and codify agreements among nations in binding
Charters. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Convention on
Biodiversity are examples. Yet animals have no worldwide protection, possibly because they are so
basic and important a part of human economic exploitation.
The lack of success in shaping internationally binding charters on animal rights has not been for want
of trying. People in modern times have attempted to identify and advance the rights of animals at least
since the 18th century. Credit usually goes to Henry Salt (1851 - 1939) for writing the first book on
animal rights, first published in 1892, and he traces animal rights efforts back to John Lawrence (1753
- 1839), who was one of the earliest modern writers on animal rights and welfare. (See Salts and
Lawrences entries, Chapter 7.)
The 20th century saw a number of international declarations supporting animal rights. Perhaps the
most prominent venture was the announcement (The Times, 17 October) in 1978 by the United
Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) of the Universal Declaration of
Animal Rights. Among the Declaration's pronouncements were that all animals have the same rights
to existence, no animal shall be ill-treated or subject to cruelty, animals shall command the protection
of law, and dead animals shall be treated with respect. The Declaration, however, waned and faded
away before it could reach significant levels of international agreement.
More recently some of the world's leading animal welfare organisations started campaigning for the
United Nations to adopt a new declaration. This time the declaration is on the welfare of animals: the
Universal Declaration on Animal Welfare. Why welfare and not rights? Welfare is an easier option
than rights, therefore probably more acceptable to people, and thus has a better chance of
endorsement and enduring.
The animal organisations behind this new declaration envisage that signatory countries to the
document will recognise animals as sentient beings. They hope their declaration will make animal
welfare an important global issue, pioneer the way for legally binding international agreements on
animal welfare and hasten a better deal for animals worldwide. Their declaration would also
underscore the importance of animal welfare as part of the moral development of humanity. So far, a
number of United Nations member states have been acting as a steering group to advance the
initiative at the UN.
But achieving this declaration for animals will be a long and twisting journey. In charity work children
are the most popular and most supported beneficiaries, yet the Convention on the Rights of the Child
took thirty years of effort before the United Nations adopted it.
Below is a copy of a draft of the Universal Declaration on Animal Welfare drawn up by a number of
prominent animal welfare organisations.
Universal Declaration on Animal Welfare

PREAMBLE
The Manila Conference on Animal Welfare recognizes:
That animal welfare is an issue worth consideration by governments.
That the promotion of animal welfare requires collective action and all stakeholders and affected
parties must be involved.
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That work on animal welfare is a continuous process

A PROPOSAL FOR A DECLARATION ON ANIMAL WELFARE ARISING FROM THE MANILA
CONFERENCE
RECOGNIZING that animals are living, sentient beings and therefore deserve due consideration and
respect;
RECOGNIZING that animal welfare includes animal health;
RECOGNIZING that humans share this planet with other species and other forms of life and that all
forms of life co-exist within an interdependent ecosystem;
RECOGNIZING that, although there are significant social, economic, religious and cultural differences
between human societies, each should care for and treat animals in a humane and sustainable
manner;
AGREEING that the term nation includes peoples, civil society and the state;
ACKNOWLEDGING that many nations already have a system of legal protection for animals, both
domestic and wild;
SEEKING to ensure the continued effectiveness of these systems and the development of better and
more comprehensive animal welfare provisions;
ACKNOWLEDGING that the humane use of animals can have major benefits for humans;
AWARE that the "five freedoms (freedom from hunger, thirst and malnutrition; freedom from fear and
distress; freedom from physical and thermal discomfort; freedom from pain, injury and disease; and
freedom to express normal patterns of behaviour)" and the "three Rs (reduction in numbers of
animals, refinement of experimental methods and replacement of animals with nonanimal
techniques)" provide valuable guidance for the use of animals;
RECOGNIZING that the provisions contained in this declaration do not affect the rights of any nation;
PRINCIPLES OF THE DECLARATION:
1. The welfare of animals shall be a common objective for all nations;
2. The standards of animal welfare attained by each nation shall be promoted, recognized and
observed by improved measures, nationally and internationally, respecting social and economic
considerations and religious and cultural traditions;
3. All appropriate steps shall be taken by nations to prevent cruelty to animals and to reduce their
suffering;
4. Appropriate standards on the welfare of animals be further developed and elaborated such as, but
not limited to, those governing the use and management of farm animals, companion animals,
animals in scientific research, draught animals, wildlife animals and animals in recreation.
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8.2
The Five Freedoms
The Five Freedoms were first proposed in Britain in the 1960's. The Farm Animal Welfare Council,
established by the British government in the late 1970's to advise it on legislative and other changes
for farm animals, subsequently affirmed them. The Council was conservatively made up of individuals
with connections to agriculture: farmers, animal farming company directors, veterinary surgeons and
academics specialising in agriculture. Other bodies concerned with animal welfare have approved the
Freedoms.
The Five Freedoms are:
Freedom from Hunger and Thirst - by ready access to fresh water and a diet to
maintain full health and vigour.
Freedom from Discomfort - by providing an appropriate environment including shelter
and a comfortable resting area.
Freedom from Pain, Injury or Disease - by prevention or rapid diagnosis and
treatment.
Freedom to Express Normal Behaviour - by providing sufficient space, proper
facilities and company of the animal's own kind
Freedom from Fear and Distress - by ensuring conditions and treatment which avoid
mental suffering.
The Five Freedoms are basic ideals of welfare for farm animals, like livestock and poultry, wherever
the animals may be, such as at farms, markets, slaughterhouses, or in transit, and should be applied
by anyone in charge of the animals or handling them. The Farm Animal Welfare Council say the Five
Freedoms are a framework for viewing and improving animal welfare "within the proper constraints of
an effective livestock industry." The Council stress that well trained and supervised stockmanship is
the key to farm animal welfare: "...without competent, diligent stockmanship the welfare of animals
cannot be adequately safeguarded."
The Freedoms make good common sense and are broad enough to apply to all farm animals, and
indeed to any animals, anywhere in the world. However, the Freedoms are not inevitably applied and
are more honoured in the breach. How much animal farming and stockmanship concede towards
applying the Five Freedoms to animals is demonstrated by the realities of factory farming, such as the
chicken and egg industry; nor are the Five Freedoms widely applied to animals farmed for their fur
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8.3
Human Overpopulation
What's the Problem?

Earths huge human population has a colossal influence on animal rights. Human overpopulation
imposes suffering on animals and destroys wildlife. One problem is that billions of more humans
mean people kill billions of more animals (livestock and wild). As the human population expands,
worldwide meat consumption has increased three and a half times in the last four decades: from
about 70 million tonnes to nearly 250 million tonnes a year. Another problem is that ever more people
deplete resources that wildlife needs. The World Wildlife Fund says that humans are killing off a
species every five minutes or, less pessimistically, at least one species every two days.
In 1798 the Englishman Thomas Malthus published An Essay on the Principle of Population, voicing
apprehension about human population growth. He pointed out that the human population grows more
quickly than can be matched by food production and was already overtaking its food supply. He
predicted environmental degradation leading to massive famine, disease and war. Malthus was
writing in response to the optimism of the Enlightenment that humanity can tame the environment and
that human potential was limitless.
The disaster Malthus anticipated did not happen, agricultural and industrial revolutions saw to that.
But the spectre of Malthus has not gone away. His warning seems even more applicable today and
on a worldwide scale. As the global human population grows it is ever increasing its use of resources.
Even the most fundamental resources like water, land and air are in short supply and being polluted.
Estimates are that humans already use over half the world's accessible fresh surface water and have
changed or degraded up to half of Earth's land surface through agriculture and urban building. By
2030 there could be one billion cars - 100 million of them in China alone - choking Earth's atmosphere
and considerably contributing to global warming.
The Overflowing Human Population
The human population reached 0.3 billion in year 0 (2,000 years ago). Then it took 1,800 years to
reach its first billion. But from there on the pace of human population growth burst its barriers and in
the last few decades a billion more people are added to the population every few years - Table 1.
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Table 1. Landmarks In Human Population

Growth Worldwide
Year
Number of People
0 AD
300,000,000
1804
1,000,000,000
1927
2,000,000,000
1960
3,000,000,000
1974
4,000,000,000
1987
5,000,000,000
1999
6,000,000,000
2020 (projection)
7,500,000,000
Source: The World at Six Billion. United Nations Population Division.

At the present rate of human increase, about three babies are added to Earth every second, making a
quarter of a million more people each day or 80 million more people annually. Over half (about 60 per
cent) of humanity lives in just ten countries - Table 2.
Table 2. Top Ten Human Populations

by Country
Country
Population in millions
China
1,323
India
1,103
United States
298
Indonesia
223
Brazil
186
Pakistan
158
Russian Federation
143
Continued...
207
...Continued
Bangladesh
142
Nigeria
132
Japan
128
TOTAL
3,836
Source: World Population 2004. Population Division. Department of Economic and

Social Affairs. United Nations.
Human numbers at the current rate of expansion might reach 300 billion in another 15 decades.
However, Earth's resources cannot sustain anything near this number of people and humanity would
die off before achieving this mass. Wars for diminishing resources, breakdown of societies followed
by disease and starvation would consume humanity first. Fortunately, for some of the world's people,
influences like family planning, modern contraception, education and prosperity create a desire to
bear fewer children. Consequently, population growth is slowing - to some extent.
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8.4
Zoos
When you think of a zoo you might picture one of the few prestigious zoo institutions. But most zoos
are small insignificant collections in towns or situated by roadsides or in people's private backyards. A
'zoo' is simply a collection of animals. Most zoos are geared to make money by attracting paying
visitors. They give no or trivial thought to animal rights or welfare. The quality of life for their animals
varies from lethal to scarcely adequate.
The earliest significant animal collections date back at least 3,500 years to the Middle East. The
animals came from faraway places and were objects of curiosity. The animals were given to rulers,
the rich and the powerful in return for political favours and the animals' new owners used their
collections as displays of status.
Enthusiasts with a passion for collecting animals started the first big zoos as we know them today.
They trapped animals from the wild and sometimes killed mother animals to take their young. Young
animals are easier to keep and transport because they eat less, take up little room and are more
manageable than adults. The animal catchers killed animals who got in their way and many of the
animals they trapped died on the long and hard journey to the zoo.
There is a zoo in nearly all large cities today and the bigger the zoo the prouder the citizens. Among
the first major city zoos were Vienna, founded in 1752, and Paris, founded about 40 years later.
London Zoo, founded in 1828, claims to be the world's first zoo for the study of animals. Later in the
nineteenth century Philadelphia and Adelaide zoos were s et up in the US and Australia.
Zoo Statistics
Over 10,000 zoos exist worldwide, holding about a million vertebrate animals.
The number of animals per zoo ranges from a handful to several thousand.
Over 600 million people a year visit zoos.
209
These figures (from Guide to the World Zoo Conservation Strategy) no doubt exclude animals from
the innumerable small roadside tourist stops and small private collections. Some sources claim there
are more like five million vertebrate animals in zoos.
Changing Attitude to Zoos
In living memory the collectors of zoo animals treated their charges as items or specimens, especially
treasured if rare or unusual, and prized as public attractions. The animals themselves typically lived in
small bare cages with nothing to do and no place to retreat from human gaze or disturbance.
Leading and distinguished zoos set a trend from the 1950's as popular attractions to entertain the
mass public. However, in the 1970's people's attitudes really started changing. A few people began
expounding the view that animals have mental and physical needs that their inadequate living
conditions cannot support. One charity, Zoo Check, was especially prominent. Zoo critics challenged
the role of zoos making zoo animal welfare an issue and consequently zoos were forced to justify
their existence to the public.
Basic Arguments for Zoos
Zoos justify their existence in four ways:
1. Scientific Research
Zoos contribute substantially to scientific knowledge by researching animals living at the zoo.
2. Nature Conservation
Zoos play a key role saving species from extinction by breeding endangered animals and returning
them to the wild.
3. Public Education
Zoo exhibits are a valuable source for the public to learn about animals and their natural habitat.
4. Public Entertainment
Zoos offer entertainment and recreation for the public. Zoos cannot rely entirely on grants and public
donations, so they must earn their way and charge fees like any other business.
So what arguments do zoo critics muster against these assertions?
Arguments Against Zoos
1. Scientific Research
Few zoos finance research that may benefit their animal occupants and by far the majority of zoos
have neither the means nor the will to carry out research.
Nor is research necessarily always significant and worthwhile in the few zoos that do it and can be
misleading. For example, zoo animals make unreliable subjects for behavioural research. Their living
conditions are artificial and many zoo animals are mentally deranged (more below). We now know
from field studies on wild-living animals, like wolves and chimpanzees, that the social organisation of
animals in the wild where humans do not disturb them are completely different from their zoo
counterparts.
2. Nature Conservation
The vast majority of zoos have no desire or resources to be effective means for conservation. It is
only the very few leading zoos or ones with conservation-minded owners that pay tribute to nature
conservation.
Zoos have reintroduced successfully only a handful of animals back to the wild. Notable successes
are the golden lion tamarin to the rain forest in Brazil, the Arabian oryx to the deserts of Arabia, the
tarpan (Przewalski horse) to the Mongolian steppes and the field cricket to Britain. But these
exceptions, although important, do not justify the captivity of a million other animals at zoos. In fact,
removing rare animals from the wild to stock zoos can influence the survival of the animals' wild
population. The major zoos today breed most of their animals from existing zoo-held animals but still
210
occasionally take animals from the wild and there is a highly damaging trade to nature conservation in
wild animals for smaller animal collections and for private zoos.
Some zoo animal species, such as the charismatic crowd-pulling ones like pandas, chimpanzees and
snow leopards, are in danger of extinction, but most species in most zoos are not pending extinction.
The purpose of many of zoo animals, especially the large ones like African lions, elephants and
giraffes, is to acquire money at the gate from paying visitors. Zoos breed cute baby animals for the
same reason, too pull in crowds, but then have a surplus of animals once they are grown-up and must
get rid of them.
Even if a zoo wants to return animals to their wild environment, it is not always possible to do so
because people destroy or seriously degrade natural habitats. Few zoos support in situ conservation
projects, yet the priority for conservation should be to conserve animals in their natural habitat. There
is no space or money in zoos to accommodate and look after even a tiny fraction of the many and
growing numbers of endangered species. Nor is there any certainty that animals in zoos will breed
successfully, survive debilitation from lack of genetic variety, or resist extinction from infectious
diseases.
3. Public Education
Throngs of people visit zoos. So the potential is there to educate people about animals, their rights,
welfare and conservation. Some zoos fix up information plaques or recorded talks next to exhibits,
and a few of the big zoos supply videos and publications. However, even at the small number of zoos
where good educational material is available, the public absorb little of it and most zoo-goers
disregard it.
Zoo animals cannot possibly act genuinely in their enclosures and may even be psychotic (more
below). Unnaturally housed or insane animals cannot be representative of their species. The zoogoing public learn only what cowed, mad or withdrawn animals are like and that it is normal and
acceptable that humans should control animals.
4. Public Entertainment
There were virtually no televisions in the 1950's when people flocked to the big zoos, but good wildlife
television programmes today can show normal behaviour of animals in their natural surrounds. And
many people today go on safari or working holidays in wild animal habitat to experience nature in the
flesh. We do not need to confine animals in zoos to lean about them or be entertained by them. Zoo
animals are not necessary as educators or entertainers of the public.
Conclusion
What do zoos really teach people? Zoos teach people at least three things:
1.
2.
3.
It is all right to keep animals locked up so long as we can justify it with an excuse ('we
need zoo animals for conservation / research / public education / making money').
Animals exist for humans and not as individuals who manage their own lives.
Humans are superior to animals because we can control them.
Morality of Zoos
Zoo animals live in conditions where outlets for their natural instincts are continually frustrated. Lack
of adequate environment is not a mental or emotional problem for invertebrates, like giant stag
beetles and tarantula spiders. But it is a serious problem for animals like wolves, bears and eagles.
How can animals who normally run or fly great distances express their urges when confined?
Animals in zoo usually have nothing to do. They have no tasks to exercise their intelligence or other
skills. Animals can be bored, depressed and listless. In short, zoo animals become institutionalised,
helplessly dependent on humans.
In their restricted zoo-world many animals succumb to ailing mental health and go mad. It is easy to
see animals with unnatural behaviour in zoos. You can see self-mutilation, such as tail chewing or
excessive plucking out of fur or feathers, see listless indifference, and see abnormal repetitive
behaviours (stereotypies) like pacing up and down or rocking back and forth for ages.
211
These behaviours indicate neurosis or insanity brought on by boredom, deprivation, frustration and
stress. The animals are telling us they are suffering from inadequate lives - even though they may
look physically healthy, well fed, clean and otherwise cared for. Humans in mental homes express the
same kind of behaviour, but mental health problems in zoo animals usually go unnoticed by the
passing public.
Zoos encourage the (often illegal) trade in animals and endangered species through stocking zoos
with wild-caught animals.
Where do old and surplus zoo animals go? For some zoos the temptation is to sell animals they do
not want to practices like the exotic meat industry, such as bushmeat or canned hunts.
Animals in zoos in war zones may stave slowly to death in their cages through neglect because no
one can care for them. Deliberately condemning animals to death like this is outrageous neglect and
an abandonment of moral consideration.
Locking up animals encourages indifference and lack of respect for animal life. Zoos teach people
that it is all right to use animals, even for purposes we assume are virtuous (education and
conservation). Zoos inspire people with false ideas by inadvertently teaching them that humans are
superior to animals, physically dominant over them, and that it is proper to live apart from nature, not
as part of it.
All in all, humans use zoo animals as a dubious means to further human ends, in particular for the
conservation of species for human posterity, research for human knowledge, education for human
betterment, and for the pursuit of earning a living. Conservation, research, education and employment
are noble ideals, but if you believe that animals should have rights then zoos are a raw deal.
1. Research
Claim: Zoos contribute valuable knowledge and expertise to our understanding of wildlife and to the
needs of wildlife through their research on animals.
Claim: Research on abnormally disturbed animals kept in barren conditions can only provide
reliable information on abnormally disturbed animals kept in barren conditions. The best place to
study wildlife is in the wild.
2. Breeding Species
Claim: Zoos support conservation of endangered populations. They breed these animals so they
can return their offspring to the wild.
Claim: Only a tiny number of zoos breed animals effectively for conservation and release extremely
few animals to the wild. This does not justify the captivity of millions of animals.
3. Life Quality vs Sanity
Claim: Zoo animals live healthy lives in elaborate enclosures and fulfil their natural behaviours. We
feed them good diets and dedicated staff look after them.
Claim: Zoos drive many animals into aberrant behaviour and insanity, even in the better zoos.
4. Longevity
Claim: Zoos protect animals by keeping them safe, so they live longer than animals in the wild.
Claim: Zoos may protect animals but they have a poorer quality of life in confinement and longevity
is not a guide to good mental health.
5. Stewardship
Claim: People have severely degraded of destroyed the environment of many species. So the only
hope of survival for many wild animals is in zoos and captive breeding centres.
Claim: All the zoos in the world cannot keep a large enough number of animals with sufficient
genetic variation to save endangered species from going extinct. The only way to save species is to
preserve them in the wild with their natural habitat.
212
6. Taking Wild Animals

Claim: It is wrong for zoos or their agents to capture animals from the wild, kill their parents to get
them, and destroy their communities.
Claim: That is largely in the past, for reputable zoos at least. Animals collected from the wild today
are for specific conservation and educational purposes.
7. Education
Claim: Visitors to zoos are interested in learning about the animals they see and are therefore
receptive to education. Zoos offer lots of educational material about their animals and nature.
Claim: If they bother to provide anything, zoos display the most meagre information about their
animals. Most visitors drift from one group of animals to another without leaning anything about them.
8. Creating Awareness
Claim: Zoos stimulate public interest in animals and their conservation by leading campaigns t o
save animals and by presenting exhibits to the public to get their conservation message across.
Claim: Many organisations effectively stimulate public interest in animals and their conservation
without imprisoning animals. Local nature trusts and the World Wildlife Fund are examples.
9. Zoos vs TV
Claim: You can understand animals better from TV films taken in the animals' natural surroundings
without having to confine animals.
Claim: You can see and experience animals at zoos that you would have no other opportunity to
meet. Television does not allow you to get close to live animals or smell them.
10. Surplus Animals
Claim: Zoos destroy surplus animals or send them to disreputable traders for base purposes, like
canned hunts.
Claim: Reputable zoos send surplus animals to other responsible zoos and institutions. They
practice birth control or regulate population size in some other suitable manner.
11. Money-pullers
Claim: Many zoo species are not in danger of extinction so have no conservation value. Zoos use
these animals merely to attract the paying public. These animal should not be in zoos.
Claim: Zoos must attract visitors for revenue so that zoos can carry out their research, conservation
and education. These animals can double a zoo's income.
12. Business
Claim: Zoos exist to make a profit. The money goes to the zoo's owner or investors. There is no
justification for zoos.
Claim: Zoos must make a profit if they are to run successfully and the best zoos invest in the
welfare of their animal stock.
213
8.5
Climate Change
Climate change will wipe out millions of species and is the greatest burden on our moral behaviour
because we, humanity, are responsible for it.
The Problem
The average temperature of Earth's air and sea is warming. This is called climate change or global
warming. We can see climate change happening all around us, including melting Polar ice caps,
dissolving permafrost, increasingly serious regional storms and changes in wild animal behaviour.
Earths climate naturally changes slowly over thousands of years in response to changes in solar
activity, Earth's orbit around the Sun, volcanic emissions, and other natural phenomena. But climate
change is happening very fast, too rapidly for species to adapt to the changing conditions.
The Greenhouse Effect
Climate change is powered by the greenhouse effect. The land and sea absorb most of the Sun's
heat reaching Earth. The heat then passes to the atmosphere and is lost to outerspace. However,
some of the heat gets trapped by certain gases, so called greenhouse gases, in the atmosphere and
remains next to Earth's surface.
One of the first people to recognise the greenhouse effect was Frenchman Jean-Baptiste Fourier in
the 1820's. He coined the analogy with a greenhouse. The window panes of a greenhouse are like
Earth's atmosphere, allowing the Sun's warmth in but prevent some warmth getting out, raising the
temperature of the greenhouse.
The greenhouse effect is natural and without it Earth would be too cold for life to evolve the way it
has. However, humanity has been releasing huge quantities of greenhouse gases and this has
caused an unnatural, accelerating and fast warming of the climate. Currently humans release 22
billion tons of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere annually.
Cataclysms in the Offing
Climate change can trigger major cataclysmic events within the next 200 years.
Greenland Ice Sheet Meltdown
The ice sheet covering Greenland is Earth's second largest ice cap, containing about 10 percent of
the world's fresh water. It is currently melting and can raise the sea level at least six metres (about 20
feet). The rising sea will engulf lowland coastal areas where countless creatures and billions of people
live, including Shanghai, London, New York, Mumbai and Sidney. Millions of people and animals will
be forced to move to higher land. Species that cannot migrate will go extinct as they drown.
Gulf Stream Switch-off
The Gulf Stream (also known as the Atlantic Conveyor) is a major current in the Atlantic between the
Caribbean and Europe. It conveys 20 times more water than all the rivers on land. Within its body of
water it carries heat and distributes it to the atmosphere across the globe. The Gulf Stream can shut
off swiftly and permanently by ice cold water from the melting Arctic and Greenland Ice Sheet colliding
with it. If this happens, north-west Europe would suddenly be thrust into an uninhabitable Arctic
climate. A mass die off of most fauna and flora in Europe would be inevitable and millions of people
would be forced to migrate south that would cause massive civil conflict and ensuing wildlife
destruction. The climatic change would not be confined to Europe but affect other parts of the world
because all parts of Earth's climate are connected.
Permafrost Melt
Permafrost is ground a few inches below the surface that is normally constantly frozen solid, although
the top few inches can thaw in summer. Permafrost occupies up to a fifth of Earth's land surface,
circling the globe mostly in the far Northern Hemisphere. In some places it is around 1,000 m (3,000
feet) thick. The permafrost contains enormous amounts of carbon dioxide and methane. When the
permafrost thaws it will release massive amounts of these gases into the atmosphere precipitously
speeding up global warming with no control possible.
214
Amazon Conflagration
Climate change could dry up the Amazon rain forest turning it into one huge combustion holocaust.
Since trees are made mostly of carbon, a burning Amazon will release vast amounts of carbon into
the atmosphere suddenly driving up global warming. The majority of land species on Earth live in rain
forests. When the Amazon is destroyed most terrestrial species will die with it.
Ocean Death
The surface of the sea absorbs carbon dioxide from the air above it. Increasing amounts of carbon
dioxide in the air are turning the oceans into a dilute acid (carbon dioxide plus sea water makes
carbonic acid, HCO3) and most marine life will perish - from microscopic plankton to coral reefs and
whales. Marine death by acidification is already happening.
Methane Hydrates Release
Methane hydrates are vast quantities of frozen methane gas under the sea floor. There could be
trillions of tonnes of it. Rising temperatures in the sea will trigger its release to surge up as methane
gas into the atmosphere. Earth's warming climate will get an abrupt gigantic boost. When this
happens, global warming will be out of all control and a mass extinction of life inevitable. Methane is
several times more powerful as a global warming gas than carbon dioxide.
Biosphere Wipe-Out
How will global warming leave the Earth? The cumulative effect of all these cataclysmic events when
they happen will be a climate change that destroys the biosphere, the realm of all living things ,
between the atmosphere above and the lithosphere of rock below. Without the Arctic ice, creatures
dependent on the ice will die off. As the jungles dry up, most land species on Earth will vanish. The
oceans and almost all life in them will be dead. Virtually all life on Earth will come to an end. Possibly
the only life to survive might be micro-organisms already adapted to live in extreme environments.
Can We Stop Climate Change?
Once changes to large bodies, like the oceans and ice caps, are set in motion they take hundreds of
years to slow down and stop. Nevertheless, some people hope to avoid the worst scenario: global
warming accelerating so fast that it is impossible to slow. But can we slow global warming
significantly? Politicians say we can reduce global warming without giving up our standard of living or
aspiration for a higher standard. This is false because slowing global warming depends on:
The amount of global warming fuel (oil, wood, etc) that humanity uses.
The number of people on Earth and its rate of increase.
New technology saving us.
Enormously costly and widespread unpopular economic changes.
But humanity continues to use fossil fuels and shows no sign of seriously limiting its usage.
Humanitys population is over seven billion and increasing without significant control. New technology
is a reverie; it does not exist and probably could not be delivered in time if it were invented. And no
one is going to give up resources unless the other guy/country does so first; people cannot divest
themselves of their biological imperative to behave in their own short -term self-interests.
What you can do as an animal rights activist
You can try and help by joining organisations involved with climate change. At a personal level you
can do two major things: do not make babies (more people more destruction see Personal Activist,
Chapter 4) and give up your car (10 to 25 percent of carbon emissions come from motor vehicles).
Set a good example to others.
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9 Epilogue
9.1 On Hopelessness
...or feelings of pointless inadequacy and ineptitude
Animal suffering caused by humanity is so vast that it is easy to feel dismayed at its scale and ones
seemingly ineffectual struggles to relieve it. How can we tackle feelings of pointless inadequacy and
ineptitude we may sometimes feel? We have to arm ourselves with the right attitudes.
Attitude 1: I fight my corner

We must choose a bit of the overall picture and do what we can, no matter how small our effort
seems. You are not alone; everyones input makes for the greater whole.
Attitude 2: I will not be a slave to my emotions
Emotions are not sacrosanct and we can learn to supervise them (if only to put them aside from time
to time as best we can). Biologists tell us that our emotions evolved to help our ancestors survive and
reproduce (and thus pass on emotion-mediating genes to posterity); and that a key function for having
emotions may be that they prioritise our behaviour (for instance, we may be grieving a loss, but when
we spot a predator, fear takes first rank, we put grieving aside and flee!). So emotions motivate (not
dominate) us and we can strive for a reasonable balance with them.
Attitude 3: Perspective is calming
Cosmologists tell us that we live in an ageless multiverse. What does this mean for animal rights?
Animal suffering induced by intelligent creatures exists through eons on endless planets in countless
universes. There is nothing we can do about this. Our planet Earth, and our whole universe, is just a
fleeting wisp of next to nothingness. We cannot do any more than keep calm and do our best.
Attitude 4: I shall not give up
Often there is no headway changing someone's attitude. Then all we can do is gently try to plant an
idea in their mind and hope it matures, perhaps years later, while we set a good example.
Attitude 5: I count my blessings and keep a sense of humour
When all else fails, this always helps!
THE END
or is it just the start?
GOOD LUCK!
216

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How to Do

Author & Email

Animal Rights Motto

The Broad Setting

Philosophy: Key Topics

How to Do Animal Rights

Campaigning: Methods for Animal Rights

How to Start Being Active for Animal Rights

Activities for Animal Rights

How to Do Animal Rights

Public & School Speaker

The Law & Animal Rights

How to Do Animal Rights

Universal Declaration on Animals

How to Do Animal Rights

About This Guide

Author & Email

How to Do Animal Rights

Animal Rights Motto

How to Do Animal Rights

The Big Problem

How to Do Animal Rights

The Great Leap

How to Do Animal Rights

The Sixth Extinction

How to Do Animal Rights

The Mega Devastators

How to Do Animal Rights

What is the Animal Holocaust?

How to Do Animal Rights

How to Do Animal Rights

World Scientists' Warning to Humanity

World Scientists' Warning to Humanity

How to Do Animal Rights

We must reduce and eventually eliminate poverty.

How to Do Animal Rights

How to Do Animal Rights

How to Do Animal Rights

How to Do Animal Rights

How to Do Animal Rights

How to Do Animal Rights

How to Do Animal Rights

How to Do Animal Rights

Table 1. Equal Consideration of Interests vs Animal Rights

A moral principle stating that you

The bestowal of moral benefits (ie

should weigh the comparable

rights) on animals to protect them

Consider equally the comparable

Obey the rights that animals have

affected by your actions.

abused by people, then you should

Where comparable interests are

You cannot exploit animals. You

should not exploit either.

You must guess which interests

Not all animals need the same

Utilitarianism (see Chapter 2:

Deontology (see Chapter 2: