Threats to Individual Vertebrates

Question 1

At what level of vertebrate welfare do humans usually stop?

Answer 1

The level of species welfare and don’t dwell on individual suffering

Question 2

Describe an example of indirect cruelty to animals

Answer 2

Population decline of polar bears because of global warming causing individual suffering during starvation and drowning

Question 3

Two broad types of cruelty towards animals

Answer 3

Direct (cruelty towards individual wild or domestic animals)

Indirect (loss of sea ice)

Question 4

4 reasons to protect individual animals

Answer 4

Intrinsic value
Compassion/moral obligation
Direct human benefits
Indirect human benefits

Question 5

What are 3 reasons for protecting individual animals that benefits humans directly?

Answer 5

Greater productivity in food/draft animals
pleasure from healthy long-lived pets
Avoid being witness to suffering

Question 6

What are 2 reasons for protecting individual animals that benefits humans indirectly?

Answer 6

Avoiding a slippery slope of marginalization
Prevent “violence connection”
- profiling violent offenders based on early abuse of animals

Question 7

What is welfare?

Answer 7

The general health, happiness and safety of a person, an animal, or a group

Question 8

What are 5 practical terms for welfare?

Answer 8

Freedom from:
hunger and thirst
distress
pain, injury and disease
discomfort
and Freedom to express behaviors that promote well-being

Question 9

What are 7 threats to animal welfare?

Answer 9

industrial agriculture
animal experiments
hunting/trapping
trade in pets, or animal products (bear bile)
breeding mills
entertainment: circus, exhibits, animal races or fights
human nature: ignorance, neglect, intentional/pathological cruelty

Question 10

What kind of animals are affected by industrial agriculture?

Answer 10

hundreds of millions (650 million) food animals/year in Canada such as chicken (broilers/layers), cattle (meat: beef/veal), pigs etc.
harm from transport (broken legs)

Question 11

What is a major reason for the supporters of veganism regarding animal welfare and the environment?

Answer 11

the livestock sector is responsible for 18% of greenhouse gas emissions (higher than transport!)

Question 12

What are 4 causes of animal suffering in the industrial agriculture industry?

Answer 12

• space restriction in cages, stalls, crates, battery cages
• no pain management for dehorning, castration, beak-trimming, tail-docking
• inhumane transport and slaughter conditions where millions die in transport and have prolonged death during slaughter
• insufficient welfare law enforcement

Question 13

How many animals are affected by animal testing each year in Canada?

Answer 13

millions (2 million from old stats) per year in Canada (hundreds of thousands are tested around their pain tolerance threshold

Question 14

What kinds of species are affected by animal experiments?

Answer 14

mice, fish, rats, wildlife, domestic birds, cats, dogs, primates (nonhuman)

Question 15

What are animals used for in animal experiments?

Answer 15

research, product testing, teaching (dissections), production of biological products, and about 20% for medical research

Question 16

What kinds of animal welfare issues are involved with animal experiments?

Answer 16

stress, constraint, pain, mutilations, time/type of death (end point of models)
Unnecessary experiments
Insufficient welfare regulation (no pertinent federal or B.C. law)

Question 17

How many species of what type are affected each year by hunting and trapping in Canada? And for what purposes?

Answer 17

About 5 million per year in Canada for food, fur, trophy

Commonly affected species are waterfowl, ungulates, seals, mustelids, bears canids, felids, raccoon, beaver etc.

Question 18

What are 4 animal welfare issues with hunting and trapping?

Answer 18

The trapping methods
The hunting methods
Trophy shot vs. mercy shot
Insufficient welfare regulation (no pertinent federal or B.C. law)

Question 19

What are some specific issues with trapping methods?

Answer 19

leg-hold traps, body-hold (conibear) traps, snares, deadfalls resulting in injury, pain, stress, prolonged death

Question 20

What are some specific issues with hunting methods?

Answer 20

seal clubbing resulting in a high percentage of seals skinned alive or conscious

Question 21

Why does practical application of alternatives lag behind proven research?

Answer 21

It is difficult to get industry to accept new methods. (Finances?)

Question 22

What are the 3 R’s to consider before using animal testing?

Answer 22

Replacement
Reduction
Refinement

Question 23

Name a few references for animal welfare science

Answer 23

University animal welfare programs
Interagency coordinating committee of the validation of alternative methods
Dr. Temple Grandin
Center for alternatives to animal testing