Guest guest Posted January 3, 2008 Report Share Posted January 3, 2008 This is just a little thing I sent to people I know getting ready for hunting season. It's hard to argue with them especially if they've been trained thru the military; evenso, some haven't and are in faith/scientific professions. So, for what it's worth, I sent them this open letter. This is for the hunters or people who think they just " have to " kill animals. 1) If animals didn't feel emotion, why do they show fear, struggle to live, and protect and groom their young? http://www.naturescornermagazine.com/gift_of_animal_emotions.html 2) If animals don't feel pain why do they scream when hurt, nurse their wounds and why have veterinarians anyway? http://www.wellcome.ac.uk/en/pain/microsite/culture2.html 3) If animals are okay to exploit, hurt and kill for fun, why did God/Jesus identify with them? http://www.frontline.org.za/articles/animals.htm 4) If humans are " superior " to animals why do we kill for self- gratifying sport or profit exploitation and animals kill only when necessary to survive? " Many hunters and anglers adopt the opinion that animals are physiologically dissimilar to us, are not conscious and so do not experience `suffering' akin to human pain. The scientific evidence, however, shows that animals have the hard wiring to perceive and react to sensory pain and injury, and at least some of the brain structures that process pain in humans. If one accepts that animals experience some kind of suffering when they are injured, then it is inevitable that a fox during a hunt, or a fish during angling, is going to have some form of pain inflicted upon it. The question then is, does the hunter's or angler's enjoyment outweigh the cost to the animal? There may be other factors to consider. If the fish is eaten after being caught, for example, do the nutritional benefits make a difference? As we cannot get into the minds of animals, or meaningfully measure emotional pain in animals, perhaps we should accept that animal pain is different from human pain, and is something we will never be able to describe fully. Nevertheless, even if animal pain may be distinct from human pain, is that a reason to consider it less important either biologically or ethically? " Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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