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City of Plymouth Animal Welfare Charter
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Vivisection
Farmed Animals
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Animals in 'entertainment'
Dairy Products and Eggs
Campaigns in Plymouth
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Aren't humans more important than animals?
In fact, humans are animals, though we call the others 'animals' in order to seperate ourselves from them so that we will feel less uncomfortable exploiting them. Much as slave owners convinced themselves that black people did not have the same physical and emotional feelings as white people, we have reduced other-than-human beings to virtual automatons, incapable of thinking or experiencing pain, love, joy, sadness or other emotions.
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Aren't animals for people to use?
Like us, the other animals are valuable in and of themselves, not merely as commodidites to be hunted or killed for casseroles and coats or used as living toys and test tubes. Each animal is an individual whose life is as dear to him or her as ours is to us. We have no right to take the life of a fox for her coat or for 'sport', or a pig for his flesh simply because our taste calls for it. Just as we would balk at testing drugs on unwilling human subjects, we must protest at the use of rats, rabbits and chimpanzees for similar purposes. These animals are as capable of suffering physical pain and psychological anguish as a human being. Our exploitation of other species for our own profit is as reprehensible as the exploitation of people of another race or sex. |
Beagles are used for their unwillingness to bite and their passive nature. |
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What kind of experiements are performed?
Worldwide, hundreds of millions of animals are subjected every year to experiments that blind, mutilate, shock and burn them. Some tests last for hours at a time or continue over several days or years. Chimpanzees are kept for their lifetimes in AIDS and hepatitis studies; other primates languish in restraining devices for months. Small mammals and dogs used in product safety tests are force-fed toxic substances or have them dripped into their eyes. Dogs and cats discarded by their human companions may end up in vivisection labs. Would you like this life for your dog or cat? |
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Do animal experiments save lives?
In countless cases, animal experiments hurt, rather than help us. For example, potentially harmful chemicals are often kept on the market because animal test results are inconclusive. Substances that were tested on animals and determined 'safe' have caused dangerous side effects when administered to human patients. Whilst millions of animals die and billions are spent every year to confine them and make them sick, many people with crippling illnesses are unable to obtain adequate health care. |
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