In your opinion, Do animals have rights? What obligations do humans have to animals?

[letuswaltzforthedead]

[NamerOfStars]

It's not a matter of opinion; it's a matter of LAW- whether they should is a matter of opinion, I suppose.

There's a bonobo named Kanzi who lives on a research facility in Ohio. They don't teach the apes there sign language; they use a keypad system using a language called Yerkish (after the guy who invented it). Kanzi loved watching movies, and he particularly liked watching the gorilla Koko (who WAS taught sign language, rather famously). One day, a researcher who'd worked with gorillas came to visit, and Kanzi, when introduced, immediately signed "you" "gorilla" "question". Using the language he was never taught. So he not only taught himself how to communicate this way, but then, meeting someone who'd worked with gorillas, and figuring "this is how those people communicate", used it to communicate that he had a question about gorillas for this person. I know HUMANS who can't make that kind of cognitive leap. Can you honestly say that such an animal is no closer to deserving legal personhood than the worms we fish with or the chickens we eat?

[SnowedIn]

I don't know that animals have rights in the same way that humans have rights. I confess I haven't thought about it a lot. I know for certain I don't have good answers.

I absolutely believe we should not cause animals needless harm or what we would call cruelty and until proven that animals can't hurt, we shouldn't hurt them. (Killing instantly for food doesn't count.)

I believe we have the obligation to care for animals as best we can and know how to -- good food, clean water, sanitary living conditions, and touch and interaction appropriate for that animal. I think we have an obligation to study and learn so we can better answer questions like this.

[jennifer_bloom]

I view life as a hierarchy. Animals have rights but it's okay to eat them for food because the rights of a human being matter more than the rights of an animal. Just like strangers deserve your concern but it's okay to ignore them if your family needs your time and attention because your family is more important than the person outside your circle. Animals should be loved and cared for unless their rights interfere with the rights of human beings. Just like janitors deserve your time unless the company president wants your time too.

[DaisyM23]

no obligation other than to maintain the natural cycle and way of life etc but if you choose to have a pet then that's a major obligation as you have to care for it for the rest of your/their life - animals have rights too, you shouldn't just go around killing them for sport, we should be protecting the environment and habitats, especially endangered animals since global warming is mostly caused by human activity so I guess that's an obligation too

[anon171999]

I believe everything on Earth lives to serve humans. Including animals, bugs, plants, rocks, weather, elements, etc.

I don't believe that service should be abusive however. By that I mean, don't do things like lock animals up in too small of spaces & feed them bad food. Allow them freedom & a good life before you slaughter them to eat them. Same as plants. Don't spray them with harmful chemicals before you harvest them.

[anon171999]

There are however certain animals that should not be eaten. Due to how evolved they are. Such as bears, monkeys, lions, wolves, tigers, elephants, etc.

[Kaneki05]

Nothing has rights. Rights are just made up by humans so we can live together without chaos. So no animals don't have rights because we would always pick human lives over animals. The animal rights at the moment are only to please humans who get upset.

If your asking would I agree we should only hurt animals for reasons that can be justified compared to fun then I would agree. But overall that's not why rights exist.

[Sour-rose]

that's almost like asking if bugs have rights... who's lookin' for them?
(that isn't at all the same but my brain told me to say it)

But animals? Like... rhi- nah. I mean they have the right not to get shot but only a few groups will probably stand up for them... and also could kill them also. Soo it's difficult but animals just do what they want, they ain't concerned about rights.

[BJP21]

Keeping sustainable populations to keep our farms going and us as a human race alive. Wipeout the pollinators we starve to death. Right now we are on track to the mass extinction if we keep it up with our activities. Over hunting, overfishing, poisoning ecosystems, climate change. The list goes on.

[Wish4UrB00ty]

I don’t think they should have rights but I think that we are responsible for them and for sure should have disciplinary actions set up for protecting them.

[jshm2]

Technically speaking "rights" are just a written agreement with a government body. They are not universal nor are the completely legally binding unless legislated.

[purplepoppy]

There's a big list if of regulations protecting their welfare and penalties including jail time if you break them.

[SweetTwistedSatanist]

The only rule I follow with animals is that of the food chain. We are on top and I'll treat animals like animals and not a person. Some people seem to forget that when interacting with their pets.

[joeldalton]

I think we have an obligation to keep the balance between environmental protection and human industry, to treat those animals we use for food as humanely as possible, and to treat work animals with dignity and respect.

[Agape93]

Sort of, they have limited legal protections.

There are no inherent obligations, only ones we agree to do or are made to do.

[miniskirtcaley81]

If anything animals should have more rights than us pigs!

[Dargil]

Rights? Only those delineated for animals in the Constitution.
Legal protections? Some do, yes. like Bisons and some other species.

[ibodi]

They are property because humen as women before.

[dustybiker]

Animals have recently (last few years) become protected by federal laws in the US. Finally.

[Perverted_Creep]

I oppose inhumane farming methods but I'm not vegan.

[MountAverage]

You're asking normative questions about descriptive things. Animals do have rights, that's simply a legal fact. The better question is how to improve animal rights.

[AviatorTom]

Yes, animals should be treated with respect. by the way, Homo Sapiens is an animal.

[Msputiton]

Geez. I don't know.

I mean this is complicated

[Aiko_E_Lara]

They actually don't or just at least no human rights. But doesn't mean we can just abuse or make them all extinct because that would be detrimental to humanity

[Aiko_E_Lara]

If vegans like to give animals human rights and like to put our feet into their shoes, i don't see them trying to civilize them and let them work for a living. They would have earn those rights if they do work like humans

[wowjustwow]

They have rights and owe nothing to us, we should share this beautiful planet that's the fact!

but of course humans will find reasons to support the BS to eat ride consume and more to them

[Wicked_Witch]

I think animals should have the rights not to be tortured.

[Iron_Man]

They are awesome to keep them alive to keep wildlife beautiful instead of them being slaughtered

[cheetocandle]

I don't think so but we shouldn't have the right to torture them.

[AngryCarl]

If animals had rights animal experiments would be illegal. Clearly that isn't the case.

[Dinosaursandanime65]

Absolutely. Not an opinion by the way, they deserve and have more than some humans.

[Summeroflove]

To a certain point. Yes.

[Nikki1989]

Yes, they do and should have more.

[NathanDavis]

yes... we are animals

[suzzieQ]

Humans are obligated to not abuse animals

[shortster]

Nope. To be good stewards of them.

[Fuentes]

They should have rights

[WhitneySnow]

Yes. They do.

[misogynistic_pig]

Yes.

[Batsy01010101]

Yes.