Animal rights versus animal welfare

June 15, 10:51 PMPet Health ExaminerLorie Huston

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Basic differences exist between animal rights and animal welfare movements.

Are you an animal rights activist? An animal welfare supporter? Do you know the difference? Many people do not realize there are fundamental differences between the animal rights movement and the animal welfare movement. However, these differences are rudimentary and set the animal rights movement far apart from the animal welfare movement.

Animal rights definition

Supporters of the animal rights movement believe that animals of all types have rights equal to those of humans. The group known as People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) is the foremost animal rights group and is well-known in animal rights circles.

Animal rights activists, including PETA, reject the use of animals for any purpose, whether or not the animals are treated humanely. Animal rights activists do not believe that animals of any type should be used in research, sporting events or entertainment venues. Animal rights advocates do not believe that animals should be used as work animals to aid people in completing necessary tasks and believe that breeding and exhibiting animals in zoos and conservation parks is a form of animal exploitation.

Animal welfare defined

Animal welfare advocates, unlike animal rights supporters, believe that animals have the right to be handled humanely and to live a life free of pain. However, animal welfare advocates do not believe that animals should have rights equal to those of people. Animal welfare advocates support the use of animals to satisfy human needs but require that animals used to serve humans are kept in such a way that their basic needs for food, shelter and health are met.

The American Veterinary Medical Association Policy on Animal Welfare and Animal Rights describes animal welfare as "a human responsibility that encompasses all aspects of animal well-being, including proper housing, management, nutrition, disease prevention and treatment, responsible care, humane handling, and, when necessary, humane euthanasia."

Differences between animal rights and animal welfare

Proponents of the animal rights movement, such as PETA, stand against the use of animals for research under any circumstances. Ingrid Newkirk, the founder of PETA, has been quoted as saying "Even if animal research produced a cure for AIDS, we'd be against it." Animal welfare groups, by contrast, believe that animals can and should be used in research to further the treatment, cure and prevention of human disease.

Animal rights activists also oppose the use of animals for producing food or clothing. Even the use of eggs for food is opposed by some animal rights groups. Conversely, animal welfare advocates endorse the use of animals for food or clothing but seek methods to ensure that animals used for these purposes have their basic needs met and are handled in a humane fashion.

Animal rights groups would prohibit the breeding and exhibition of animals in zoos and other facilities, even when these species are endangered or extinct in the wild. These same groups believe that dogs used in search and rescue operations are being exploited by their human handlers and should be prohibited from being used in such a fashion, regardless of the fact that these dogs may be responsible for saving human life.

In summary, the philosophies of animal rights proponents and animal welfare advocates are extremely different. There are many people who believe strongly in the animal welfare cause who simply cannot support the cause of animal rights. Conversely, many animal rights advocates believe that animal welfare groups simply do not go far enough in protecting animals and securing their rights. Wherever an individual stands in regards to animal rights versus animal welfare, it is worth noting that these causes are not synonymous of one another.