Animal Deprivation, Seclusion, And Neglect

The unethical treatment of animals is not a topic that is widely discussed. One of the reasons for this may be that as humans we tend to think of animals as being less than while not considering their physical, emotional, and physiological health that can result from the conditions that we put them in. Regardless of whether we take the time to think of it or not, the unethical treatment of animals has resulted in deprivation, seclusion, and neglect.

According to the Oxford Dictionary by Oxford University Press, unethical is defined as being not morally correct, immoral, amoral, unprincipled and/or unscrupulous. It may be easier for someone to picture or come up with examples of ways in which humans are treated unethically, but many people may struggle to think of ways that animals are treated unscrupulously as well. This may be because generally speaking animals are seen only as pets, entertainment (for example zoos and circuses), a means to get food, or a product to help manufacture clothing, shoes or other accessories. However, people should take the time to think of and see animals for what they truly are. If they did this they would see that people and animals have a lot more in common than they originally thought.
Neglectful behavior such as confining an animal in too small a shelter for comfort or for too long a period of time, leaving an animal with an inadequate supply of food or water, or failing to adequate medical (veterinary) care of an animal, constitutes animal abuse. There are four sources of suffering in these conditions: violation of the animal's basic needs and nature, lack of attention to individual animals, mutilation of animals to fit unnatural environments and an increase in diseases and other problems caused by conditions in confinement operations. The most notorious, but usually not thought of culprits of animal neglect are circuses and