animal rights short essay

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• Introduction

Philosophical background

Animals and the law.

• The modern animal rights movement

animal rights

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• Business LibreTexts - Animal Rights
• Official Site of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals
• animal rights - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11)
• animal rights - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up)
• Table Of Contents

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animal rights , moral or legal entitlements attributed to nonhuman animals, usually because of the complexity of their cognitive , emotional, and social lives or their capacity to experience physical or emotional pain or pleasure. Historically, different views of the scope of animal rights have reflected philosophical and legal developments, scientific conceptions of animal and human nature , and religious and ethical conceptions of the proper relationship between animals and human beings. Since the beginning of the modern animal rights movement , which was initiated by philosophers in the 1970s, animal rights has been a popular topic of discussion within the academic study of applied ethics , or the application of normative ethical theories to practical problems.

The proper treatment of animals is a very old question in the West. Ancient Greek and Roman philosophers debated the place of animals in human morality . The Pythagoreans (6th–4th century bce ) and the Neoplatonists (3rd–6th century ce ) urged respect for animals’ interests, primarily because they believed in the transmigration of souls between human and animal bodies. In his biological writings, Aristotle (384–322 bce ) repeatedly suggested that animals lived for their own sake, but his claim in the Politics that nature made all animals for the sake of humans was unfortunately destined to become his most influential statement on the subject.

Aristotle, and later the Stoics , believed the world was populated by an infinity of beings arranged hierarchically according to their complexity and perfection, from the barely living to the merely sentient , the rational, and the wholly spiritual. In this Great Chain of Being , as it came to be known, all forms of life were represented as existing for the sake of those forms higher in the chain. Among corporeal beings, humans, by dint of their rationality, occupied the highest position. The Great Chain of Being became one of the most persistent and powerful, if utterly erroneous , ways of conceiving the universe, dominating scientific, philosophical, and religious thinking until the middle of the 19th century.

The Stoics , insisting on the irrationality of all nonhuman animals, regarded them as slaves and accordingly treated them as contemptible and beneath notice. Aggressively advocated by St. Augustine (354–430), these Stoic ideas became embedded in Christian theology. They were absorbed wholesale into Roman law—as reflected in the treatises and codifications of Gaius (fl. 130–180) and Justinian (483–565)—taken up by the legal glossators of Europe in the 11th century, and eventually pressed into English (and, much later, American) common law . Meanwhile, arguments that urged respect for the interests of animals nearly disappeared, and animal welfare remained a relative backwater of philosophical inquiry and legal regulation until the final decades of the 20th century.

In the 3rd or 4th century ce , the Roman jurist Hermogenianus wrote, “Hominum causa omne jus constitum” (“All law was established for men’s sake”). Repeating the phrase, P.A. Fitzgerald’s 1966 treatise Salmond on Jurisprudence declared, “The law is made for men and allows no fellowship or bonds of obligation between them and the lower animals.” The most important consequence of this view is that animals have long been categorized as “legal things,” not as “legal persons.” Whereas legal persons have rights of their own, legal things do not. They exist in the law solely as the objects of the rights of legal persons—e.g., as things over which legal persons may exercise property rights . This status, however, often affords animals the indirect protection of laws intended to preserve social morality or the rights of animal owners, such as criminal anticruelty statutes or civil statutes that permit owners to obtain compensation for damages inflicted on their animals. Indeed, this sort of law presently defines the field of “animal law,” which is much broader than animal rights because it encompasses all law that addresses the interests of nonhuman animals—or, more commonly, the interests of the people who own them.

A legal thing can become a legal person; this happened whenever human slaves were freed. The former legal thing then possesses his own legal rights and remedies. Parallels have frequently been drawn between the legal status of animals and that of human slaves . “The truly striking fact about slavery,” the American historian David Brion Davis has written, is the

antiquity and almost universal acceptance of the concept of the slave as a human being who is legally owned, used, sold, or otherwise disposed of as if he or she were a domestic animal. This parallel persisted in the similarity of naming slaves, branding them, and even pricing them according to their equivalent in cows , camels , pigs , and chickens .

The American jurist Roscoe Pound wrote that in ancient Rome a slave “was a thing, and as such, like animals could be the object of rights of property,” and the British historian of Roman law Barry Nicholas has pointed out that in Rome “the slave was a thing…he himself had no rights: he was merely an object of rights, like an animal.”

In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, humanitarian reformers in Britain and the United States campaigned on behalf of the weak and defenseless, protesting against child labour , debtor’s prisons, abusive punishment in public schools, and, inevitably, the cruel treatment of animals. In 1800 the most renowned abolitionist of the period, William Wilberforce , supported a bill to abolish bull- and bearbaiting, which was defeated in the House of Commons . In 1809 Baron Erskine , former lord chancellor of England, who had long been troubled by cruelty to animals , introduced a bill to prohibit cruelty to all domestic animals. Erskine declared that the bill was intended to “consecrate, perhaps, in all nations, and in all ages, that just and eternal principle which binds the whole living world in one harmonious chain, under the dominion of enlightened man, the lord and governor of all.” Although the bill passed the House of Lords , it failed in the House of Commons. Then, in 1821, a bill “to prevent cruel and improper treatment of Cattle” was introduced in the House of Commons, sponsored by Wilberforce and Thomas Fowell Buxton and championed by Irish member of Parliament Richard Martin. The version enacted in 1822, known as Martin’s Act, made it a crime to treat a handful of domesticated animals—cattle, oxen, horses, and sheep—cruelly or to inflict unnecessary suffering upon them. However, it did not protect the general welfare of even these animals, much less give them legal rights, and the worst punishment available for any breach was a modest fine. Similar statutes were enacted in all the states of the United States, where there now exists a patchwork of anticruelty and animal-welfare laws. Most states today make at least some abuses of animals a felony . Laws such as the federal Animal Welfare Act (1966), for example, regulate what humans may do to animals in agriculture, biomedical research, entertainment, and other areas. But neither Martin’s Act nor many subsequent animal-protection statutes altered the traditional legal status of animals as legal things.

This situation changed in 2008, when the Spanish national parliament adopted resolutions urging the government to grant orangutans , chimpanzees , and gorillas some statutory rights previously afforded only to humans. The resolutions also called for banning the use of apes in performances, harmful research, and trading as well as in other practices that involve profiting from the animals. Although zoos would still be allowed to hold apes, they would be required to provide them with “optimal” living conditions.

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Animal Rights Essay

This IELTS  animal rights essay  discusses the exploitation of animals by humans.

People who believe in animal rights think that they should not be treated cruelly, for example in experiments or for sport.

'To exploit' means to benefit from something in an unfair way. Take a look at the question:

A growing number of people feel that animals should not be exploited by people and that they should have the same rights as humans, while others argue that humans must employ animals to satisfy their various needs, including uses for food and research.

Discuss both views and give your opinion.

Discussing 'Two Opinions'

Animals should not be exploited by people and they should have the same rights as humans. Humans must employ animals to satisfy their various needs, including uses for food and research.

In this essay you are being given two opposing opinions to discuss.

This is the first opinion:

• Animals should not be exploited by people and they should have the same rights as humans.

This is the second opinion:

• Humans must employ animals to satisfy their various needs, including uses for food and research.

In this type of essay, you must look at both sides. In other words you need to discuss the arguments FOR animal rights and AGAINST .

You must also ensure you give YOUR opinion.

Organising the Essay

One way to organize an essay like this is to consider both opinions, then give your opinion in a final paragraph ( see this example ) or dedicate a whole final paragraph to your opinion ( see this example ).

Another way to write an essay like this is to also make one of the 'for' or 'against' opinions your opinion as well.

Look at the model animal rights essay below. The second body paragraph discusses the first opinion, but the topic sentence makes it clear that this paragraph is also representing the writers opinion as well:

However, I do not believe these arguments stand up to scrutiny.

This now means that in two body paragraphs you have covered all three parts of the question from the animal rights essay:

1. First opinion 2. Second opinion 3. Your opinion

The advantage of doing it this way rather than having a separate paragraph is that you do not need to come up with new ideas for a new paragraph.

If you have a separate paragraph with your opinion you may find you cannot think of any new ideas or you may end up repeating the same things as in your previous paragraphs.

IELTS Writing Example

You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.

Write about the following topic:

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own experience or knowledge.

Write at least 250 words.

Animal Rights Essay - Model Answer

Animals have always been used by humans in some form to satisfy their needs. However, while some people believe that animals should be treated in the same way humans are and have similar rights, others think that it is more important to use them as we desire for food and medical research. 

With regard to the exploitation of animals, people believe it is acceptable for several reasons. Firstly, they think that humans are the most important beings on the planet, and everything must be done to ensure human survival. If this means experimenting on animals so that we can fight and find cures for diseases, then this takes priority over animal suffering. Furthermore, it is believed by some that animals do not feel pain or loss as humans do, so if we have to kill animals for food or other uses, then this is morally acceptable.

However, I do not believe these arguments stand up to scrutiny. To begin, it has been shown on numerous occasions by secret filming in laboratories via animal rights groups that animals feel as much pain as humans do, and they suffer when they are kept in cages for long periods. In addition, a substantial amount of animal research is done for cosmetics, not to find cures for diseases, so this is unnecessary. Finally, it has also been proven that humans can get all the nutrients and vitamins that they need from green vegetables and fruit. Therefore, again, having to kill animals for food is not an adequate argument.

To sum up, although some people argue killing animals for research and food is ethical, I would argue there is sufficient evidence to demonstrate that this is not the case, and, therefore, steps must be taken to improve the rights of animals.

(Words 290) 

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Animal Right Essay | Essay on Animal Right for Students and Children in English

Animal Rights Essay: Animal Rights is the thought or idea that says that some or all animals are entitled to their basic rights such as possession of their life, and other crucial needs to survive.

It is the idea that all animals are born free like humans, and we should not subject them to exploitation for our needs. Animal rights aim to give animals the same rights as humans in which they are not killed or tortured at the hands of people.

Long and Short Essays on Animal Right for Students and Kids in English

We provide children and students with essay samples on an extended essay of 500 words and a short piece of 150 words on the topic “Animal Rights” for reference.

Long Essay on Animal Rights 500 Words in English

Long Essay on Animal Rights is usually given to classes 7, 8, 9, and 10.

Is it unjust to kill animals to feed ourselves? If you are a vegetarian or an animal lover, you might find killing animals to feed ourselves as unethical. There are various views on the subject, and continuous debates and articles try to resolve the matter.

Animal rights are the thought process that all animals have basic rights like all human beings, and they do not deserve to be killed at our hands or made to suffer. It is best not to view animals as our commodities. It is wrong to view them as our resources. If we can accept the fact that animals are not born to be killed or exploited at our hands, we can approach a human view of treating animals and can then genuinely discuss the rights of animals.

We wrongly believe that animals are the commodities that we use. If we adopt this thought, our actions towards them will be unethical and regrettable. If we think that animals have no moral status, we will be extremely apathetic, which is diametric to human nature. The wrong thought process can hamper the understanding and reasoning of everything in our life.

Animals are living creatures, and so are we. They too feel pain and suffering. Hence, it is not illogical to consider the topic of animals having rights.

Believing that animals have rights does not necessarily mean that eating meat is wrong or unethical. People of different backgrounds and religions follow different diets and have different eating habits. Some of them include non-vegetarian diets, and some of them don’t.

Eating meat is a lifestyle for some people, and others should respect it. But, eating meat is not the only question that comes to mind when we think about animal rights. Thousands of animals are kept in farms and slaughterhouses. They are brought up in extremely inhospitable environments and are ultimately killed. Many of them are brought and stored in labs, and people perform all sorts of heinous and inexplicable experiments on them.

You can now access more Essay Writing on this topic and many more.

Humans torture millions of animals every year in labs. They burn, cut or starve animals in the name of research that does not always bear results. Most drugs that work on animals might not work for humans or not have the same efficiency. Hence, it is barbaric to meaninglessly kill animals and think that they do not have any rights.

People should never believe that animals are useless, dumb creatures. They too have a soul and can feel. Their emotions might not be as complex as humans, but they deserve to be acknowledged.

Humans are different than other animals. We have a moral compass and try to justify the events around us. Hence, when we think about any living creature being hurt, it makes us sad.

If you see an abused animal or an injured animal, you could walk past it. You could also report the animal abuse if it is a domestic animal, or take it to the vet for treatment. We should have realized that it is more peaceful to care for animals contently, than kill or capture them. Animals are soulful creatures like us and magnificent creation. We should respect them, and they do have rights.

Short Essay on Animal Rights 150 Words in English

Short Essay on Animal Rights is usually given to classes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6.

The animal right is the thought that all animals have birthrights like humans. It is the liberal thought process where we consider all animals to have basic rights that would protect them from being subjected to torture, starvation, slaughtering, etc. for our benefits.

There are a lot of disagreements regarding animals having rights. Some people argue that animal rights should be protected, while others argue that there is no need for animal rights.

People who say that animals have no rights, think it to be true because they view animals as commodities that we can exploit whenever required. Some people think that animals are created for our pleasure and our needs since we are at the top of the food chain. These people are largely mistaken.

All animals have souls and are living beings just like us. They have sensations and can feel everything around them just like humans can. Hence, we are morally obliged to acknowledge the rights of animals and not harvest them.

10 Lines on Animal Rights Essay in English

1. Animal rights are the concept that animals have similar rights as human. 2. Many people support animal rights, and many people don’t. 3. Many believe that animal rights should be established to protect the basic needs of all animals. 4. Others believe that animals don’t require any rights, and are present to satisfy the needs of humans. 5. It is a wrong thought that animals are commodities for humans, and can be used as objects. 6. Animals are projected to cruel treatments in places like animal farms, animal testing labs, etc. 7. The animal rights issue is a hotly debated topic. 8. All animals are living organisms and can feel like us. Hence, we should treat them as such. 9. Humans are superior to other animals in terms of evolutions, but we belong to the animal kingdom as well. 10. Humans have morals, unlike other animals. We should use it to support the cause of animal rights.

FAQ’s on Animal Rights Essay

Question 1. What are animal rights?

Answer: Animal right is the idea that animals deserve similar rights like a human. People who are supporters of animal rights believe that all animals have fundamental rights, such as the right to live and not tortured.

Question 2. What is animal testing?

Answer: Animal testing is the method of using animals as test-subjects for testing drugs and products on animals.

Question 3. Why is animal right relevant?

Answer: We use animals as a commodity and use them as we will. As human beings who have morals, we can think about considering the rights of animals too.

Question 4. Why should we give rights to animals?

Answer: Like human beings, animals also are living being who can feel what goes on around them. Hence, animals should have the basic right to survive.

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What Are Animal Rights & Why Should Animals Have Rights?

Estimated reading time: 9½ minutes

Around the world, the fight for human rights continues – for equality, justice and freedom. Alongside this important movement, compassionate people are working to ensure that non-human animals are not left behind. For centuries, animals have been exploited, abused, deliberately harmed and killed by people because they have been seen as different and inferior. So, while the rights that humans need and deserve are different from those that animals need and deserve, there is much in common between the two movements. Both seek justice and fairness for beings who have traditionally been treated – and are still being treated – appallingly.

What Are Animal Rights?

If human animals have rights, then why not non-human animals? After all, we are all just creatures living on this same planet, and sharing many biological, psychological and emotional traits. We’re not the same as a dog or a bird, and they are not the same as each other, but if we are worthy of dignity, autonomy and respect, then what reason could there be for denying the same to non-human animals?

Some people argue from a position of ignorance, or perhaps deliberate misunderstanding, and say but cows don’t need to vote! as if this is what is meant when we talk about the rights of animals. What we are saying is that animals deserve not just better treatment, but to be given dignity, have their interests recognised and respected, and – crucially – not to be exploited for human gain.

Why Are Animals’ Rights Important?

We may as well ask why human rights are important! Because animals are sentient beings here on this planet with us, not for us. Because who would we be if we abused those weaker than ourselves just because we could, or treated others with kindness only if we thought them attractive or intelligent?

For animals, having rights is everything. With rights, they would not be trapped, beaten, caged, artificially inseminated, mutilated, drugged, traded, transported, harmed and killed just because someone else profits by it. By granting animals rights, the sum of suffering in the world would reduce dramatically.

How Are Animal Rights Violated?

In thousands of ways. When we breed animals so we can take their babies and eat them; when we deliberately impregnate them so we can take their babies’ milk; when we force them into a circus ring or into a cage at a zoo; when we breed and sell them as ‘pets’ for profit; when we force them to race; when we beat them to make them do what we want; when we rub chemicals into their eyes in laboratories; when we shoot or hunt them for fun; when we trap them for fur; when we pluck out their feathers to fill duvets or jackets; when we put them in a tank or cage in our living rooms so we can watch them instead of the television for a few minutes.

Our relationship with animals is based entirely on their subjugation and our dominance. And this unequal relationship stems from the historical ideology that might is right, that it is acceptable for the stronger to bully and abuse the weaker simply because they can.

The Difference Between Animal Welfare And Animal Rights?

Often, the difference between these two has been described as the difference between giving animals bigger cages and abolishing cages altogether. Animal welfare asks that we reduce suffering while still exploiting, harming, governing every aspect of their lives, and ultimately killing them.

If you believe it is not OK for one being to exploit and subjugate another, then you believe in animal rights.

Do Animals Need Rights?

They do, just as human animals do. Without rights that are enshrined in law, there is nothing to stop up being harmed and exploited.

Animals can suffer, like us, they have personalities and preferences like us, and they do not wish to be harmed, like us. Their rights should not be based on a human perception of their intelligence or worth. Our own prejudices should not matter when it comes to the rights of animals, just as they should not matter when it comes to ensuring that the rights of marginalized people are conferred and upheld.

Arguments In Favor Of Animal Rights

Simply, it is the right thing to do. Animals are not ours to harm and abuse just because we can. They are not our playthings, but sentient beings in their own right.

But there is a wider impact of conferring rights on animals, one that benefits people, too. Human rights would be enhanced because the same forces that give rise to racism, sexism, and hatred of – or prejudice toward – marginalized groups also give rise to the systematic exploitation of animals. This prejudiced worldview stems from the notion of a biological hierarchy with European straight white males at the top, and below them, women, people of colour, those from the LGBTQ+ community, people with a disability, and animals. Conferring rights on animals helps demolish this hierarchy, dismantles this old, destructive way of categorizing and ranking individuals, and helps achieve justice for all.

Arguments Against Animal Rights

Those who profit from harming or exploiting animals are unsurprisingly the most resistant to a change in the status quo. Instead of being honest about their own vested interests, they put forward other arguments.

They might say: Animals are not intelligent, which of course is not true, but even if we were to confer rights based on intelligence, would we accept that babies should not have rights? They might say: You can’t have rights without responsibilities. Again, this makes no sense unless we accept that children and those with serious mental impairments do not have rights; and what about our own responsibilities to other sentient beings? Or they might say: God put animals here for our use. This belief stems from a certain reading of the Bible, one that many compassionate Christians do not support.

There are also people who argue that giving rights to animals would diminish human rights and undermine our ‘special’ role in the world. Our view is – as above – that it would only enhance it.

The Consequences Of Animal Rights

For so long, we have treated animals like property, not like beings, and much of our way of life is predicated on us doing whatever we want to them. While we are incrementally moving towards a few rights for some animals, it’s wonderful to imagine what the world would be like if animals were afforded full legal rights.

If that was the case, we wouldn’t eat them, breed them for milk or confine them for eggs. Factory farming would end, slaughterhouses would close and we would all be vegan. Without consuming animal fats and protein, some or our biggest killers – heart disease, diabetes and hypertension – would be dramatically reduced. With reduced sickness, there would be a boost to the economy .

Because we wouldn’t be wasting precious antibiotics trying to keep sick animals alive inside factory farms, we would limit the dangers of antibiotic resistance. And since three quarters of emerging infectious diseases come from animals, we would drastically reduce the risk of pandemics, too.

Without factory farming, our impact on the Earth would be much gentler. We’d reduce deforestation, pollution and climate change. With everyone vegan, we could feed many more people using less land, and that means people would not go hungry and nature would benefit, too. With 68 percent of animal populations having been wiped out in the past 50 years, a massive reduction in land use would redress that shocking annihilation.

No profit could be made from the lives and bodies of animals, so we would not wear their skins or keep them as ‘pets’. This is not to say we would have to throw away our old leather jacket or turn out our dogs to fend for themselves. Nothing can protect the cows whose skin that coat once was, and we have a duty of care to the animals already here, but we would not skin more cows or breed more dogs.

Circuses would showcase the very best human talent, as many already do, but there would be no tigers forced through hoops or other animals made to dance. Zoos would initially close to the public because animals are not put here for our entertainment. That industry would no longer breed, sell on and kill animals at their own convenience, and eventually, they would close altogether. Any claims they have as conservation bodies would be rendered obsolete because there would be a lot more land available for wildlife, and wild populations could flourish again.

We would not spend our time at horse or dog races. We would not attend rodeos or bullfights. We would not see animals in films or adverts, dressed up and exploited, their ‘cuteness’ or ‘strength’ being used to sell products and make rich people richer.

And instead of causing horrific suffering to animals in laboratories – testing chemicals, cosmetics, and drugs on them, as well as infecting them with human diseases – we would use cutting-edge, modern, scientifically excellent techniques that are quicker, more efficient and more effective.

Our whole attitude and way of life would change and it would benefit us in so many ways. Nature would thrive. People would thrive. The world would be kinder, more compassionate and safer.

Do Animals Have Legal Rights?

There are welfare laws that protect some animals in some circumstances against certain treatment but these are not universal, and are often not enforced. But do animals have meaningful legal rights? Not yet, but thanks to groups like The Non Human Rights Project, that is changing. They are securing court hearings in support of the legal personhood and right to bodily liberty of chimpanzees and elephants, the organization’s first clients.

In 2020, Bronx Supreme Court Justice Alison Y. Tuitt issued a decision in the case of Happy, an elephant held in isolation in a one-acre exhibit at the Bronx Zoo. She wrote that the Court “agrees [with the NhRP] that Happy is more than just a legal thing, or property. She is an intelligent, autonomous being who should be treated with respect and dignity, and who may be entitled to liberty … the arguments advanced by the NhRP are extremely persuasive for transferring Happy from her solitary, lonely one-acre exhibit at the Bronx Zoo to an elephant sanctuary.”

There is much work to do, but it is a fight that, when successful, will liberate us all.

Most people understand that our lives are as important to us as animals’ lives are to them. And yet we exist in a society that treats them as things, not beings, as something not someone. To achieve justice for all, we must unpick the hierarchy that keeps different groups of people and animals ‘in their place’. Conferring rights on animals is vital to them and long overdue, but the benefits for people would be momentous, too.

For those wishing to know more about the history of animal rights and the campaigns to confer meaningful rights on animals, we recommend reading:

• Animal Liberation , Peter Singer
• The Case for Animal Rights , Tom Regan
• The Sexual Politics of Meat , Carol J Adams
• Animals Matter , Marc Bekoff
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Animal Right Essay | Essay on Animal Right for Students and Children in English

April 16, 2023 by Prasanna

Animal Right Essay: We all know the term “Animal Rights” for people started urging for the rights of the innocent animals in the mid-1800s. They started thinking about animal welfare. After a long journey, besides bills, movements, protests, we are having a better world, where animals and humans are mostly treated the same.

People who believe in animal rights think that they should not be treated cruelly. They also say that people can’t use animals in experiments or for sport. Still, the animal rights activists are striving to be the animal’s identity, to be their voice.

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Long and Short Essays on Animal Rights for Students and Kids in English

We are providing students with essay samples on a long essay of 500 words and a short essay on 150 words on the topic of Animal Rights for reference.

Long Essay on Animal Rights 500 Words in English

Long Essay on Animal Rights is usually given to classes 7, 8, 9, and 10.

Animal rights are the concept in which some, or all animals are entitled to the possession of their own existence and that their most basic interests. Like, those people want to keep away from suffering ought to be afforded the equal consideration as comparable pastimes of human beings.

It was a long journey to make the world like we know now. The established movement for animal protection started in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Bills against animal cruelty were passed in England and several American states. In the mid-1800s the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals formed, and anti-vivisection (animal research) movements appeared.

In the UK, the first legislation ‘Martin’s Act’ for the protection of animals which was mainly cattle and horses was passed in 1822. Two years later, in 1824, the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals was established. The society focused especially on enforcement of the law, with prosecutions where appropriate. In 1835, the Act was amended to protect domestic animals, such as dogs and cats, against cruelty.

Now most popular organization for animal rights and welfare is PETA. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals is an American animal rights organization based in Norfolk, Virginia, and led by Ingrid Newkirk, PETA closed Taiwan’s drowning tanks, which were used to kill stray and unwanted dogs. The country also passed its first-ever law against cruelty to animals. All car-crash tests on animals stopped worldwide following PETA’s campaign. They are now trying to pass a bill for animals who are used for scientific research, and hopefully, they do those campaigns Worldwide.

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India is home to several religious traditions advocating non-violence and compassion towards animals and has passed several animal welfare reforms since 1960. In India, animals are used for food, dairy products, clothes. So, Government passed the 1960 Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act is the legal basis of animal protection in India. After that, you can’t harm or treat any animal for no reason. Afterwards, Ingrid Newkirk started PETA India. PETA India operates under the simple principle that animals are not ours to eat, wear, experiment on or use for entertainment.

Traditionally, charities have worked on decreasing the suffering of different animals that happens when they are thinking of as lesser beings who can and should be controlled. Recently, Gauri Maulekhi is a popular animal rights activist in India. She is a co-opted member of the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) and a trustee in Maneka Gandhi’s People for Animals.

There will constantly be suffering as long as any group is defined as reachable to be dominated and controlled. The nonhuman rights advocate does not disregard people’s concerns about suffering. Those worries are valid. But the concept of animal rights involved working at the root motive of the problem. Lastly, we need to aware; we need to know these rights. We need to be concerned about animals well being.

Short Essay on Animal Rights 150 Words in English

Short Essay on Animal Rights is usually given to classes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6.

Animal rights activities are now popular wide over world. People now get that strong connection with animal’s identity. Those are the results of many protests and movements for animal rights.

At mid-1800s People started these movements and protests. The first legislation ‘Martin’s Act’ for the protection of animals which was mainly cattle and horses, was passed in 1822. Two years later, in 1824, the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals was established.

Afterwards, many animal rights activist came and gave their best to achieve the best position for animals. Anna Kingsford, Dennis Kucinich, are some of the best activists among them. Even Our favourite hero of Titanic, Leonardo DiCaprio, is also an animal rights activist.

The most effective organization for animal rights and welfare is PETA. They work through public education, legislation, exceptional events, cruelty investigations, research, animal rescue, celeb involvement, and protest campaigns. And Many NGOs, groups are doing a great job for animal rights. But above all, we need to aware ourselves about animal rights. We need to be concerned about animal well being.

10 Lines on Animal Rights Essay in English

1. Animal rights is the legal basis of animal protection. 2. People started urging for animal’s well being in the mid-1800s. 3. Peter Singer and Tom Regan were the first animal rights activist. 4. The first legislation ‘Martin’s Act’ for the protection of animals which was mainly cattle and horses, was passed in 1822. 5. The full form of PETA is People for the Ethical Treatments for Animals. 6. PETA closed Taiwan’s drowning tanks, which were used to kill stray and unwanted dogs. 7. Gauri Maulekhi is now a popular animal rights activist in India. 8. By the animal protection act people can’t harm any animal for no reason. 9. Animal rights activist requests to adopt animals. 10. It’s been estimated that there are 900 to 2,000 new cases every year of animal hoarding in the US, with 250,000 animals falling victim.

FAQ’s on Animal Rights Essay

Question 1. What are Animal Rights?

Answer: When animal rights activists say that animals have rights, that means that they deserve to have their interests considered regardless of whether they are cute, useful to humans or endangered and regardless of whether any human cares about them at all.

Question 2. Who was the first animal rights activist?

Answer: Peter Singer and Tom Regan

Question 3. How many animals are killed each year?

Answer: 150 billion animals are killed each year.

Question 4. What is PETA?

Answer: The full form of PETA is People for the Ethical Treatments for Animals. PETA was founded in 1980 and is dedicated to establishing and defending the rights of all animals

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Animal Rights Essay: Topics, Outline, & Writing Tips

• 🐇 Animal Rights Essay: the Basics
• 💡 Animal Rights Essay Topics
• 📑 Outlining Your Essay
• ✍️ Sample Essay (200 Words)

🔗 References

🐇 animal rights essay: what is it about.

Animal rights supporters advocate for the idea that animals should have the same freedom to live as they wish, just as humans do. They should not be exploited or used in meat , fur, and other production. At long last, we should distinguish animals from inanimate objects and resources like coal, timber, or oil.

Interdisciplinary research has shown that animals are emotional and sensitive, just like we are.

Their array of emotions includes joy, happiness, embarrassment, resentment, jealousy, anger, love, compassion, respect, disgust, despair, and even grief.

However, animal rights legislation does not extend human rights to animals. It establishes their right to have their fundamental needs and interests respected while people decide how to treat them. This right changes the status of animals from being property to being legal entities.

The statement may sound strange until we recall that churches , banks, and universities are also legal entities. Their interests are legally protected by law. Then why do we disregard the feelings of animals , which are not inanimate institutions? Several federal laws protect them from human interference.

But the following statements are only some of the rules that could one day protect animal rights in full:

• Animals should not be killed by hunting.
• Animals’ habitats should allow them to live in freedom.
• Animals should not be bred for sale or any other purpose.
• Animals should not be used for food by industries or households.

Most arguments against the adoption of similar laws are linked to money concerns. Animal exploitation has grown into a multi-billion-dollar industry. The lives of many private farmers depend on meat production, and most people prefer not to change the comfortable status quo.

Animal Rights Argumentative Essay

An animal rights argumentative essay should tackle a problematic issue that people have widely discussed. While choosing ideas for the assignment, opt for the most debatable topics.

Here is a brief list of argumentative essay prompts on animal rights:

• The pros and cons of animal rights.
• Can humanity exist without meat production?
• Do animals have souls?
• Should society become vegan to protect animal rights?

As you see, these questions could raise controversy between interlocutors. Your purpose is to take a side and give several arguments in its support. Then you’ll have to state a counterargument to your opinion and explain why it is incorrect.

Animal Rights Persuasive Essay

An animal rights persuasive essay should clearly state your opinion on the topic without analyzing different points of view. Still, the purpose of your article is to persuade the reader that your position is not only reasonable but the only correct one. For this purpose, select topics relating to your opinion or formulated in questionary form.

For example:

• What is your idea about wearing fur?
• Do you think people would ever ban animal exploitation?
• Is having pets a harmful practice?
• Animal factories hinder the development of civilization .

💡 53 Animal Rights Essay Topics

• Animal rights have been suppressed for ages because people disregard their mental abilities .
• Cosmetic and medical animal testing .
• Laws preventing unnecessary suffering of animals mean that there is some necessary suffering.
• Red fluorescent protein transgenic dogs experiment.
• Do you believe animals should have legal rights?
• Genetically modified animals and implications.
• Why is animal welfare important?
• Neutering animals to prevent overpopulation: Pros and cons.
• Animal testing: Arguments for and against.
• What is our impact on marine life?
• Some animals cannot stay wild.
• Animal testing for medical purposes .
• We are not the ones to choose which species to preserve.
• Pavlov’s dog experiment .
• Keeping dogs chained outdoors is animal neglect.
• The use of animals for research .
• Animal dissection as a learning tool: Alternatives?
• More people beat their pets than we think.
• Duties to non-human animals.
• If we do not control the population of some animals, they will control ours.
• Animals in entertainment: Not entertaining at all.
• Animals in research, education, and teaching.
• Which non-animal production endangers the species?
• Is animal testing really needed?
• Why do some people think that buying a new pet is cheaper than paying for medical treatment of the old one?
• Animal experiments: benefits, ethics, and defenders.
• Can people still be carnivorous if they stop eating animals?
• Animal testing role.
• Marine aquariums and zoos are animal prisons.
• Animal experimentation: justification arguments .
• What would happen if we replace animals in circuses with people, keeping the same living conditions?
• The ethics of animal use in scientific research .
• Animal sports: Relics of the past.
• Animal testing ban: counterargument and rebuttal .
• Denial to purchase animal-tested cosmetics will not change anything.
• Animal research, its ineffectiveness and amorality.
• Animal rights protection based on their intellect level: It tells a lot about humanity.
• Debates of using animals in scientific analysis .
• How can we ban tests on rats and kill them in our homes at the same time?
• Animal testing in experiments .
• What is the level of tissue engineering development in leather and meat production?
• Equal consideration of interests to non-human animals .
• Animals should not have to be our servants.
• Zoos as an example of humans’ immorality.
• We should feed wild animals to help them survive.
• Animal testing in biomedical research.
• Abolitionism: The right not to be owned.
• Do you support the Prima facie rights theory?
• Psychologist perspective on research involving animal and human subjects.
• Ecofeminism: What is the link between animals’ and women’s rights?
• No philosophy could rationalize cruelty against animals.
• Qualities that humans and animals share.
• Ancient Buddhist societies and vegetarianism: A research paper.

Need more ideas? You are welcome to use our free research topic generator !

📑 Animal Rights Essay Outline

An animal rights essay should be constructed as a standard 5-paragraph essay (if not required otherwise in the assignment). The three following sections provide a comprehensive outline.

Animal Rights Essay: Introduction

An introduction consists of:

• Background information,
• A thesis statement .

In other words, here you need to explain why you decided to write about the given topic and which position you will take. The background part should comprise a couple of sentences highlighting the topicality of the issue. The thesis statement expresses your plans in the essay.

For example: In this essay, I will explain why animal-based production harms the ecology.

Animal Rights Essay: Main Body

The main body is a place for you to argue your position . One paragraph equals one argument. In informative essays, replace argumentation with facts.

Start each section with a topical sentence consisting of a general truth. Then give some explanation and more specific points. By the way, at the end of this article, you’ll find a bonus! It is a priceless selection of statistics and facts about animal rights.

Animal Rights Essay: Conclusion

A conclusion restates your central ideas and thesis statement. Approach it as a summary of your essay, avoid providing new facts or arguments.

✍️ Animal Rights Essay Example (200 Words)

Why is animal welfare important? The term “animal welfare” evokes the pictures of happy cows from a milk advertisement. But the reality has nothing to do with these bright videos. Humane treatment of animals is a relative concept. This essay explains why animal welfare is important, despite that it does not prevent farms from killing or confining animals.

The best way to approach animal welfare is by thinking of it as a temporary measure. We all agree that the current state of the economy does not allow humanity to abandon animal-based production. Moreover, such quick decisions could make farm animals suffer even more. But ensuring the minimum possible pain is the best solution as of the moment.

The current legislation on animal welfare is far from perfect. The Animal Welfare Act of 1966 prevents cruelty against animals in labs and zoos. Meanwhile, the majority of suffering animals do not fall under its purview. For example, it says nothing about the vivisection of rats and mice for educational and research purposes, although the procedure is extremely painful for the creature. Neither does it protect farm animals.

Unfortunately, the principles of animal welfare leave too much room for interpretation. Animals should be free from fear and stress, but how can we measure that? They should be allowed to engage in natural behaviors, but no confined space would let them do so. Thus, the legislation is imprecise.

The problem of animal welfare is almost unresolvable because it is a temporary measure to prevent any suffering of domesticated animals. It has its drawbacks but allows us to ensure at least some comfort for those we unjustifiably use for food. They have the same right to live on this planet as we do, and animal farming will be stopped one day.

📊 Bonus: Statistics & Facts for Your Animal Rights Essay Introduction

Improve the quality of your essay on animal rights by working in the following statistics and facts about animals.

• According to USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service , about 4.6 billion animals — including hogs, sheep, cattle, chickens, ducks, lambs, and turkey — were killed and used for food in the United States last year (2015).
• People in the U.S. kill over 100 million animals for laboratory experiments every year, according to PETA .
• More than 40 million animals are killed for fur worldwide every year. About 30 million animals are raised and killed on fur farms, and nearly 10 million wild animals are hunted and killed for the same reasons — for their valuable fur.
• According to a report by In Defense of Animals , hunters kill more than 200 million animals in the United States yearly.
• The Humane Society of the United States notes that a huge number of cats and dogs — between 3 and 4 million each year — are killed in the country’s animal shelters. Sadly, this number does not include dogs or cats killed in animal cruelty cases.
• According to the ASPCA , about 7.6 million companion animals enter animal shelters in the United States yearly. Of this number, 3.9 Mil of dogs, and 3.4 Mil of cats.
• About 2.7 million animals are euthanized in shelters every year (1.4 million cats and 1.2 million dogs).
• About 2.7 million shelter animals are adopted every year (1.3 million cats and 1.4 million dogs).
• In total, there are approximately 70-80 million dogs and 74-96 million cats living as pets in the United States.
• It’s impossible to determine the exact number of stray cats and dogs living in the United States, but the number of cats is estimated to be up to 70 million.
• Many stray cats and dogs were once family pets — but they were not kept securely indoors or provided with proper identification.

Each essay on animals rights makes humanity closer to a better and more civilized world. Please share any thoughts and experience in creating such texts in the comments below. And if you would like to hear how your essay would sound in someone’s mind, use our Text-To-Speech tool .

• Why Animal Rights? | PETA
• Animal Rights – Encyclopedia Britannica
• Animal ethics: Animal rights – BBC
• Animal Health and Welfare – National Agricultural Library
• The Top 10 Animal Rights Issues – Treehugger
• Animal welfare – European Commission

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Film analysis: example, format, and outline + topics & prompts.

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Experimentation on animals.

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Adopting a Pet for a Balanced Life

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The Animal Rights Debate and PETA

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Martha Nussbaum lays out ethical, legal case in new book

Martha Nussbaum

Excerpted from “Justice for Animals: Our Collective Responsibility” by Martha C. Nussbaum, M.A. ’71, Ph.D. ’75

Animals are in trouble all over the world. Our world is dominated by humans everywhere: on land, in the seas, and in the air. No non-human animal escapes human domination. Much of the time, that domination inflicts wrongful injury on animals: whether through the barbarous cruelties of the factory meat industry, through poaching and game hunting, through habitat destruction, through pollution of the air and the seas, or through neglect of the companion animals that people purport to love.

In a way, this problem is age-old. Both Western and non-Western philosophical traditions have deplored human cruelty to animals for around two millennia. The Hindu emperor Ashoka (c. 304–232 bce), a convert to Buddhism, wrote about his efforts to give up meat and to forgo all practices that harmed animals. In Greece the Platonist philosophers Plutarch (46–119 ce) and Porphyry (c. 234–305 ce) wrote detailed treatises deploring human cruelty to animals, describing their keen intelligence and their capacity for social life, and urging humans to change their diet and their way of life. But by and large these voices have fallen on deaf ears, even in the supposedly moral realm of the philosophers, and most humans have continued to treat most animals like objects, whose suffering does not matter — although they sometimes make an exception for companion animals. Meanwhile, countless animals have suffered cruelty, deprivation, and neglect.

Because the reach of human cruelty has expanded, so too has the involvement of virtually all people in it. Even people who do not consume meat produced by the factory farming industry are likely to have used single-use plastic items, to use fossil fuels mined beneath the ocean and polluting the air, to dwell in areas in which elephants and bears once roamed, or to live in high-rise buildings that spell death for migratory birds. The extent of our own implication in practices that harm animals should make every person with a conscience consider what we can all do to change this situation. Pinning guilt is less important than accepting the fact that humanity as a whole has a collective duty to face and solve these problems.

So far, I have not spoken of the extinction of animal species, because this is a book about loss and deprivation suffered by individual creatures, each of whom matters. Species as such do not suffer loss. However, extinction never takes place without massive suffering of individual creatures: the hunger of a polar bear, starving on an ice floe, unable to cross the sea to hunt; the sadness of an orphan elephant, deprived of care and community as the species dwindles rapidly; the mass extinctions of song-bird species as a result of unbreathable air, a horrible death. When human practices hound species toward extinction, member animals always suffer greatly and live squashed and thwarted lives. Besides, the species themselves matter for creating diverse ecosystems in which animals can live well.

Extinctions would take place even without human intervention. Even in such cases we might have reasons to intervene to stop them, because of the importance of biodiversity. But scientists agree that today’s extinctions are between one thousand and ten thousand times higher than the natural extinction rate. (Our uncertainty is huge, because we are very ignorant of how many species there actually are, particularly where fish and insects are concerned.) Worldwide, approximately one-quarter of the world’s mammals and over 40 percent of amphibians are currently threatened with extinction. These include several species of bear, the Asian elephant (endangered), the African elephant (threatened), the tiger, six species of whale, the gray wolf, and so many more. All in all, more than 370 animal species are either endangered or threatened, using the criteria of the US Endangered Species Act, not including birds, and a separate list of similar length for birds. Asian songbirds are virtually extinct in the wild, on account of the lucrative trade in these luxury items. And many other species of birds have recently become extinct. Meanwhile, the international treaty called CITES that is supposed to protect birds (and many other creatures) is toothless and unenforced. The story of this book is not that story of mass extinction, but the sufferings of individual creatures that take place against this background of human indifference to biodiversity.

“The extent of our own implication in practices that harm animals should make every person with a conscience consider what we can all do to change this situation.”

There is a further reason why the ethical evasion of the past must end now. Today we know far more about animal lives than we did even 50 years ago. We know much too much for the glib excuses of the past to be offered without shame. Porphyry and Plutarch (and Aristotle before them) knew a lot about animal intelligence and sensitivity. But somehow humans find ways of “forgetting” what the science of the past has plainly revealed, and for many centuries most people, including most philosophers, thought animals were “brute beasts,” automata without a subjective sense of the world, without emotions, without society, and perhaps even without the feeling of pain.

Recent decades, however, have seen an explosion of high-level research covering all areas of the animal world. We now know more not only about animals long closely studied — primates and companion animals — but also about animals who are difficult to study — marine mammals, whales, fish, birds, reptiles, and cephalopods.

We know — not just by observation, but by carefully designed experimental work — that all vertebrates and many invertebrates feel pain subjectively, and have, more generally, a subjectively felt view of the world: the world looks like something to them. We know that all of these animals experience at least some emotions (fear being the most ubiquitous), and that many experience emotions like compassion and grief that involve more complex “takes” on a situation. We know that animals as different as dolphins and crows can solve complicated problems and learn to use tools to solve them. We know that animals have complex forms of social organization and social behavior. More recently, we have been learning that these social groups are not simply places where a rote inherited repertory is acted out, but places of complicated social learning. Species as different as whales, dogs, and many types of birds clearly transmit key parts of the species’ repertoire to their young socially, not just genetically.

What are the implications of this research for ethics? Huge, clearly. We can no longer draw the usual line between our own species and “the beasts,” a line meant to distinguish intelligence, emotion, and sentience from the dense life of a “brute beast.” Nor can we even draw a line between a group of animals we already recognize as sort of “like us” — apes, elephants, whales, dogs — and others who are supposed to be unintelligent. Intelligence takes multiple and fascinating forms in the real world, and birds, evolving by a very different path from humans, have converged on many similar abilities. Even an invertebrate such as the octopus has surprising capacities for intelligent perception: an octopus can recognize individual humans, and can solve complex problems, guiding one of its arms through a maze to obtain food using only its eyes. Once we recognize all this we can hardly be unchanged in our ethical thinking. To put a “brute beast” in a cage seems no more wrong than putting a rock in a terrarium. But that is not what we are doing. We are deforming the existence of intelligent and complexly sentient forms of life. Each of these animals strives for a flourishing life, and each has abilities, social and individual, that equip it to negotiate a decent life in a world that gives animals difficult challenges. What humans are doing is to thwart this striving — and this seems wrong.

But even though the time has come to recognize our ethical responsibility to the other animals, we have few intellectual tools to effect meaningful change. The third reason why we must confront what we are doing to animals now, today, is that we have built a world in which two of humanity’s best tools for progress, law and political theory, have, so far, no or little help to offer us. Law — both domestic and international — has quite a lot to say about the lives of companion animals, but very little to say about any other animals. Nor do animals in most nations have what lawyers call “standing”: that is, the status to bring a legal claim if they are wronged. Of course, animals cannot themselves bring a legal claim, but neither can most humans, including children, people with cognitive disabilities — and, to tell the truth, almost everybody, since people have little knowledge of the law. All of us need a lawyer to press our claims. But all the humans I have mentioned — including people with lifelong cognitive disabilities — count, and can bring a legal claim, assisted by an able advocate. The way we have designed the world’s legal systems, animals do not have this simple privilege. They do not count.

Law is built by humans using the theories they have. When those theories were racist, laws were racist. When theories of sex and gender excluded women, so too did law. And there is no denying that most political thought by humans the world over has been human-centered, excluding animals. Even the theories that purport to offer help in the struggle against abuse are deeply defective, built on an inadequate picture of animal lives and animal striving. As a philosopher and political theorist who is also deeply immersed in law and law teaching, I hope to change things with this book.

Copyright © 2022 by Martha Nussbaum. Reprinted by permission of Simon & Schuster, Inc.

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Essay on Animal Rights

Students are often asked to write an essay on Animal Rights in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

Let’s take a look…

100 Words Essay on Animal Rights

Understanding animal rights.

Animal rights mean animals should be free from human harm, abuse, or use for personal gains. It’s the belief that animals deserve to live their lives free from suffering and exploitation. This concept is based on the idea that animals have feelings and interests just like humans.

Importance of Animal Rights

Animal rights are important because animals are living beings. They feel pain, experience emotions, and want to live a life free from harm. By respecting animal rights, we show our respect for all life forms. We also help maintain balance in nature.

Threats to Animal Rights

Animals face many threats. These include hunting, habitat loss, and cruel treatment in farms or circuses. Many animals are also used for scientific experiments. These practices cause pain and suffering to animals. They are clear violations of animal rights.

Steps to Protect Animal Rights

We can protect animal rights in many ways. We can adopt pets instead of buying them. We can avoid products tested on animals. We can also support organizations that work for animal rights. Teaching others about animal rights is another effective way to help.

Also check:

250 Words Essay on Animal Rights

What are animal rights.

Animal rights mean that animals deserve to live free from suffering, pain, and exploitation. This idea is based on the belief that animals have feelings too. They can feel joy, sadness, and pain just like us humans. So, they should be treated with kindness and respect.

Why are Animal Rights Important?

Animal rights are important for many reasons. Firstly, animals are living beings, not objects. They should not be used for our selfish needs like food, clothing, or entertainment. Secondly, respecting animal rights helps us become better humans. It teaches us values like compassion, empathy, and respect for all life. Lastly, animals play a crucial role in our ecosystem. If we harm them, it can disturb the balance of nature.

How can we Protect Animal Rights?

Protecting animal rights is not hard. We can start by being kind to animals. We should not hurt them or make them suffer. We can also stop using products that are tested on animals. Many companies test their products on animals, causing them pain and suffering. By refusing to buy such products, we can stand up for animal rights.

Role of Laws in Protecting Animal Rights

Many countries have laws to protect animal rights. These laws make it illegal to harm animals or use them in cruel ways. But, these laws are not always followed. So, it’s important for us to raise our voice against animal cruelty. We can report cases of animal abuse to the authorities and demand strict action.

500 Words Essay on Animal Rights

Animal rights mean that animals deserve certain kinds of consideration—what’s best for them. Regardless of how useful they are to humans, or how cute they are, they should be treated with respect. They should not be hurt or treated badly. Some people think animals should have the same rights as humans, while others believe they should have different rights.

Animal rights are important because animals are living beings. They can feel pain, they can suffer, and they have a will to live. Just like humans, they have feelings and emotions. They deserve to be treated with kindness and respect. Animal rights also help people. When we treat animals well, we also learn to treat people well.

Types of Animal Rights

The second type is ‘animal liberation’. This means that animals should be free and not used by humans at all. People who believe in animal liberation think that animals should not be kept in zoos or farms, used for testing, or used for entertainment.

Animal Rights and Laws

Many countries have laws to protect animals. These laws say that people cannot hurt animals or make them suffer. They also say that animals should be treated with respect. But, not all countries have these laws, and in many places, these laws are not followed.

Animal Rights Movements

What can we do.

There are many ways we can help animals and support animal rights. We can adopt pets instead of buying them. We can choose not to go to places that use animals for entertainment, like circuses and zoos. We can eat less meat or no meat at all. And, we can tell others about why animal rights are important.

In conclusion, animal rights are about respecting and caring for animals. They are about understanding that animals have feelings and deserve to be treated well. By supporting animal rights, we are not just helping animals, we are also making the world a better place for all living beings.

That’s it! I hope the essay helped you.

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Animal Rights: A Very Short Introduction

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Animal Rights: A Very Short Introduction explores the implications for how we should treat animals in connection with our diet, zoos, and research. Most people are opposed to cruelty and sense that animals have moral significance. At the same time, traditional views that sanction animal use with few constraints have heavily influenced beliefs and everyday practices. How should we understand the moral status of animals vis-à-vis human beings? Do animals have moral rights? If so, what does this mean? What kinds of beings are animals, what sorts of mental lives do they have, and how should we understand welfare?

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Animal Rights Essay

Posted by David S. Wills | Jan 20, 2023 | Model Essays | 0

In the IELTS writing exam, you could be asked to write an essay about animals. Most likely, your question would relate to animal rights . This might seem challenging for some people, so I have written this article to help you understand it better.

Animal Rights and IELTS

For IELTS writing, you often have to discuss ethical issues. Thus, for the topic of animals, you would most likely have to write about animal rights. This could include:

• whether it is ethical to keep animals in a zoo
• discussing animal experimentation
• the ethics of eating meat
• whether humans should keep pets

Because IELTS requires no specialist knowledge, you would probably not have anything more specific than this to discuss. For example, you wouldn’t be asked about the ethics of purebred pet ownership because most people don’t know much about it. You would also not be given anything that is extremely controversial.

Therefore, the most common animal topics will be quite general and relate to animal rights.

Animal Rights Essay – Experimentation

Here is the question that we will examine today:

Some people argue that all experimentation on animals is bad and should be outlawed. However, others believe that important scientific discoveries can be made from animal experiments. Can experimentation on animals be justified? Are there any alternatives?

Note that there are many variants upon this topic. I have seen this same idea with “ Discuss both views ” and “ To what extent do you agree/disagree ” question types.

This one, of course, is a two-part question . Therefore, don’t waste too much time reading the long part above the questions. Regardless of what that says, your task is to:

• Say whether or not experiments on animals can be justified.
• Say whether there are alternatives to this practice.

Be aware that your answer to the first question cannot negate having to answer the second. Whether you say that animal testing can or can’t be justified, you still have to say whether there are alternatives.

Language for an Animal Rights Essay

If you need to write an essay on animal rights, you need to know some appropriate language. Again, you do not need to be an expert, but you should have enough of a grasp of English to say something intelligent about the topic.

You may have noticed that I’ve used these expressions in this article:

• Animal experimentation
• Experiments on animals
• Animal testing

These all mean the same thing but it can be useful to employ different ways to do that, so that you don’t just repeat yourself.

Of course, what you say will also depend hugely on your position and your ideas. If you think that animal experimentation is wrong, then you’ll probably incorporate some rather negative language, such as:

• Impossible to justify

On the other hand, if you support animal testing, you might say something more positive:

It is also good to know some specific language related to the topic:

• Medical testing
• Subjected to

You can learn more language by reading articles on this topic. Try searching Google for “animal rights” or “animal testing.” You’ll find lots of articles. Just make sure that it is written by a native speaker or a professional writer. Also, be aware that with a contentious topic there will probably be a lot of passionate language and maybe even some misinformation.

Planning your Answer

First of all, you need to figure out what your position is in regards the question(s). Then, you need to think about how to explain your position in a straightforward way.

Here, we had two questions. Both of them are yes/no questions but of course you need to develop those ideas with explanations. Think of your answer as “Yes because…” or “No because…” This will help you to think of reasons that you can then incorporate into your answers.

Also, be aware that two-part questions are really easy to structure! You can just devote one body paragraph to each question:

My position is that animal experimentation cannot be justified, so I will explain that in my first body paragraph. I will start with the main argument in defence of animal testing, then refute it comprehensively.

For the next question, I will state that I don’t really know whether or not there are any alternatives. Thus, my structure will be:

Sample Band 9 Answer

Over the past few decades, animal testing has been fiercely debated due to the ethical problems inherent in this area of science. This essay will explain why it cannot be justified and that alternatives need to be sought.

The people who believe that animal testing is necessary tend to say that there are serious benefits to humanity, such as testing medicines before using them on human beings. They believe that this will help to figure out the cures to many serious illnesses, which will make the world a better place for humans. However, this is wrong for several reasons. Chief among them is the fact that animal testing is not as helpful in developing medicines as people think. Medicines that work on animals do not always work on humans, and vice versa. As such, these trials are not just unnecessary but also profoundly unhelpful. For example, if scientists give a mouse diabetes and then try various drugs to cure the problem, they may find that there are twelve drugs that do not work on the mouse. However, maybe one of those drugs would have worked on a human. As such, animal testing would have caused more problems than it solved.

Part of the reason for animal testing is that there are not many alternatives. Whilst it is obviously cruel and pointless to subject animals to experiments, most people would agree that it is worse to do this to human beings. However, there needs to be some sort of procedure by which testing can move from theoretical to human trials without the need for the evils of animal testing. What this process would be remains to be seen, but it is essential for any humane society.

In conclusion, people may argue that there are benefits that come from experimenting on animals, but in fact there is no good reason to continue doing this. Scientists need to immediately seek an alternative and end this barbaric and pointless practice. 

Notes on the Answer

This was a good answer because it gave fully developed explanations and used language accurately. Here are some words and phrases from the answer:

• fiercely debated
• ethical problems
• profoundly unhelpful
• cruel and pointless
• theoretical
• humane society

Paragraph two was also quite interesting. I felt that the most convincing way to make my point was to show conventional logic and then comprehensively debunk it. To do so, I gave a clear example and demonstrated through a simple explanation of just why animal testing is so useless.

About The Author

David S. Wills

David S. Wills is the author of Scientologist! William S. Burroughs and the 'Weird Cult' and the founder/editor of Beatdom literary journal. He lives and works in rural Cambodia and loves to travel. He has worked as an IELTS tutor since 2010, has completed both TEFL and CELTA courses, and has a certificate from Cambridge for Teaching Writing. David has worked in many different countries, and for several years designed a writing course for the University of Worcester. In 2018, he wrote the popular IELTS handbook, Grammar for IELTS Writing and he has since written two other books about IELTS. His other IELTS website is called IELTS Teaching.

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Animal Rights, Essay Example

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Introduction

The issue of animal rights has been controversial for long centuries, despite the more modern focus upon it.  More exactly, and in multiple cultures, it seems to have existed beneath prevailing social views holding that, as animals are essentially the property of mankind, protecting their rights goes only to protecting the value of their use (Sunstein, Nussbaum, 2004,  p. 323).  The law, it is widely believed, will only look after animal welfare for this reason.  As the law ensures rights, then, the concept of animal rights has typically been a debate waged in a strictly ethical context, removed from factors of practicality.  Also suppressing any efforts to view animals as entitled to rights are religious views, which greatly influence most cultures.  Most of humanity’s history is, in one way or another, linked to humanity acting in the belief that it is elevated beyond all other forms of life.  Catholicism, for example, has always held that only man has true rights because only man has a soul, endowed by God.  Furthermore, traditional views of animals likely deny them rights simply out of a fear of equating humans with animals; is a monkey has the same, basic rights as a human baby, then a human baby has no greater status than a monkey (Sunstein, Nussbaum, 2004, p. 61).   Consequently, as many people have always been drawn to protecting animals by an instinctive desire, animal rights have been simmering as a subject for a very long time.

It is essential to understand, before any arguments supporting or opposing animals rights are presented, that the subject is distinct from animal welfare.  The proper treatment of animals is far less controversial than animal rights, because most people object to cruelty practiced on any living thing.  Animal rights advocates, on the other hand, hold that human exploitation of animals in any form violates basic rights of living beings, and that one species is not entitled to impose itself over another.  While those after animals rights and supporters of animal welfare unite on basic levels, there are important differences, and these enable arguments.

The most commonly made points from opponents to animal rights go to preserving and/or enhancing human life, which it is felt cannot be without treating animals in a way removed from having rights.  On the most elementary level, opponents cite the fact that animals have been raised as food sources since recorded history.   Not only is meat considered an essential staple of the human diet, testing on animals allows for the development of medicines that cannot be otherwise created (Ritter, Nobis, 2008, p. 9).  Those holding to these views by no means endorse cruelty to animals, as a rule.  Rather, they take the perceived, more pragmatic view that, religion aside, humans are the most evolved species and are therefore entitled to use whatever means are available to thrive.  Added to these arguments is one difficult to address, in that providing for animal rights would require a radical restructuring of all societies.  Whole economies are based on animal farming, in which the animals are nothing more than commodities to be raised and slaughtered.  Then, there is the matter of scale.  Opponents of animal rights often refer to the unfortunate fact that mankind has yet to establish universal rights for its own kind.  Entire cultures still exist wherein certain types of people are subjugated, or denied fundamental liberties, just as extremes in international relations, such as wars, frequently ignore human rights.  Lastly, and as noted, opponents are typically guided by religious influences.  In Western cultures, for instance, both Christian and Jewish faiths point to doctrine as clearly indicating mankind’s complete dominion over all other living things (Ritter, Nobis, 2008,  p. 16).

Supporters of animal rights rarely ignore these arguments; on the contrary, they usually agree that the issue is highly complex, and certainly not easily solved.  They acknowledge that animals play many roles in human affairs, and that concern over the rights of domestic pets is different than addressing farming or hunting matters.  What unites most animal rights supporters, however, is a fundamental skepticism based on traditional ethical and legal customs.  It is felt that law is what universally establishes any culture as civilized, and law must operate from a common concept of man as having the facility of reason.  Reason, then, obligates mankind to consider other unifying factors in all animal life, and it has been proposed by supporters that pain is as unifying an element in animals as reason is for mankind.  If this is pursued, it follows, and in a way reflecting legal thought, that the presence of pain establishes the potentials for higher quality of life (Sunstein, Nussbaum, 2004,  p. 196).  Then, there is the ethical imperative in place from human ignorance.  As humanity lacks a great deal of knowledge regarding classifications of animals, if not whatever “inner” lives they may possess, it is further obligated to err on the side of caution, and accord rights based on the fact that animal life is inherently an evolved state of being.  Simply, as animal rights supporters view the issue, we do not know enough to confidently deny other creatures rights, even if we perceive ourselves to be a more evolved form of life.

Personal View

In my estimation, it is crucial to understand that animal welfare is inextricably connected to animal rights, and we must never lose sight of the fact that acknowledging the former inevitably supports the latter.  If, for example, we hold that deliberate cruelty to animals is reprehensible, then we are already asserting that these are living creatures deserving of decent treatment.  We are giving them stature because we know that they experience life in many of the ways we do as human beings.  We certainly operate on the assumptions that pets develop real affection for us, as we frequently and ironically refer to this as being more desirable than human affection.  Then, as noted, we know absolutely that pain and suffering is as keenly felt by animals as it is by us.  Human beings may debate endlessly as to the reality of the human soul, but that debate does not include any power to deny the existence of one in another kind of life.  This, as I see it, automatically translates to a need to assure animal rights.

Beyond this, I strongly feel that, whatever animals experience as beings, our own concept of ourselves as evolved equates to a responsibility to care for them, and in ways not dependent upon our own needs.  In any sphere of human activity, virtue is defined as that action which exists to serve another, and not the self.  We have all the evidence we need, that animals feel.  That is more than enough to demand that we live up to our status as the most evolved of all creatures, and do whatever we can to provide for them.  I do not assert that livestock should be no longer owned, or that animals should be “consulted” in some way before being adopted as pets.  I do believe, however, that our own knowledge and ethics must guide us to assure rights universally in place regarding all treatment.  In basic terms, humanity is famous for exploiting itself historically, as cultures ignore the rights of other cultures.  Humans are empowered to resist.  Animals have no such ability.  If, then, we commit to treating the defenseless among us with a universal regard for basic welfare, we may eventually learn to act in the same way to our fellow human beings.

Potential Objections

It may be argued that my view ignores realities, or relies too much upon a conviction of animal states of being largely subjective.  As animals cannot directly communicate to us, we can only guess at how they actually feel, and it could be said that my argument “humanizes” animals to an unreasonable extent.  Then, there remains the matter of human superiority, which is not always put forth as an arrogance.  The reality is that humans create and build, and conduct interactions on a level far beyond the capabilities of animals.  Whether or not anyone or thing concerned has a soul, this is a fact.  Therefore, if using animals enhances our lives in any way, we are fully entitled to do this.  Animals themselves have no problem in “exploiting” other animals, when their power and greater skills allow for it.  The cat, for instance, toys with the mouse before killing it, simply because instinct drives it to do this.  To not take advantage of what animals offer is, then, a violation of human instinct.  Then, “cruelty” itself is open to interpretation.  The dog owner who decides to put their old pet to sleep may be seen as being cruel, and violating the rights of the dog.  To entertain animal rights at all, in fact, is a slippery slope, as that basic inability to know what an animal thinks and feels means that we cannot ever properly assign them rights.

To work my way up from the end, however an animal behaves in regard to another animal must not be allowed to guide how we act, simply because we do hold to being the most evolved species.  To accord animals protections and rights is by no means the equivalent of seeing them as equal to humans; it is, in fact, only a reinforcement of human superiority.  No one challenges that laws are in place to protect children and provide them with rights, because children are unable to assert these for themselves.  The same principle applies, in that the party deemed as wisest and most capable is inherently obligated to look after that which is not.  It is said that the defining quality of any civilization lies in how it treats its weakest members.  If we are to consider ourselves civilized, then, we are ethically responsible for protecting those creature unable to protect themselves.

As to the subjectivity involved in supporting animal rights, no one can reasonably state that this is not an issue.  Such complications, however, mark all human affairs as well, yet we do not abandon attempts to move onto a higher plane of action.  The pet owner deciding to end the life of the dog is inherently as subject to criticism as the terminally-ill person seeking to end their own life.  What matters in both cases is that a regard for the life is present.  This example, in fact, works very well with animal rights, because both cases go to determining the essential value of a life.  It is inevitable that mankind debates such things, yet it is the fact that debate is necessary which gives meaning to the subjects themselves.  If humanity cannot know absolutely to what degree animals feel and think, it is still known that they are relatively highly evolved beings with both feelings and brains.  Ultimately, how we choose to respect them defines what we are ourselves, and our own claim to being the most evolved of all.

Ritter, Christie, & Nobis, Nathan.  (2008).  Animal Rights .  Edina: ABDO Publishing.

Sunstein, Cass R., & Nussbaum, Martha C.  (2004).  Animal Rights: Current Debates and New Directions.   New York: Oxford University Press.

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Home — Essay Samples — Social Issues — Animal Rights

Essays on Animal Rights

As a college student, choosing the right essay topic is crucial to the success of your assignment. It's important to select a topic that not only interests you, but also allows for critical analysis and creative exploration. This webpage is designed to provide you with a variety of Animal Rights essay topics to consider, along with examples of and paragraphs for each topic.

Types of Animal Rights Essays and Topic Examples

Argumentative essays.

• The Ethics of Animal Testing
• Should Animals be Used for Entertainment?
• Animal Rights vs. Human Needs

Example Paragraph: The use of animals in scientific research has long been a controversial issue. While some argue that it is necessary for medical advancements, others believe it is unethical to subject animals to testing. In this essay, we will explore the ethical implications of animal testing and the potential alternatives.

Example Paragraph: The ethical implications of animal testing are complex and multifaceted. While there is no easy solution, it is crucial for society to continue exploring alternative methods that do not involve the use of animals.

Compare and Contrast Essays

• Differences in Animal Rights Laws Across Countries
• The Treatment of Domestic Animals vs. Wild Animals
• The Ethical Considerations of Eating Meat vs. Being Vegetarian

Example Paragraph: The treatment of animals varies significantly around the world, with different countries having their own laws and regulations. In this essay, we will compare and contrast the differences in animal rights laws across various countries, and explore the ethical implications of these differences.

Example Paragraph: It is clear that the treatment of animals is a complex issue that varies greatly depending on cultural, legal, and ethical considerations. By understanding these differences, we can work towards creating a more unified and compassionate approach to animal rights.

Descriptive Essays

• A Day in the Life of a Shelter Animal
• The Beauty of Wildlife Conservation
• The Emotional Lives of Farm Animals

Example Paragraph: The emotional lives of animals are often overlooked in discussions of animal rights. In this essay, we will delve into the emotional experiences of farm animals and the implications for their treatment and rights.

Example Paragraph: By acknowledging the emotional lives of farm animals, we can begin to reshape our perspective on their treatment and rights. It is crucial for society to recognize the emotional complexity of animals and work towards a more compassionate approach.

Persuasive Essays

• The Importance of Animal Rights Education
• Why We Should Ban Circuses that Use Animals
• The Moral Imperative to Protect Endangered Species

Example Paragraph: The use of animals in circuses has long been a topic of controversy. In this essay, we will explore the ethical implications of using animals for entertainment and argue for the banning of circuses that use animals.

Example Paragraph: It is clear that the use of animals in circuses raises significant ethical concerns. By advocating for the banning of these practices, we can work towards a more compassionate and ethical treatment of animals in entertainment.

Narrative Essays

• My Experience Volunteering at an Animal Shelter
• The Impact of Animal Rights Activism on My Life
• A Personal Reflection on the Importance of Compassion for Animals

Example Paragraph: My experience volunteering at an animal shelter opened my eyes to the challenges and joys of caring for animals in need. In this essay, I will reflect on the impact of this experience and the lessons I have learned about compassion and advocacy for animal rights.

Example Paragraph: Volunteering at the animal shelter has been a transformative experience that has deepened my understanding of the importance of compassion and advocacy for animal rights. It is crucial for individuals to continue advocating for the rights and welfare of animals in our society.

My Passion for Animals

The importance of keeping exotic animals, made-to-order essay as fast as you need it.

Each essay is customized to cater to your unique preferences

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Analysis of Peter Singers Visible Man

The issue of animal abuse in modern world, the fight for animal rights and its importance, why wild animals should be conserved in captivity, let us write you an essay from scratch.

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Discussion of The Issue of Animal Rights and Cruelty to Animals

Discussion of the worst cases of animal abuse, the principle of equality in accordance to animal rights, overview of the animal rights issues that can be identified nowadays, get a personalized essay in under 3 hours.

Expert-written essays crafted with your exact needs in mind

Animal Rights Ethics: The Moral Dilemma with Animal Testing

Animal rights and cruelty in the circus life, animal deserve their own bill of rights, animal rights ethics and ineffectiveness of animal testing, the animal bill of rights is a step into the right direction, speciesism among animals, overview of the reasons and types of animal abuse, animals should not be kept in captivity, the arguments against keeping animals in captivity, discussion of whether animals should be kept in captivity, animal rights in the book of genesis, inhumane surgeries against animal rights, hostage animals: the reasons behind keeping animals in captivity, dangers of captivity: the issue of animal-welfare in zoos, the negative consequences of keeping animals in captivity, importance and significance of animal rights, the topic of animal rights in relation to the virtue theory, no more cat-hate: persuading the world to embrace feline companions, should animal testing be banned: a comprehensive analysis, zoos should be banned.

Animal rights are moral or legal entitlements attributed to nonhuman animals, usually because of the complexity of their cognitive, emotional, and social lives or their capacity to experience physical or emotional pain or pleasure.

Animal rights is the philosophy according to which many or all sentient animals have moral worth that is independent of their utility for humans, and that their most basic interests — such as in avoiding suffering — should be afforded the same consideration as similar interests of human beings. More narrowly, "animal rights" refers to the idea that many animals have fundamental rights to be treated with respect as individuals—rights to life, liberty, and freedom from torture that may not be overridden by considerations of aggregate welfare.

Earliest examples of animal rights being acknowledged date to Ancient Greece and India, where figures like Pythagoras and Buddha advocated for a vegetarian diet. In 2014 Sandra, an orangutan at Buenos Aires Zoo was granted basic human rights in an unprecedented ruling. The Great Ape Project advocates for basic human rights to be extended to our closest primate relatives.

Relevant topics

• Animal Testing
• Gun Violence
• Cyber Bullying
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• Violence in Video Games
• Gun Control
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Essay on Dog for Students and Children

500+ words essay on dog.

The dog is a pet animal. A dog has sharp teeth so that it can eat flesh very easily, it has four legs, two ears, two eyes, a tail, a mouth, and a nose. It is a very clever animal and is very useful in catching thieves. It runs very fast, barks loudly and attacks the strangers. A dog saves the life of the master from danger. One can find dogs everywhere in the world. Dogs are a very faithful animal. It has a sharp mind and a strong sense of hearing smelling the things. It also has many qualities like swimming in the water, jumping from anywhere, good smelling sense.

Importance of Dog

A dog has a strong power of smell . They are more liked by people because of their faithfulness. They are intelligent, they are watchfulness. The dogs have many colors such as grey, white, black, brown and red. They are of many kinds such as bloodhound, greyhound, german shepherd, Labrador, Rottweiler, bulldog poodle, etc.

Usually, the dog eats fish, meat, milk, rice, bread, etc. Dogs are sometimes called canines. Dogs are sometimes referred to as man’s best friend because they are kept as domestic pets and are usually loyal and like being around humans. They are also helpful in reducing stress, anxiety, and depression, loneliness, encourage exercise and playfulness and even improve your cardiovascular health. A dog also provides valuable companionship for older adults.

The dogs are so loyal to his master that nothing can induce him to leave his master. His master might be a poor man or even a beggar but still, the dog will not leave his master from far off. Dogs see their master coming home from work they rush to them and jump on them to show their love. Dogs are honest friends who are always ready to die to save a friend. It can bite a thief or stranger when they ignore its barking and try to mischief. Dogs always give security to the owner day and night.

Get the huge list of more than 500 Essay Topics and Ideas

Life Span 0f a Dog

The lifespan of a dog is very small however it can live around 12-15 years long which depend on their size such as smaller dogs lives a longer life. A female dog gives birth to a baby and feed milk that’s why dogs under the mammal category. The dog baby is called a puppy or pup and dog home is called kennel. Dogs are categorized according to their service to people such as guard dogs, herding dogs, hunting dogs, police dogs, guide dogs, sniffer dogs, etc. It has a strong power of smell with the assistance of police can arrest murderers, thieves, and dacoits. The Military trains the dogs to track and detect bombs.

Need for Dogs

Detection dogs can be employed at airports, police stations, borders, and schools. Tracking and Hunting dogs, hounds, terriers, and dachshund are the most popular types of hunting and tracking dogs. These dogs are trained to be the eyes, ears, and retrievers for their human companions.

Dogs are a very excellent swimmer. They are really a very helpful pet animal. He respects his owner from the heart and can easily guess his/ her presence through their smell. We should take good care of it and keep them in good condition.

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Animals in the city (B1)

Wild animals in cities can cause lots of problems. From baboons to squirrels, you'll learn a lot more about the problems some cities face in this article.

Instructions

Do the preparation exercise first and then read the article. If you find it too easy, try the next level. If it's too difficult, try the lower level. After reading, do the exercises to check your understanding.

Preparation

Before you read the story, do this exercise. It will help you to understand some of the more difficult words.

Recently, there have been many reports in newspapers and on TV about big animals coming into towns and cities. There have been bears in Vancouver parks, leopards on the streets of Mumbai and wild pigs in gardens in Berlin. What happens when big animals come into our cities? Is it a good thing or is it dangerous for us and the animals? Wild animals usually come into cities to look for food. In Cape Town, South Africa, baboons sometimes come into the suburbs. They eat fruit from gardens and go into people's kitchens and take food from cupboards and fridges! Baboons are strong animals and sometimes they scare children and fight with pet dogs. Many people do not like them, but the city can be dangerous for baboons too. Sometimes, baboons are hurt in car accidents and the sugar in human food can be very bad for their teeth. The city council in Cape Town has a team of Baboon Monitors. Their job is to find baboons in the city and take them back to the countryside. This makes the city safer for people and it is healthier for the baboons. The problem is that a lot of baboons will come back to the city to find food again. In Berlin in Germany, groups of wild pigs sometimes come into the city to look for food. Pigs have come into the city for hundreds of years, but now the winters are warmer, there are more pigs than in the past. Pigs eat flowers and plants and dig in gardens and parks in the city. They also walk in the street and cause traffic accidents. Some city residents like the pigs and give them food. But the city council is worried about the traffic accidents. They have told people to stop giving the pigs food and have put up fences to stop the pigs entering the city.   In Moscow in Russia, there are 35,000 wild dogs. They live in parks, empty houses, markets and train stations. Some of the dogs were pets that people did not want so they left them on the streets. Others were born on the streets and have always lived there. Some dogs live alone and others live in packs (a pack is the name for a group of dogs). In 2010, scientists studied the dogs. They found some very interesting facts:

• Packs have leaders. The leaders are the most intelligent dogs and not the biggest or strongest ones.
• Dogs know that it is safer to cross the street with people and some dogs understand traffic lights.
• Dogs have learnt that people give more food to small, cute dogs than to big ones. The cutest dogs in a pack wait on the street for people to give them food. When they have got some food, they share it with the other dogs in the pack.
• Some dogs have started travelling on the Moscow underground trains.

What do the people in Moscow think of the dogs? A lot of people like them and are used to seeing them on the streets. They give the dogs food and water to drink. The winter in Moscow is very cold with lots of snow and temperatures of -10 ºC. It can be hard for dogs to survive but some city residents have built small huts for the dogs to live in during the winter. Mice, squirrels and birds often live in cities and survive. Some bigger animals like the dogs in Moscow can survive in the city too, with a little help from their human friends. For many big animals, cities are dangerous places and they need our help to return to the countryside.

Robin Newton

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Peacocking through the centuries: How menswear in this season’s series gets the sartorial showcase

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Apple TV+ continues to build its library of historical dramas, adding the 18th century-set “ Franklin ” and conspiracy thriller “ Manhunt ” to its spring offerings. With stories occurring nearly 100 years apart, the two titles share an affinity for power dressing. On Starz, “Mary & George” underscores how alluring clothing can help woo a Jacobean king, and Paramount+ With Showtime keeps up the sartorial flourishes with the 30-plus-year-spanning “ A Gentleman in Moscow, ” which opens in 1920s Russia.

Corsets and gorgeous gowns have long dominated the period costume design conversation. But in 2024, turning back the clock showcases how menswear is pulling focus. Here, costume designers Annie Symons (“Mary & George”), Olivier Bériot (“Franklin”), Katie Irish (“ Manhunt ”) and Sam Perry (“A Gentleman in Moscow”) discuss attention-grabbing masculine attire across four separate centuries.

Rather than pushing her daughter toward a wealthy suitor, Mary Villiers (Julianne Moore) wields her son, George (Nicholas Galitzine), like a dazzling weapon to get close to King James I (Tony Curran). First, Mary sends an unrefined George, wearing drab brown, to France in 1612 to learn how to be a gentleman. “When George comes back, he’s haute fashion, beyond fashion. All the other boys are wearing a mishmash of Elizabethan or early Jacobean,” says Symons.

A seductive dance in a see-through embroidered shirt, crimson ruff and gold leather belt allows George to beguile the king. Director Oliver Hermanus “was very keen that we see the masculine form, particularly through these fine fabrics, and there is a great sensuality about that,” adds Symons. “It’s suggestive, not explicit, and I think these fabrics are very beautiful and move well.” King James’ penchant for attractive men and jewels was not a secret, with George welcoming such symbols of “power, money, swag” as lace and pearls. “A single pearl [earring] is synonymous with the age. I think it was a good look. I know Nick rather likes it, and Tony rather likes it, and according to TikTok, they’ve all gone bonkers for it.”

George Villiers is far from alone in getting a wardrobe upgrade in France. Skip to 1776, when 17-year-old Temple Franklin (Noah Jupe) travels with his grandfather, Benjamin Franklin (Michael Douglas), to Paris to secure support against the British. In an act of adolescent rebellion, Temple follows the French aristocratic trends favored by his new friends, like soon-to-be war hero Lafayette (Théodore Pellerin). “Temple embraced the chic of these guys. We buy this fabric, which is a silk with the design in it — very rich type of silk from Lyon — to show how he tried to look different from his grandfather,” Bériot says.

Bériot presented veteran TV director Tim Van Patten with mood boards featuring paintings from the eight years the Franklins spent in France, alongside an image from a contemporary collection. “For the grandson, I looked at a big fashion brand like Balmain for H&M, and I do a parallel between a painting of that period and this look to give a feeling of today,” Bériot says. Although Temple’s closet gets an overhaul, green is an anchoring shade as it matches the only color painting of the young man.

In what’s referred to as the “Pretty Woman” scene, Temple undergoes a classic teen makeover in the first episode. “I push each character a little bit to be more fun because I think it’s a fun moment in the story, and it was fun to do,” Bériot notes. Think gender fluidity is a modern phenomenon? Not so, Symons says. “Jacobean style as menswear was becoming feminized in many ways,” but French fashion in the 1770s turned the gender fluidity dial further.

Unlike George and Temple, actor and assassin John Wilkes Booth (Anthony Boyle) eschews color in “Manhunt.” Set in the lead-up to and aftermath of President Lincoln’s assassination, Booth favors statement pieces such as a black felt slouch hat. “I think it shows Booth’s flair because it’s so different from the everyday kind of hats that we see that he stands out in a crowd,” Irish says. Other affectations such as Booth’s cravat pin, pinkie ring and monogrammed leather boots add to his carefully curated image.

As with “Manhunt,” Count Alexander Ilyich Rostov (Ewan McGregor) in “A Gentleman in Moscow” wears a monogrammed signet ring as part of his style identity. “I’ve had people look at me like I’m crazy when I say that I love menswear because it seems like such a staid and rigid set of rules,” Irish says. “But there are so many little choices within them that you can personalize it that way.”

The 2024 award season showed an uptick in brooches and lapel pins worn by men, harking to the 19th century. “One of the things about this specific period of Victorian menswear is it is a ‘more is more’ period when men had tons of jewelry available to them if you could afford it,” Irish adds.

Look closely at “Manhunt”: Wolf imagery appears in Secretary of War Edwin Stanton’s ( Tobias Menzies ) accessories. Lincoln nicknamed Stanton “Mars,” and the animal associated with the Roman god of war was the wolf. “We made some custom buttons that had wolves on them based on some we had found in research,” Irish says. “My props master came through and had the most beautiful watch fob with the head of a wolf on it. ” Intricately embroidered custom waistcoats signify wealth, highlighting Stanton’s mood and allegiance through shades of blue: “There is a bit of a peacock aspect just in being very proud of what he and Lincoln have accomplished.”

Leadership values change, but being placed under permanent house arrest by the Bolsheviks at the luxury Hotel Metropol in “A Gentleman in Moscow” doesn’t stop Alexander from dressing the aristocratic part. “We started with him being more peacocky, so full of himself and a big contrast to what was going on in the rest of Russia,” Perry says. “We had the most matching socks and handkerchiefs — all the details.”

Given that Alexander no longer has the option (or finances) to venture to London or Paris, it helps that the count’s footwear is of excellent quality. “Dressing up with your shoes became redundant after he’d been there for a while, but they were well-made, good things, and he wouldn’t throw them away,” Perry notes.

Alexander’s romance with movie star Anna Urbanova (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) gives the former count a run for his sartorial money. “They’re both at their most peacocky and glamorous when they fall in love, and they grow together as a couple,” the costume designer adds. “I thought that was lovely to do with knitwear and a softening of fabrics — using different flannels toward the 1940s and ’50s.” Priorities evolve, jacket lengths rise and fall and formalwear is seen less frequently, but attention to detail remains.

Undoubtedly, playful menswear that doesn’t recede into the background is in vogue on TV and the red carpet. “It goes in and out of fashion throughout the decades or centuries,” says Symons. “I think it’s having another renaissance.”

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Election latest: Sunak admits he got job 'because of a mistake'

Rishi Sunak and Sir Keir Starmer have faced the latest Q&A of this year's election, this time hosted by The Sun. Scroll through the Politics Hub to catch up on our updates and analysis from the event.

Monday 24 June 2024 19:05, UK

• General Election 2024

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• Sunak: I got this job as the result of a mistake
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We're now just 10 days away from the election.

The election campaign is in overdrive - debates, interviews, campaign stops - and if you live in a constituency with a Conservative majority of less than about 20,000, I salute you

Your letterbox is probably hanging off the door at this point after all the leaflets that have been stuffed through it.

In the latter stages of the campaign, it does really feel like the Conservatives are running out of time now to grab control of their messaging. 

Lynton Crosby has almost become a hallowed name in Conservative circles – he's the plain-talking Australian election strategist who ran successful campaigns for Boris Johnson and David Cameron.

And he had a well known saying, that to run a successful campaign you need to get the barnacles off the boat. 

In other words, don't be distracted by peripheral things – just keep hammering your core message. 

Right now it feels like the Conservative campaign is all barnacles and no boat. 

When was the last time Rishi Sunak was left to really hammer his core message? What even is the core message? 

Instead, every day it seems there's something else threatening to sink the Conservative campaign boat.

Whether D-Day or gambling, the prime minister is sucked into another round of media interviews where he's not hitting the campaign messages he wants to. 

And he’s running out of opportunities.

Our weeknight politics show  Politics Hub With Sophy Ridge  is live now on Sky News.

The fast-paced programme dissects the inner workings of Westminster, with interviews, insights, and analysis - bringing you, the audience, into the corridors of power.

Sophy will be joined tonight by  Education Secretary Gillian Keegan  and Labour's shadow minister  Jonathan Ashworth .

The pair will be speaking from an event hosted by The Sun, where both Rishi Sunak and Sir Keir Starmer will face more questions from voters.

On Sophy's panel tonight are:

• Jack Doyle , former Downing Street communications director;
• Tom Baldwin , Labour's former director of communications and strategy.

Watch live on Sky News, in the stream at the top of this page, and follow live updates here in the Politics Hub.

Watch  Politics Hub With Sophy Ridge  from Monday to Thursday on Sky channel 501, Virgin channel 602, Freeview channel 233, on the  Sky News website  and  app  or on  YouTube .

A tough start for Sir Keir Starmer as he was asked firstly about his claim last week Jeremy Corbyn would have made a better prime minister than Boris Johnson.

He answered deftly by praising Mr Johnson over his strong support for Ukraine and wins applause. He was obviously ready for the Corbyn question after being wobbly in previous TV clashes.

But he was accused by an audience member of lying and the Corbyn questions dragged on much longer than Sir Keir would have liked.

When the questions moved on to the government’s Rwanda policy, with a question from Jonathan the retired police officer again.

He was doing quite well until a heckler from the audience shouted: "You're still not going to stop the boats!"

It wasn't the first heckle. Earlier an audience member accused him of wanting to take the UK back into the EU.

Sir Keir chose to answer the heckler. And did so at length. He took his time to answer on illegal migration and did pretty well in attempting to win over the audience.

And he was applauded when he defended Labour's controversial policy of axing the tax break for private schools. He was unapologetic and again won applause from the audience.

Good personal stuff from Sir Keir talking about the NHS and his own experience with his sick mother in an answer to a question about a previous disclosure that he'd pick the NHS over private care in an emergency.

A solid performance from the Labour leader - but a show of hands on a few questions put by The Sun's political editor Harry Cole at the end proved inconclusive.

No clear winner. Good moments and tricky moments for both leaders. A score draw, which will probably suit both.

Sir Keir Starmer was pictured with his wife Victoria at Taylor Swift's Wembley Stadium show over the weekend.

Fitting then, that The Sun's Harry Cole seemed to inadvertently quote one of the pop star's songs with one of his final questions.

"Ready for it?" he asked of Sir Keir potentially becoming PM next week.

The Labour leader reiterated he was "taking nothing for granted" and would "fight for every vote" until the polls close on 4 July.

Sir Keir was also asked about a suggestion from a biography about him that he's "not the sort of person that would set out a radical vision and then row back, he's the sort of person who would exhaust conventional options and then become more radical".

Harry Cole asks if he might "secretly" be "plotting something quite big".

Sir Keir points to the NHS as something he is "ambitious" about, saying he wants to make it "fit for the future", but reiterates that Labour can afford all its plans without raising taxes on working people.

The conversation with Sir Keir Starmer now turns to JK Rowling, who has accused Labour of abandoning issues around women's rights.

"I respect what she says, and I welcome the debate," the Labour leader says.

He adds that "of course" he would meet with the Harry Potter author to discuss the matter.

"I'll always talk to anyone about this, the only rule I'd set is we have to treat each other with respect."

Harry Cole then turns to the 4 July election, asking: "Are you ready for it?"

Sir Keir says everybody "knows in their bones" that the UK "can't go on like this".

"We have the chance now for change."

However, he reiterates that Labour will "fight for every vote".

Sir Keir Starmer quickly shuts down a question from a Sun audience member who quotes him as saying that he would rather a family member die in the NHS than have them treated privately. 

"I did not say that," he quickly interjects. 

He corrects her and explains what he said was that he wouldn't "jump the queue" and go private while others wait for NHS appointments.

He says he couldn't "look [voters] in the eye" and do that.  

"I waited my turn," he says, referencing an operation needed on his knee a few years ago. 

"I do know what I'm talking about," he says, referencing time spent on wards with his mother and mother-in-law, adding that the NHS is the best possible place for high-dependency care. 

Sir Keir Starmer has doubled down on his plan to abolish a tax break on private school fees, earning him the loudest applause of the event so far.

The Labour leader was asked how state schools will cope when parents pull their children out of private schools due to the increase in cost.

"I accept that many families... work hard and save hard to send their parents to private school because they've got aspirations for their child, and they think it's the best place for their child," he says. 

"But I genuinely believe that every single parent has aspirations for their child across the country," the Labour leader adds, to applause.

We know that Sir Keir Starmer has pledged to scrap the Rwanda plan, but what will Labour do to deport those who illegally arrive in the UK? 

"Nobody should be making that journey," he says. 

He promises to set up the proposed Border Security Command "within days" of coming into office. 

Those who do make it through "will go back to the countries where people come from," he says. 

As he speaks, a heckler shouts "you're not gonna stop the boats".

"The only way to stop the boats is to smash the criminal gangs," the Labour leader responds. 

"I simply do not accept that it's impossible to take down these gangs," he says. 

The Sun's "election showdown" between Rishi Sunak and Sir Keir Starmer got off to a terrible start for the PM.

Mr Sunak was dodgy on the Tory betting scandal.

Facing tough questions from Harry Cole about why he didn't suspend the Tories being investigated, at one point he told Harry: "Just be careful."

His argument was the matter should be left to the Gambling Commission and the party's own investigation. But the audience seemed unimpressed.

So was Harry, who quipped: "It looks like the last days of Rome, people nicking the candlesticks on the way out."

It all got a bit heated between interviewer and interviewee when the questions turned to immigration and small boats crossing the Channel, after a question from a retired policeman, Jonathan. 

But Mr Sunak recovered and eventually spelled out his policy.

Then the mood became emotional as Fliss, another Sun reader, told a sad story about the poor treatment her father received in the NHS before dying six weeks ago. It was a tough moment for the PM, and he promised to investigate.

Towards the end, Mr Sunak did better, answering a question about young people struggling to buy a home with a pledge on abolishing stamp duty for first time buyers and then attacking Labour for "taking more tax out of your bank account".

He finished strongly by turning a question about "inflicting Liz Truss on the British people" into an attack on Sir Keir Starmer and wins applause - his best moment of the half-hour Q&A.

"Can you afford £2,000 worth of tax increases?" he challenged the audience. After a poor start on the difficult questions about the betting scandal, his final few minutes were powerful, and he won more applause.

One of the final questions was: "Do you regret calling the election earlier and not waiting another six months?" 

"No!" he insisted, before launching into a final attack on Labour.

By the end, there was warm applause from the audience. 

Verdict: shaky start, strong finish from the PM.

Sir Keir Starmer is now questioned over his prior support for Jeremy Corbyn - and asked: "How can we trust you?"

The Labour leader says he was campaigning for his own seat in 2019, and says he "understands" why people are confused by his shift in stance on Mr Corbyn.

"I didn't vote for him to be leader of our party in 2015, I didn't vote for him to be leader in 2016 -  I supported different candidates."

The Labour membership did not agree, he explains, and he then had to make a decision on how he dealt with this.

"Leaders are temporary, but political parties are permanent," he says, explaining that from within the party he could challenge Mr Corbyn on antisemitism.

"Everybody knew there was always going to be a day after," he says. "When we would have the opportunity for a new leader of our party."

Sir Keir stresses that the Labour Party is "fundamentally changed".

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