MDPI Animals Special Issue : A collection of modern papers on ethics and law.
To regulate and improve the conditions under which animals live and die under human control.
Imagine a small, organic farm where pigs root in forest soil, cows graze rotational pastures, and chickens hunt bugs in mobile coops. The animals are treated as partners in the ecosystem. Eventually, they are loaded onto a truck and driven to a local abattoir.
High-profile documentaries and public campaigns have successfully pressured major travel agencies to stop booking wildlife tours, while leading institutions have shifted focus toward genuine conservation and sanctuary-style housing. Companion Animals MDPI Animals Special Issue : A collection of
Providing an appropriate environment, including shelter.
Passed in 1966, it regulates the treatment of animals in research, exhibition, and transport, though it notably excludes rats, mice, and birds bred for research, as well as farm animals.
In the summer of 2023, a video went viral showing a stock dog handler gently carrying a exhausted lamb across a pasture. The comments section erupted. Some praised the "animal lover" for his kindness. Others accused him of "exploitation" for using the dog in the first place. A third group argued that owning any livestock is inherently unethical. The animals are treated as partners in the ecosystem
(2017): This paper critically analyzes the animal welfare system, arguing that focusing only on "freedom" is insufficient. It suggests that genuine animal well-being requires bridging the gap between welfare concepts and the ethical framework of animal rights.
A "humane slaughter" is still a death. A "spacious" cage is still a cage. Welfare asks, "How much suffering is acceptable?" It does not ask, "Do we have the right to inflict any suffering at all?"
That is the final question the welfare/rights debate forces us to answer. If we can feed the world without suffering or slaughter—just technology and plants—then "humane husbandry" becomes a luxury aesthetic rather than a moral necessity. and advocate. By working together
The animal question is ultimately a human question. It asks us: Is our dominion a license for tyranny, or a burden of stewardship? As historian Yuval Noah Harari noted, the agricultural revolution was history’s greatest fraud for farm animals. They entered into a biological deal with the devil: safety for suffering.
You’ve probably heard both terms, but they’re not the same. Understanding the distinction matters—for how we shop, eat, vote, and advocate.
By working together, we can create a more compassionate and just world for all beings, human and non-human alike.