Neglect Vs Animal Abuse Essay

Paul McCartney once said, “If slaughterhouses had glass walls, we would all be vegetarian.”. All throughout human history, there has been some sort of record of animal abuse all around the world. Many cultures in the past accepted animal abuse, however in an always advancing world, fighting against animal abuse has never been more relevant. To some, it is easy to think that just because something is not human, it has no life value. Empathy is not present within the minds of some humans toward animals, why is that? It is easy to think that just because something can’t talk or defend themselves well, they can be misused for one’s benefits or for one’s enjoyment. There are many reasonings as to why humans mistreat animals: whether it is how one was raised, the way one’s brain
However, there is a difference between the two. They are two forms of animal cruelty: neglect is omission whereas abuse is commission. Neglect can be defined as an inability to care for something, it can be anywhere from forgetting to feed a pet or leaving an animal in a cage for long periods of time. Abuse is cruelty with an intent to harm the animal. In most circumstances, animals that are beaten and tortured are not usually pets, they are usually feral and/or stray animals. What causes people to commit these actions toward animals? The psychology of many people who have committed animal abuse can be linked to people who have experienced domestic violence in the past. Abusing animals can be an emotional response such as fear, anger, and sadness. Flynn P. Clifton conducted a survey of college students and it “tested whether committing animal abuse during childhood was related to approval of interpersonal violence against children and women in families. (Clifton)”. The correlation between domestic violence and animal abuse in the survey was very apparent. People who abuse animals are also more likely to commit assault towards