Animal Ethics Research Articles

Anthropocentrism, Natural Harmony, Sentience and Animal Rights: Are We Allowed to Use Animals for Our Own Purposes?

Taking a cue from J.W. Yates' recent work on animal sentience published in this journal, which explores the field and categorizes it as a harmony with nature and a recognition of its values, inferring that the inclusion of animals in the sphere of objective rights is the obligatory step for a real sustainability in all human activities, this opinion paper seeks to challenge some of the claims made in the article and present an alternative perspective on sentience and animal rights. Preliminarily, I propose a semantic word-washing and the use of more precise terms instead of not well-defined ones such as "harmony" in relation to nature and "sentience" in relation to animals, and I affirm that there can be only one point of view, however rich in dialectics, which is the human one for looking at the problems of animal ethics. Below, I present the thesis that concludes that it is not possible to attribute rights to animals, but it is our right and duty to protect their well-being, which requires states to pass laws for their defence. I conclude that while it is acceptable to raise animals for priority human rights (such as food and health), it is also an obligation to properly care for and protect them.

Horses as players in equine sports

ABSTRACT Though animal ethics in sport obviously applies most urgently to cases of animals at mortal risk (e.g., hunting and bullfighting) or vulnerable to various types of abuse (e.g., doping and harmful training practices), less obvious domains bear scrutiny as well. Here I examine whether we can strictly take not just riders but horses to be players in equine sports. There is an apparent tension in the concept of equestrian prowess, a peculiar blend of skills and attitudes, between regarding horses as subjects of persuasion or collaboration and treating them as objects of control. As our understanding of animal cognition and behaviour continues to improve, it becomes increasingly clear that animal intelligence and agential capacities are far greater than we formerly presumed. In this light, using Suits’s theory of games, I argue that horses are game players that sometimes consent (or assent) and sometimes refuse to play equine sports. Drawing on recent accounts of horse-rider partnership and on my own equestrian background, I conclude by sketching a utopian vision of what equine sports could be.

Positive Wild Animal Welfare

With increasing attention given to wild animal welfare and ethics, it has become common to depict animals in the wild as existing in a state dominated by suffering. This assumption is now taken on board by many and frames much of the current discussion; but needs a more critical assessment, both theoretically and empirically. In this paper, we challenge the primary lines of evidence employed in support of wild animal suffering, to provide an alternative picture in which wild animals may often have lives that are far more positive than is commonly assumed. Nevertheless, while it is useful to have an alternative model to challenge unexamined assumptions, our real emphasis in this paper is the need for the development of effective methods for applying animal welfare science in the wild, including new means of data collection, the ability to determine the extent and scope of welfare challenges and opportunities, and their effects on welfare. Until such methods are developed, discussions of wild animal welfare cannot go beyond trading of intuitions, which as we show here can just as easily go in either direction.

Research Notes: Animal Colonialism in North America: Decolonial Animal Ethic and Indigenous Veganism in Canada and Mexico and Ecofeminist Analysis of Eden Robinson’s The Trickster Trilogy and Guadalupe Nettle’s Natural Histories

This article treats colonization as an interspecies issue and explores the intersection of animal colonialism and gender violence in North America and their representation in recent writings by two prominent writers from Canada and Mexico, namely, in Eden Robinson’s The Trickster Trilogy and Guadalupe Nettle’s Natural Histories. It employs the so-called decolonial animal ethic proposed by the scholar and writer Billy-Ray Belcourt (Driftpile Cree) as both a theoretical and a practical framework through which non-human animals are seen as “colonial subjects” and partners in decolonization alongside Indigenous peoples.

Animal Histories of the Civil War Era Edited by Earl J. Hess

In our current wave of zoo-historicism, it is fitting that we now have—and, indeed, should have—a volume about the significance of animals in the American Civil War. Animal Histories of the Civil War Era tracks several unique aspects to animals in the war—including the treatment of horses, the ethics of eating meat, and the role of the national zoo. In the introduction, Hess adopts an intersectional position: “Both animal studies and animal history are interdisciplinary in nature” (2). Although he lists some of the disciplines involved—“history, science, environmentalism, psychology, philosophy”—his main focus appears to be the merging of history with an appreciation for animal ethics. Indeed, the first works that he references are by Singer and Regan.1Later in the introduction, Hess indicates a general disapproval of many of the current animals-in-war books, citing their “popular and all too often superficial nature” and saying that “they tell the story factually, with a minimum of research and a lot of easily digested information” (4). With such a bold and ambitious introduction, the book appears to present itself as the tome about the Civil War that animal scholars have awaited for years, something genuinely interdisciplinary. However, the collection is not rich in methodology, and, to damn it with Hess’ own faint praise, it too contains “a lot of easily digested information.”Each of the chapters, however, is a stellar example of traditional research, delving into primary materials that are both clear and engaging. Michael E. Woods’ opening essay, “Antebellum Camel Capers and the Global Slave Power,” is a masterful example of storytelling. Yet, it does not mention other historians until the last three paragraphs, and it is not particularly interdisciplinary, except for a paragraph that mentions a novel. One exception in terms of interdisciplinary work is Mark Smith’s chapter “All the Buzz: Why Bees Mattered in the Civil War,” which discusses theory, quotes other historians, and has an economics slant.A book entitled Animal Histories of the Civil War Era might have engaged more with the historical wartime poetry involving animals or the use of animals in political cartoons and in popular music and literature, let alone with historiography or theory. Not even when discussing vegetarianism does the book draw much from the insights of current animal-ethics scholars. Although far from the interdisciplinary study that Hess promised, the book is a must-read within its particular field, and, to the editor’s unwitting disapproval, possibly for its “easily digested information.”

Effect of Bezafibrate, a PPARα Activator, on Acute and Subacute Inflammation in Male Wistar Rats

Aim To investigate the anti-inflammatory effect of bezafibrate on acute and subacute inflammation in adult male Wistar rats. Methods The study was carried out in adult male Wistar rats and they were allocated into three groups, that is, control, aspirin and bezafibrate, after obtaining clearance from Institutional Animal Ethics Committee. Acute inflammation was studied using carrageenan-induced rat paw oedema, and the volume displacement due to paw oedema using the plethysmograph. Subacute inflammation was studied using foreign body induced granuloma models. Analysis was performed using one-way ANOVA followed by post hoc tests of Dunnett’s. The value p < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results Bezafibrate showed a significant anti-inflammatory effect in acute as well as subacute models of inflammation when compared to control in the present study. Conclusions In patients receiving bezafibrate for hyperlipidemia, its anti-inflammatory potential may have an additional benefit in preventing complication of atherosclerosis.

Deksmedetomidinin Akciğer, Karaciğer ve Kalpteki Oksidatif Dengeye Etkisi: Sıçan Sepsis Modeli

Aim: Sepsis is a life-threatening organ dysfunction caused by a dysregulated host response to infection. Early intervention in sepsis is vital and research on the subject continues. Having sedative, analgesic, and anxiolytic properties, Dexmedetomidine (DEX) is a potent lipophilic α2‐adrenoceptor agonist with imidazole structure. In recent years, there has been an increasing number of studies on the organ protective effects of DEX. Unlike other studies, in this project proposal, it was aimed to investigate the effect of DEX applied in different periods of sepsis on the oxidative stress index in the lungs, liver and heart.
 Material and methods: The study was approved by the Necmettin Erbakan University Experimental Animals Ethics Committee (2020 – 017). In the study, 50 female wistar albino rats were used as experimental animals. Animals were divided into five groups: 1st group: SHAM (n:10), 2nd group: SEPSIS (n:10), 3rd group: DEX (PreDEX, n:10) applied 30 minutes before cecal ligation puncture (CLP) procedure, group 4: DEX administered 12 hours after CLP (Post12DEX, n:10), group 5: DEX administered 24 hours after CLP (Post24DEX, n:10).
 Results: In liver and heart tissues, the decrease in total antioxidant status (TAS) levels in the SEPSIS group was statistically significant compared to the Post12DEX (p

A Tale of Two Chimeras: Applying the Six Principles to Human Brain Organoid Xenotransplantation.

Cerebral organoid models in-of-themselves are considered as an alternative to research animal models. But their developmental and biological limitations currently inhibit the probability that organoids can fully replace animal models. Furthermore, these organoid limitations have, somewhat ironically, brought researchers back to the animal model via xenotransplantation, thus creating hybrids and chimeras. In addition to attempting to study and overcome cerebral organoid limitations, transplanting cerebral organoids into animal models brings an opportunity to observe behavioral changes in the animal itself. Traditional animal ethics frameworks, such as the well-known three Rs (reduce, refine, and replace), have previously addressed chimeras and xenotransplantation of tissue. But these frameworks have yet to completely assess the neural-chimeric possibilities. And while the three Rs framework was a historical landmark in animal ethics, there are identifiable gaps in the framework that require attention. The authors propose to utilize an expanded three Rs framework initially developed by David DeGrazia and Tom L. Beauchamp, known as the Six Principles (6Ps). This framework aims to expand upon the three Rs, fill in the gaps, and be a practical means for assessing animal ethical issues like that of neural-chimeras and cerebral organoid xenotransplantation. The scope of this 6Ps application will focus on two separate but recent studies, which were published in 2019 and 2020. First, they consider a study wherein cerebral organoids were grown from donors with Down syndrome and from neurotypical donors. After these organoids were grown and studied, they were then surgically implanted into mouse models to observe the physiological effects and any behavioral change in the chimera. Second, they consider a separate study wherein neurotypical human embryonic stem cell-derived cerebral organoids were grown and transplanted into mouse and macaque models. The aim was to observe if such a transplantation method would contribute to therapies for brain injury or stroke. The authors place both studies under the lens of the 6Ps framework, assess the relevant contexts of each case, and provide relevant normative conclusions. In this way, they demonstrate how the 6Ps could be applied in future cases of neural-chimeras and cerebral organoid xenotransplantation.

Putting the Questions First—Flipped Classroom Methods in Animal Ethics Online Teaching and Its Evaluation

Despite the challenges the pandemic presented for university teaching, it opened up opportunities to set up and explore digital teaching formats like never before. This paper presents a case study of teaching introductory animal ethics in a digital format with flipped-classroom methods. The Interactive Literature Lecturing Format (ILLF) was designed along the following criteria: 1. Conformity with students' varying educational needs; 2. Consistent high level of interaction; 3. Maximum transparency in an application-oriented exam; 4. No further contribution to the workload of the teaching staff; 5. Flexibility regarding online or on-site conversions. Rather than provide the students with input in lecture sessions, the ILLF presents students with selected literature and a list of structured questions. This literature questionnaire serves as the main didactic element that guides the knowledge transfer, the structure of the sessions and the exam. This paper reviews the outcome of the redesigning process and the steps we took to implement it. To discuss the overall quality of the format from a student's perspective, the data from the systematically conducted students' evaluation (n = 65) are interpreted using quantitative and qualitative methods. Bringing these results together with the perspective of the teaching staff, the following question is discussed: did the ILLF meet these criteria? This case study explores the potential and limits of flipped-classroom methods for applied ethics teaching in a university setting.

Downregulation of microRNA-23a confers protection against myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury by upregulating tissue factor pathway inhibitor 2 following luteolin pretreatment in rats.

Downregulation of microRNA-23a confers protection against myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury by upregulating tissue factor pathway inhibitor 2 following luteolin pretreatment in rats.

Should vegans have children? Examining the links between animal ethics and antinatalism.

Ethical vegans and vegetarians believe that it is seriously immoral to bring into existence animals whose lives would be miserable. In this paper, I will discuss whether such a belief also leads to the conclusion that it is seriously immoral to bring human beings into existence. I will argue that vegans should abstain from having children since they believe that unnecessary suffering should be avoided. After all, humans will suffer in life, and having children is not necessary for a good life. Thus vegans, and probably vegetarians as well, should not have children. I will consider several objections against this controversial claim, show why the objections fail and conclude that it would be best for ethical vegans to abstain from procreation.

The Moral Dilemma in Fashion: Using the Prisoner’s Dilemma Game on Animals and the Environment

This study aims to determine the optimal solution to the dilemma that arises from vegan fashion materials by identifying current vegan or cruelty-free fashion brands that advocate “animal-friendly” and revealing how animal ethics should be expressed so that consumers more effectively accept it. This research applies the “prisoner’s dilemma,” which is a situation that is often used in game theory. First, the solution to the dilemma of vegan fashion materials using Pareto efficiency is more ideal and rational than that of the Nash equilibrium point. Second, this study finds that many vegan fashion brands use a blend of synthetic materials rather than animal-derived materials. While all cruelty-free fashion brands have been cooperative with the environment, some are treacherous to animals by allowing the manufacture of animal materials. Additionally, animal-friendly brands are being developed mainly in the United States and Canada.

Ethics and Welfare in invertebrates: a stepping-stone to research and animal production

Introduction: Even though only a few species are considered to be dangerous, pests or vectors, the majority of invertebrates produce a feeling of aversion in humans. This has contributed to the delay in the development of ethical considerations as regards this group in contrast with vertebrates, with the exception of cephalopods. 
 Objective: In the present study, we provide an overview of the current situation on animal ethics and welfare in order to contribute to the development of a framework for ensuring invertebrate welfare. 
 Methods: Today, animal welfare is multidisciplinary in nature to a very high degree as it includes ethology, physiology, pathology, biochemistry, genetics, immunology, nutrition, cognitive-neural, veterinary medicine, and ethics. Animal welfare is a complex concept, difficult to achieve successfully from one perspective. 
 Results: As a consequence, we propose to include the five domains (nutrition, environment, health, behaviour and mental state) along with the three conceptions (basic health and functioning, affective state and natural living), as well as the 5R Principle (Replace, Reduction, Refinement, Respect and Responsibility) in seeking to achieve a comprehensive welfare state. 
 Conclusions: We consider that in both research and animal production, the individual and collective ethical concerns coexist and, in fact, the main moral concern to account for is the collective one and that, within that collective view, the individual moral concern should be applied with responsibility and respect for the individual. Finally, we propose a practical example of invertebrate welfare production in sea urchin aquaculture with the aim of including animal production of invertebrates in this important discussion.

Inclusion of animals in allied health practice in Australia: a beginning exploration

ABSTRACT Working with domesticated animals in allied health fields continues to evolve in Australia. We sought to gain an understanding of practitioners’ knowledge, skills, and actions when working with domestic animals in Australia. Adapting methods and measurements from a study performed in Aotearoa New Zealand, the current study surveyed 28 allied health practitioners analyzing the extent animals have been incorporated into practice in Australia, and the practice considerations made to domestic animal welfare and ethics. This research showed a continuing lack of clear workplace policies, support or professional training, and a call for ethical guidelines when working in partnership with animals.

What We Owe Owls. Nonideal Relationality among Fellow Creatures in the Old Growth Forest

Though many of us have constructed our lives (or have had them constructed for us) such that it is easy to ignore or forget, human lives are entangled with other animals in many ways. Some interspecies relations would arguably exist in some form or another even under an ideal model of animal ethics. Others have an inescapably non-ideal character – these relationships exist as they do because things have gone wrong. In such circumstances we have reparative duties to animals we have wronged because we have wronged them. Here I draw upon Christine Korsgaard’s “Fellow Creatures” (2018) and other nonideal approaches to animal ethics to critically assess the United States Fish & Wildlife Service practice of killing barred owls to protect endangered spotted owls in the old growth forest of the Pacific Northwest. This is a difficult case to be sure, but one that can benefit from non-ideal moral assessment in terms of interspecies relational repair. I argue for increased spotted owl habitat preservation and forest restoration as an alternative to barred owl removal that better aligns with both nonideal relational animal ethics and stated US Fish & Wildlife Service values.

Exploration of cultural norms and behavioural beliefs about zoo animal behaviour, welfare, ethics and husbandry practices in a sample of the international zoo community.

Beliefs influence the intentions of people to behave in certain ways towards animals. This study presents survey responses from 237 people working in zoos in China and Europe and describes their demographic characteristics. It explores their beliefs about zoo animal behaviour, welfare and ethical issues, and zoo practices, using a survey methodology. These beliefs may be influenced by individual demographic or cultural factors such as age, genderand region of employment, as well as experiential or situative 'norms' within the work environment. Beliefs were significantly influenced by the region of employment with Chinese respondents beliefs being significantly different to beliefs from respondents in the United Kingdom or the rest of Europe. Hierarchical cluster analysis of the survey generated clusters of people from both regions who indicated positive beliefs about zoo animal welfare as well as clu sters indicating a lack of understanding of some zoo animal welfare issues. In addition, a cluster suggesting cognitive dissonance between beliefs about animals welfare and zoo practices was generated from Chinese responses. Factor analysis identified that prioritisation of in-situ conservation within good animal welfare was a key feature in Chinese respondents, whereas European beliefs prioritising in-situ conservation were distinct from those on supporting good animal welfare. This paper identifies similarities and differences in beliefs about zoo animal welfare and zoo husbandry practices between Europe and China, and discusses the underlying norms and values that these beliefs may reflect.

Trends in livestock population, production, productivity, availability, and demand in the Nagaland State of India

This paper analyses livestock population dynamics, demand and supply of livestock products and their consumption pattern in Nagaland. Livestock population of all species except poultry has decreased. Similarly, meat and egg production decreased over the last two decades whereas milk production has increased on a small scale. However, due to changing lifestyle, increasing urbanization and increasing income; demand of meat and more specifically pork has considerably increased. The state is deficient to the tune of 50% in all livestock products. On one side, there is increasing demands and on the other side there is continuous decline in livestock population. It is imperative that Nagaland’s domestic supply will be unable to meet its current demand. To meet the growing demand for livestock products, Nagaland has to adopt competitive and sustainable livestock production technologies which not only increase the productivity, but have positive impact on environment and animal ethics.

1146 SLEEP DEPRIVATION INDUCES AGEING-LIKE CHANGES IN ANTIGRAVITY MUSCLES OF YOUNG ADULT MALE WISTAR RATS

Abstract Introduction Poor muscle health is associated with a series of chronic and metabolic conditions that are prevalent in individuals who chronically experience poor-quality sleep. But there is no study deciphering the role of sleep deprivation on muscle ageing. Therefore, in the present study we have measured the ultrastructure, histopathology, and oxidative stressors in soleus muscle of wistar rat after sleep deprivation and recovery sleep. Material and Methods The experiments were conducted in 18 rats of three groups. Group I rats had normal sleep wake cycle, Group II rats were subjected to 24 h sleep deprivation (SD) by gentle handling method1 and Group III rats had recovery sleep after 24 h SD. At the end of the sleep, sleep deprivation and recovery period, soleus muscle tissue was collected for ultrastructural, histological and oxidative stress markers. Oxidative damage was assessed by lipid peroxidation, catalase activity, reduced glutathione and nuclear labelling of 8-OHdG. The study was conducted as per the guidelines of the Institutional Animal Ethics Committee (960/IAEC/16). Results The data demonstrated that SD leads to ultrastructural changes in soleus muscle which includes sarcolemmal and mitochondrial alterations. In case of histopathological and histomorphological changes there was signs of tissue degeneration, inflammatory infiltrate in type I fibres and muscle atrophy was observed in soleus muscles. There was significant increase in level of 8-OHdG (p=0.02) and malondialdehyde in 24h SD (p=0.02) than control and recovery sleep groups. Moreover, the catalase activity and reduced glutathione level was significantly decreased in 24h SD group (p≤0.02) than control and recovery sleep. Conclusion 24hr sleep deprivation leads to an ageing like state in the skeletal muscle, which was recovered after sleep rebound.

Animal Ethics and Aesthetics Revisited

This paper aims to establish a different (transspecies) model of (animal) ethics by challenging one of the dominant paradigms of contemporary ethics (and aesthetics), namely the ethics of otherness. The ethics of otherness, striving for openness and the avoidance of appropriation, pushes the animal into representability and ineffability, marking it as “wholly other”, which consequently leads to the impossibility of any kind of communication and mutual understanding, even self-understanding. It is in this context that the problem of anthropomorphism arises, a problem that is crucially linked to the central issue that feeds the ethics of otherness, the fear of uncanny proximity. Our thesis is that the most appropriate path to resolving the problem is not to try to undo the irresolvable tension between distance and proximity (to find a way out of the confrontation with the animal, either through the logos or through something that is supposed to transcend the logos), but rather the deconstruction of these attempts at transcendence that are the root of the issue. The relationship with the other can then be understood from the recognition of this paradox, an intertwining of understanding and misunderstanding, distance and proximity, or distant proximity.

Caring about Animals? A Care Theory Approach to Animal Ethics

Engster’s care approach provides an interesting change of perspective to well-established approaches to animal ethics, such as utilitarianism and animal rights accounts: it shifts the focus towards justifying moral status based on dependency-relations between human and nonhuman beings. According to Engster, human beings are morally obligated to care for nonhuman animals as soon as they made them dependent on human care or contribute to their dependence. I discuss the implications of Engster’s account as well as three objections against it and conclude that it qualifies as a relevant option to established accounts of animal ethics.