Animals and Ethics

Animals can be friends to humans. They are living creatures who have a sense of belonging and pain. They have the same life cycle as humans. Although they cannot speak a human language we will know when they get sick.

Animals, to a human’s eyes can be ugly, dirty, awful, dangerous, or poisonous. They can sometimes make annoying noises. Some are huge; others are so small that they cannot be seen by naked eyes.

Animals can be very useful although some can cause diseases. Some are disease carriers such as mosquitoes, birds, and fish. They can cause diseases such as malaria, anthrax and AIDS, etc.

Many animals have a sixth sense which most people do not. They can have very sensitive noses, ears and eyes. They can detect distant smells and sounds; see objects even in the dark, under water and under ground.

Animal Usefulness

History has told us of human slavery in which humans were treated the way we currently treat animals. At present, human slavery is no longer legal. But that is not true for animals. Examples of these are:

Ethical Considerations

Animals cannot ask us for their rights or for justice, or for religious freedom. If they are cared for by supplying them with their needs, using tenderness and care they would show their respect and faithfulness to their masters. If they are treated badly, tortured, hurt and irritated, they would react negatively. But they could never escape from this bad treatment on their own. Whatever they do to try to escape, such as changing their skin color, running away, prolific breeding, many animal species will eventually vanish from this world; only their names to be remembered.

We can live without animals, but God and nature created humans, animals and our environment (air, water, fire and earth) to be together. If men remain selfish and care for nothing, the world will be out of balanced. How can men live in this world?

How can we treat animals ethically?

Many suggestions have been recommended. Because we use animals as a food source we must treat them well to maintain their usefulness to humans. Avoid inflicting direct and indirect torture or hurt such as we see in the treatment of street elephants or sport fishing. Be responsible for good animal care as if we and they are equal partners.

All animals are living creatures. They have the same feelings as human beings. They need love, tenderness, a sense of belonging and appreciation. How would you feel if a puppy was treated merely as a boxed gift during greeting seasons?

Vaccinations, clean cages with adequate food and water supply are required. They need to be transported with caution; not crowded, and stressed. Their living space must be natural.

We will sometimes kill a wild animal just to harvest a single organ as with a bear for its feet, a monkey for its brain, or a tiger for its penis. We know that there are laws against this but they have been largely ignored.

Wildlife needs privacy.

Laboratory animal research must meet the world standard guidelines.

Most people have never owned a wild animal, have never been involved in an animal business or farms but directly or indirectly we can be affected as with SARS and Avian Flu. Many aspects of both of these are not clear, especially the medical part.

Bird Flu is believed to be transmitted from bird to human. Wild birds move from cold places in winter to warmer places. They carry viral diseases with them and affect home or farm chickens, ducks, pigs, tigers, pets and many other wild animals. Many infected children and adults have been reported to have died of Bird Flu.

The Thai economy has been badly hit by this virus. Lots of people cannot earn their living; some of them have gone bankrupted. It has ruined their lives. Currently, people consider it an enemy to our economy. It has been said in the media that Bird Flu will be the number one disaster of the decade, worse than AIDS or the Tsunami.

The COMEST Perspective

The World Commission on the Ethics of Scientific Knowledge and Technology should try its best to persuade people to think and constantly behave ethically to animals. It is the responsibility of UNESCO: “How to implement ethics for animals at all levels of the educational curriculum.”

Today’s talk will not accomplish everything we wish but at least it can stimulate children to pay attention to the ethical issues of animals. The present action will bring a better future. The UNESCO fund should be allocated to teachers to attend meetings in order to set up schedule discussions on animals and ethics, and convey the outcomes of these meetings to the students in hopes that students from each corner of the world will develop their own ideas. Let them write the reports which will be carefully evaluated step by step. Let them do the reports freely, fairly, in partnership, but not in a top down order.

FACTS (FIGURE I)

Religion’s aim is for people to be good, to end the human life cycle (nirvana) or to be with God. Philosophy or ethics aims for people to do good and to attain a good quality of life. Community or democracy aims for people to have an adequate supply of materials such as a home, place to live , medicine, and many others to overcome nature for better life.

Nature will not be changed; day and night, hot and cold. It is composed of water, wind, fire and earth. Very small amounts of data are found, but many are unseen.

In Figure I, if the situation in a community is bad, full of crime, abortion, cheating, free sex, promiscuity, mafia business, even human flesh and blood eating, it would drag religion and nature down. Finally humans would have nothing. That would be the end of human beings.

Many groups of people in communes have no religion or do not believe in religion. But they think, speak and act ethically. Is it correct to say that both religion and ethics are equal?

Reference

1. Faculty of Veterinary Sciences, Chulalongkorn University. Quality Measurement. QM-VET, 19 February 2003.
2. Third Session of the World Commission on the Ethics of Scientific Knowledge and Technology (COMEST). Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 1-4 December 2003.
3. ANIMAL PEOPLE : http://www.animal peoplenews.org
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10. The Declaration of Ethics of Veterinarians, Act of animal diseases control, Act of animal hospital and care place, Act of animal food control, Act of rabies control, Act of animal epidemic diseases, Act of wild life control, C.I.T.E.S, Thai Association of Veterinarians, 15 June 1992.
11. Jaiman S. Study and analysis of Thai law and GATT 1995.
12. Angsuthornchaisee C. Hand book for royal officer: Act of drug 1967. Animal Drug Control Division, Animal Department. Bangkok: Agricultural co-op publisher of Thailand, 2001.
13. The National Research Committee, Ministry of Sciences, Technology and Environment. Report of the seminar for ethical animal using. Bangkok: Rama Garden Hotel, 11 May 1999.
14. Tsunami in Andaman sea, Indian ocean, 26 December 2004.
15. Council for International Organization of Medical Science (CIOMS). International Guiding Principles for Biomedical Research Involving Animals. Geneva, Switzerland, 1985.

Key words : Animal, Ethics

* Member of The Medical Association of Thailand.

**hughl@comcast.net