110 Animal Abuse Essay Topic Ideas & Examples

🏆 best animal abuse topic ideas & essay examples, 👍 most interesting animal abuse topics to write about, 🔎 good research topics about animal abuse, ❓ animal abuse research questions.

  • Causes and Effects of Animal Cruelty Therefore, it is vitally important to understand the negative impact of animal maltreatment on society, particular individuals, and the animals to realize the seriousness of the problem and take decisive actions.
  • Animal Cruelty, Its Causes and Impacts In the second part of the body, I will be more specific on the effects of animal cruelty in respect to ethics.
  • Cosmetic Testing on Animals The surface of the skin or near the eyes of such animals is meant to simulate that of the average human and, as such, is one of easiest methods of determining whether are particular type […]
  • The Debate on Animal Testing The purpose of this paper is to define animal testing within a historical context, establish ethical and legal issues surrounding the acts, discuss animal liberation movements, arguments in support and against the act of animal […]
  • Animal Cruelty: Inside the Dog Fighting In most cases the owner of the losing dog abandons the injured dog to die slowly from the injuries it obtained during the fight. The injuries inflicted to and obtained by the dogs participating in […]
  • Animal Testing and Environmental Protection While the proponents of animal use in research argued that the sacrifice of animals’ lives is crucial for advancing the sphere of medicine, the argument this essay will defend relates to the availability of modern […]
  • Animal Cruelty as an Ethical and Moral Problem It is due to the fact that this paper stresses that actions related to the needless and non-progressive act of animal cruelty should be considered a felony with the appropriate amount of incarceration put into […]
  • Animal Testing in Medicine and Industry Animal testing is the inescapable reality of medicine and industry. However, between human suffering and animal suffering, the former is more important.
  • Preclinical Testing on Animals The authors argue that despite the recent decline in the level of quality and transparency of preclinical trials, the scientific communities should always rely on animal testing before moving to human subjects and the subsequent […]
  • Program for Addressing and Prevention of Animal Cruelty While it is unreasonable to expect that a larger number of people will be interested, ensuring that at least 5% of the population is invested will help to promote knowledge actively and target the remaining […]
  • Using Animals in Medical Research and Experiments While discussing the use of animals in medical research according to the consequentialist perspective, it is important to state that humans’ preferences cannot be counted higher to cause animals’ suffering; humans and animals’ preferences need […]
  • Animal Testing: History and Arguments Nevertheless, that law was more focused on the welfare of animals in laboratories rather than on the prohibition of animal testing.
  • Laboratory Experiments on Animals: Argument Against In some cases, the animals are not given any painkillers because their application may alter the effect of the medication which is investigated.
  • Animal Testing From Medical and Ethical Viewpoints Striving to discover and explain the peculiarities of body functioning, already ancient Greeks and Romans resorted to vivisecting pigs; the scientific revolution of the Enlightenment era witnessed animal testing becoming the leading trend and a […]
  • Laws that Protect Animal Cruelty The softening of boundaries of the self is of paramount importance for they are too tight as one sees the other as separate, different, and apart from oneself which can lead to conflict and violence.
  • Negative Impacts of Animal Testing To alter these inhumane laws, we should organize a social movement aiming at the reconsideration of the role of animals in research and improvement of their positions.
  • Animal Testing: Long and Unpretty History Nevertheless, that law was more focused on the welfare of animals in laboratories rather than on the prohibition of animal testing.
  • Animal Abuse Registry Justification Due to the extensive unfairness to the animals, the Veterinary department of most developed countries has established laws concerning the treatment care and support that animals have to be accorded with.
  • Animal Testing as an Unnecessary and Atrocious Practice Such acts of violence could be partially excused by the necessity to test medications that are developed to save human lives however, this kind of testing is even more inhumane as it is ineffective in […]
  • Richmond Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals In order to safeguard its mission, the organization runs several services, all of which aim at promoting the value of life and enhance the well-being of animals.
  • Animal Experiments and Inhuman Treatment Although the results of such a laboratory may bring answers to many questions in medicine, genetics, and other vital spheres, it is frequently a case that the treatment of such animals is inhumane and cruel. […]
  • Animal Testing for Scientific Research Despite the fact that the present-day science makes no secret of the use of animals for research purposes, not many people know what deprivation, pain, and misery those animals have to experience in laboratories.
  • Animal Testing and Ethics I believe it is also difficult to develop efficient legislation on the matter as people have different views on animal research and the line between ethical and unethical is blurred in this area.
  • Animal Testing: History and Ethics Moreover, in the twelfth century, another Arabic physician, Avenzoar dissected animals and established animal testing experiment in testing surgical processes prior to their application to man. Trevan in 1927 to evaluate the effectiveness of digitalis […]
  • Dealing With Animal Cruelty One of how animal cruelty is exercised is in the way they are used to obtain meat and eggs. Various strains of diseases arise in these areas and have the potential of becoming lethal to […]
  • Animal Testing Effects on Psychological Investigation In this context, ethical considerations remain a central theme in psychological research.”Ethics in research refers to the application of moral rules and professional codes of conduct to the collection, analysis, reporting, and publication of information […]
  • Animal Abuse as a Public Health Issue As we have seen, the problem of animal abuse, being linked to interpersonal violence, is directly related to the sphere of public health.
  • Animal Testing: Why It Is Still Being Used The major reason for such “devotion” to animal testing can be explained by the fact that alternative sources of testing are insufficient and too inaccurate to replace conventional way of testing.
  • Effects of Animal Testing and Alternatives Another challenge to the proponents of animal testing is related to dosage and the time line for a study. Animal rights values rebuff the notion that animals should have an importance to human beings in […]
  • Ethics Problems in Animal Experimentation In spite of the fact that it is possible to find the arguments to support the idea of using animals in experiments, animal experimentation cannot be discussed as the ethical procedure because animals have the […]
  • Animal Testing: Ethical Dilemmas in Business This means that both humans and animals have rights that need to be respected, and that is what brings about the many dilemmas that are experienced in this field.
  • Use of Animals in Research Testing: Ethical Justifications Involved The present paper argues that it is ethically justified to use animals in research settings if the goals of the research process are noble and oriented towards the advancement of human life.
  • Ethical Problems in Animal Experimentation The banning of companies from testing on animals will force the manufacturers to use conventional methods to test their drugs and products.
  • Utilitarianism for Animals: Testing and Experimentation There are alternatives in testing drugs such as tissue culture of human cells and hence this is bound to be more accurate in the findings.
  • Use of Animals in Biological Testing Thus, these veterinarians have realized that the results that are realized from the animal research are very crucial in the improvement of the health of human being as well as that of animals.
  • Experimentation on Animals However, critics of experimenting with animals argue that animals are subjected to a lot of pain and suffering in the course of coming up with scientific breakthroughs which in the long run may prove futile.
  • Psychoactive Drug Testing on Animals The alterations in behavioral traits of animals due to psychoactive drugs are primarily attributed to the changes in the brain functions or inhibition of certain brain components in animals which ultimately translates to changes in […]
  • On Animal Abuse and Cruelty In these cages, the animals are confined indoors for the whole year denying them their right to roam and feel the heat of the sun.
  • Negative Impacts of Animal Testing In many instances it can be proofed that drugs have been banned from the market after extensive research on animal testing and consuming a lot of cash, because of the dire effects that they cause […]
  • The Psychological Relationship Between Animal Abuse & Adolescents in the Judicial System
  • Animal Abuse and Cruelty Is Wrong Sociology
  • Unveiling the Global Issue of Animal Abuse and Its Impact on the World
  • Animal Abuse, Inhumane, and Inhumane Experimentation
  • The Unsettling Connection Between Animal Abuse and Domestic Abuse
  • The Link Between Animal Abuse and Domestic Violence
  • Politics, Human Nature, Science, and Animal Abuse in the Mouse Petition, a Poem by Anna Barbauld
  • Vets Struggle Against Animal Abuse
  • The Connection Between Animal Abuse and Other Violence
  • Animal Abuse: Why Protecting Bees Should Be Our Top Priority
  • The Circus and Animal Abuse
  • Animal Cruelty: Physical Abuse of Animal in Traditional Farm
  • Animal Cruelty: Animal Abuse as Dirty Play
  • Animal Abuse and Neglect of Animal
  • Animal Abuse and Animal Rights Nowadays
  • Enforcing Harsher Animal Abuse Penalties
  • Seaworld and PETA: The Need to Work Together to Address the Issues of Animal Abuse
  • Slaughterhouse Abuse and Animal Abuse
  • Fundamental Interests That Give Animals Both Moral and Legal Rights
  • How Can Animal Abuse Be Prevented
  • Should Animal Rights Activists Be Held Accountable for Abuse Videos
  • The Need for Social Change Regarding Animal Abuse
  • The Dark Side of Animal Experimentation and How to Avoid It
  • Reasons Why Using Animals for Hard Labor Is Inhumane
  • Critical Issues Concerning Animal Abuse
  • Animal Abuse and Other Types of Abuse
  • Animal Abuse: The Issue of Torturing of Animals
  • The Relationship Between Animal Abuse, Human Abuse, and Antisocial Behavior
  • Solutions for Cruelty to Animals
  • Animal Abuse Is Wrong and There Should Be Laws to Protect Them
  • The Relationship Between Animal Abuse and Criminal Behavior
  • Animal Rights, Welfare, and Abuse
  • Cultural Appropriation and Animal Abuse at Events
  • Animal Abuse: Animal Suffering in Factory Farms
  • Animal Abuse and Its Effects on America
  • The Argument for Stopping Animal Abuse
  • The Reasons Why Undeveloped Countries Care Less About Animal Rights
  • Animal Abuse and the Evolution of Animals Rights Movements From the 1900S
  • Animal Abuse and Its Effects on Society
  • Punishments for Animal Abuse Are Still Too Mild
  • What Animal Is the Most Abused in the World?
  • How Are Animals Abused in Animal Testing?
  • What Is the Main Reason for Animal Abuse?
  • How Many Animals Are Abused Each Year?
  • Is Hitting a Dog Animal Abuse?
  • When Did Animal Abuse Start?
  • What State Has the Highest Animal Abuse?
  • What Dog Breed Is the Most Abused?
  • Is Animal Abuse a Red Flag?
  • Why Do Kids Abuse Animals?
  • How Can We Stop Animal Abuse?
  • How Many Abused Animals Are Killed Every Day?
  • Is Animal Abuse Increasing or Decreasing?
  • How Many Animals Are Abused Each Day?
  • Why Do People Abuse Animals?
  • How Common Is Animal Abuse in the World?
  • What Percent of Animals Are Abused in Zoos?
  • Dogs and Cats: Which Animals Abused More?
  • Do Animals Forgive Their Abusers?
  • Does Your Animal Remember if You Abuse Them?
  • How Do I Say Sorry to My Abused Animal?
  • What Do You Do When Your Child Abuses the Animal?
  • Is Shouting at the Animal Abuse?
  • What Are the Arguments for Stopping Animal Abuse?
  • What Are the Facts About Animal Abuse?
  • What Happens if You Abuse an Animal?
  • What Is the Difference Between Animal Abuse and Animal Cruelty?
  • Where Are Animals Most Abused?
  • What Are the Types of Animal Abuse?
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Documenting Harm to the Voiceless: Researching Animal Abuse

  • First Online: 03 September 2021

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animal abuse research paper questions

  • Jennifer Maher 6  

Part of the book series: Palgrave Studies in Victims and Victimology ((PSVV))

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This chapter considers how harms against nonhuman animals have been documented in criminological research, associated challenges and implications for future research. The development of animal abuse research is examined and contributions from studies identifying, defining and measuring harm to nonhuman animals are discussed. It finds that although animal welfare laws exist in most countries, legislation typically addresses a few crimes against some nonhuman animals. Protections are limited because most harms are legal, falling outside the remit of mainstream criminology. Historically, few criminological studies have adopted an animal-centred nonspeciesist approach, contributing to a legacy of speciesism in social institutions, academia included. The development of animal abuse and critical animal studies challenges the status quo, greatly expanding concepts of victimology, while highlighting a broader spectrum of harms including interpersonal violence and everyday routine harms which exploit and kill nonhuman animals in their millions. These studies shine a light on the voiceless long-suffering nonhuman animal victims and the unique challenges facing animal abuse researchers.

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The rating produced by World Animal Protection involves a ranking of 50 countries according to their legislation and policy commitments to protecting animals (e.g. recognising animal protection, governance structures and systems, animal welfare standards, providing humane education and promoting communication and awareness). The Global Animal Law database ranks countries according to existing animal laws, civil code provisions and constitutional principles.

Other legislation exists which provides a lower standard of protect to other animals, such as the UK Wildlife & Countryside Act 1981 (see Nurse 2012 ).

See the RSCPA explanation of the five freedoms at https://www.rspca.org.uk/whatwedo/endcruelty/changingthelaw/whatwechanged/animalwelfareact .

In 1999, a protocol which explicitly recognised nonhuman animals as sentient beings was incorporated into the Lisbon Treaty (Article 13 of Title II). The UK has no legal instrument other than Article 13 of the Lisbon Treaty to legally recognise that nonhuman animals are sentient beings. In the aftermath of the UK vote to exit the EU, the Bill to transfer this protocol on nonhuman animal sentience into UK law, brought to Parliament on 15 November 2017, failed to be passed. Consequently, there is no legal recognition of nonhuman animal sentience in the UK.

Human-like rights does not equate to human rights for animals. For a more detailed discussion on rights for animals, see Regan ( 2004 ).

For example, Luke et al. ( 1997 ) study concluded that animal abusers were: five times more likely to commit violence against people; four times more likely to commit property crimes; and three times more likely to be involved in drunken or disorderly offenses. These results were determined from the criminal records of 153 intentional animal abusers prosecuted by the MSPCA, compared to the criminal history of a control group of offenders of the same size.

According to NGO Mighty Earth, South America is home to the world’s largest meat company JBS (Hurowitz et al. 2019 ).

See for example: USA department of Agriculture https://www.ers.usda.gov/ , UN food and Agriculture organisation— http://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#data , world beef production https://beef2live.com/storylist-242 .

See the US/UK/Australia and Canada total calculation of animals killed for the food industry. https://animalclock.org/ .

The recognition within UK welfare legislation of animals as objects to which we have a duty of care is in stark contrast to their treatment elsewhere in law—as inanimate objects or possibly subjects to control. Lawson ( 2019 ) identifies how some controls can lead directly to the destruction of ‘dangerous’ or ‘unwanted’ dogs. These dogs are vilified and treated as subjects accountable for the risk they might pose to humans even if the risk is created by the poor standards of care provided by humans from birth.

The Animal Enterprise Protection Act was expanded in 2006 into the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act.

For example, a search for ‘animal’ or ‘animal abuse/welfare’ on the UK’s largest funding organisation for research on economic and social issues (ESRC) website reveals funding for one software project which aids the identification of the illegal wildlife trade.

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Maher, J. (2021). Documenting Harm to the Voiceless: Researching Animal Abuse. In: Davies, P., Leighton, P., Wyatt, T. (eds) The Palgrave Handbook of Social Harm. Palgrave Studies in Victims and Victimology. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-72408-5_8

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Extending Animal Cruelty Protections to Scientific Research

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INTRODUCTION

On November 25, 2019, the federal law H.R. 724 – the Preventing Animal Cruelty and Torture Act (PACT) prohibiting the intentional harm of “living non-human mammals, birds, reptiles, or amphibians” was signed. [1] This law was a notable step in extending protections, rights, and respect to animals. While many similar state laws existed, the passing of a federal law signaled a new shift in public tone. PACT is a declaration of growing societal sentiments that uphold the necessity to shield our fellow creatures from undue harm. Protecting animals from the harm of citizens is undoubtedly important, but PACT does nothing to protect animals from state-sanctioned harm, particularly in the form of research, which causes death and cruelty. It is time to extend and expand protections for animals used in research.

There is a long history of animal experimentation in the US, but no meaningful ethical protections of animals emerged until the 20 th century. Proscription of human experimentation and dissection led to animals bearing the brunt of harm for scientific and medical progress. For instance, English physician William Harvey discovered the heart did not continuously produce blood but instead recirculated it; he made this discovery by dissecting and bleeding out living dogs without anesthesia. [2] Experiments like this were considered ethically tenable for hundreds of years. Philosophers like Immanuel Kant, Thomas Aquinas, and Rene Descartes held that humans have no primary moral obligations to animals and that one should be concerned about the treatment of an animal only because it could indicate how one would treat a human. [3] During the 20 th century, as agriculture became more industrialized and government funding for animal research increased, the social demand for ethical regulations finally began to shift. In 1966, the Animal Welfare Act (Public Law 89-544) marked the first American federal legislation to protect laboratory animals, setting standards for use of animals in research. [4]

There has been progress in the field of animal research ethics since Harvey’s experiments, but much work remains. In the US alone, there are an estimated 20 million mice, fish, birds, and invertebrates used for animal research each year that are not regulated by the Animal Welfare Act. [5] Instead, the “3Rs Alternatives” approach (“reduce, replace, and refine”) [6] is one framework used to guide ethical treatment of animals not covered by federal protections. Unfortunately, unpacking the meaning and details of this approach only leads to ambiguity and minimal actionable guidance. For instance, an experimenter could reduce the number of animals used in research but subsequently increase the number of experiments conducted on the remaining animals. Replace could be used in the context of replacing one species with another. Refining is creating “any decrease in the severity of inhumane procedures applied to those animals, which still have to be used.” [7] The vague “ any ” implies that even a negligible minimization would be ethically acceptable. [8] An experimenter could technically follow each of the “3Rs” with minimal to no reduction in harm to the animals. One must also consider whether it is coherent to refer to guidelines as ethical when they inevitably produce pain, suffering, and death as consequences of research participation.

Other ethical guides like Humane Endpoints for Laboratory Animals Used in Regulatory Testing [9] encourage researchers to euthanize animals that undergo intractable pain or distress. This is a fate that an estimated one million animals face yearly in the US. [10] However, to use the word “humane” in this context contradicts the traditional meaning and undermines the integrity of the word. Taking living creatures, forcing them to experience intractable pain and suffering for human benefit, and killing them is the antithesis of what it means to be humane. During one of my Animal Ethics classes as a graduate student, our cohort visited an animal research facility to help inform our opinions on animal research. We observed one of the euthanasia chambers for lab mice – an enclosed metal lab bench with a sign above describing methods for euthanasia if CO 2 asphyxiation were to fail. The methods included decapitation, removal of vital organs, opening of the chest cavity, incision of major blood vessels, and cervical dislocation. [11] Behind us were rows and rows of see-through shoebox-sized containers housing five mice in each little box. Thousands of mice were packed together in this room for the sole purpose of breeding. If the mice were not the correct “type” for research, then they were “humanely” euthanized. “Humane,” in this context, has been deprived of its true meaning.

One can acknowledge that animal research was historically necessary for scientific progress, but those that currently claim these practices are still required must show empirically and undoubtedly this is true. As of now, this is not a settled issue. In the scientific community, there is contention about whether current animal research is actually applicable to humans. [12] Many drug researchers even view animal testing as a tedious barrier to development as it may be wholly irrelevant to the drug or medical device being tested. Since 1962, the FDA has required preclinical testing in animals; it is time to question whether this is necessary or helpful for drug development.

The scientific community should stop viewing animal testing as an unavoidable evil in the search for medical and technological innovation. PACT should be amended and extended to all animals and the FDA should modify the requirement for preclinical animal testing of all drugs and medical devices. It is time to encourage the scientific community to find alternative research methods that do not sacrifice our fellow animals. We use animals as test subjects because, in some sense, they resemble humans. But, if they are indeed like humans, they should receive similar protections. Science builds a better world for humans, but perhaps it is time for science to be more inclusive and build a better world for all creatures.

[1] Theodore E. Deutch, “Text - H.R.724 - 116th Congress (2019-2020): Preventing Animal Cruelty and Torture Act,” legislation, November 25, 2019, 2019/2020, https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/724/text.

[2] Anita Guerrini, “Experiments, Causation, and the Uses of Vivisection in the First Half of the Seventeenth Century,” Journal of the History of Biology 46, no. 2 (2013): 227–54.

[3] Bernard E. Rollin, “The Regulation of Animal Research and the Emergence of Animal Ethics: A Conceptual History,” Theoretical Medicine and Bioethics 27, no. 4 (September 28, 2006): 285–304, https://doi.org/10.1007/s11017-006-9007-8; Darian M Ibrahim, “A Return to Descartes: Property, Profit, and the Corporate Ownership of Animals,” LAW AND CONTEMPORARY PROBLEMS 70 (n.d.): 28.

[4] Benjamin Adams and Jean Larson, “Legislative History of the Animal Welfare Act: Introduction | Animal Welfare Information Center| NAL | USDA,” accessed November 3, 2021, https://www.nal.usda.gov/awic/legislative-history-animal-welfare-act-introduction.

[5] National Research Council (US) and Institute of Medicine (US) Committee on the Use of Laboratory Animals in Biomedical and Behavioral Research, Patterns of Animal Use , Use of Laboratory Animals in Biomedical and Behavioral Research (National Academies Press (US), 1988), https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK218261/.

[6] Robert C. Hubrecht and Elizabeth Carter, “The 3Rs and Humane Experimental Technique: Implementing Change,” Animals: An Open Access Journal from MDPI 9, no. 10 (September 30, 2019): 754, https://doi.org/10.3390/ani9100754.

[7] Hubrecht and Carter.

[8] Hubrecht and Carter.                           

[9] William S. Stokes, “Humane Endpoints for Laboratory Animals Used in Regulatory Testing,” ILAR Journal 43, no. Suppl_1 (January 1, 2002): S31–38, https://doi.org/10.1093/ilar.43.Suppl_1.S31.

[10] Stokes.

[11] “Euthanasia of Research Animals,” accessed April 21, 2022, https://services-web.research.uci.edu/compliance/animalcare-use/research-policies-and-guidance/euthanasia.html.

[12] Neal D. Barnard and Stephen R. Kaufman, “Animal Research Is Wasteful and Misleading,” Scientific American 276, no. 2 (1997): 80–82.

Chad Childers

MS Bioethics Candidate Harvard Medical School Center for Bioethics

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106 Animal Cruelty Essay Topics

🏆 best essay topics on animal cruelty, ✍️ animal cruelty essay topics for college, 🎓 most interesting animal cruelty research titles, 💡 simple animal cruelty essay ideas, ❓ animal cruelty research questions.

  • Is Animal Testing Ethical: Essay Example
  • Animal Testing: Benefits and Disadvantages
  • Nestlé Animal Testing and Business Ethics
  • The Animal Testing Problem
  • Protection of Animals and Humans From Cruelty
  • Animal Use in Scientific Testing Should Be Stopped
  • The Animal Cruelty Issue and Its Causes
  • The Problem of Using Animals in Experimentation Testing on animals in the lab provides researchers with valuable knowledge regarding a particular disease, how it could be treated, and using which medicines.
  • The Use of Animals in Psychological Experiments The method of experimentation is of great significance for multiple fields of psychology, especially for the behaviorist branch.
  • The Ethical Side of Animal Testing In this article, the author reflects on the ethical nature of the use of animals as objects of scientific research.
  • Animal Testing: Use of Animal in Biomedical Research The research paper shall attempt to explore the reasons for and against the use of animal testing in biomedical research.
  • Save Animals: Experimentation Should Be Stopped The paper proves that animal experimentation should be stopped. It addresses statistical data and the outcomes of animal testing, offering possible solutions to the problem.
  • Scientific Experiments on Animals from Ethical Perspectives This paper discusses using animals in scientific experiments from the consequentialist, Kantian deontological and Donna Yarri’s Christian character-based perspectives.
  • Law: Animal Testing Debates Cosmetics industry heavily employs animal testing. It is noteworthy that fighters for animals’ rights have managed to achieve a lot in their fight.
  • Animal Testing and How It Should Continue It is essential to understand that animal testing should continue or find a new acceptable form as the possible benefits outweigh the drawbacks.
  • Animals Testing for Cosmetic or Medical Purposes Should Not Be Allowed Experiments on animals are not a valid method either for investigating the various causes of human diseases or for developing a treatment for them.
  • Lab Experiment on Animals’ Taste or Smell Senses The hypothesis of the study is that taste perception and detection of different sugars by insects were similar to that of humans.
  • Animal Testing in the Modern World The current debate is on whether animal experiments have any value or they only amount to torturing animals to satisfy human curiosity.
  • Animal Testing: Evaluation, Prediction and Risk The issue of animal testing is a complex issue. The way animal testing is conducted is changing as animal-friendly groups are lobbying for a tougher control on the discipline.
  • Animal Experimentation: The Theory of Utilitarianism This moral issue concerns animal experimentation. It is related to the theory of Utilitarianism, the idea of which induces preference of practical changes over morally obstacles.
  • Should Animals Be Used for Scientific Experiments? Unfortunately, at the moment, the use of animals in science and medicine cannot be excluded entirely. However, it is possible to conduct experiments using mathematical models.
  • Animal Testing: Finding an Alternative It is possible to find a less cruel alternative to animal testing in the context of present-day development. This paper reviews the supporting arguments for this position.
  • The Controversies of Animal Testing The unbalanced ecosystem is probably the best-known and publicized example, with several others being primarily of ethical origin. Animal testing falls into this category.
  • Animal Testing: The Notion of the 21st Century Cruelty The paper names animal testing as one of the most vivid examples of cruelty, in terms of which animals are to suffer from medical or cosmetic experiments.
  • Saving the Animals: Stop Animal Testing In the article, the author argues why animal testing should be banned and replaced with alternative research methods.
  • Animal Testing in the Modern World Animal testing should be used for both commercial and scientific purposes as long as the outcome results in a direct benefit for humankind.
  • Ethics: Experiments on Animals Industrial and biomedical research is often painful and most of the test ends up killing the animals. Experiments such as these often incur the wrath of the animal rights movement.
  • Animal Experimentation: Arguments For and Against The controversy surrounding animal experimentation is a serious concern that should be addressed by considering views from both sides.
  • Vegetarian Diet and Animal Testing Theory The ethical preference of a vegetarian diet may be proved with the theory if one considers the consequences of every person choosing to be vegetarian.
  • Animal Testing and Alternatives Development Despite the concern voiced by its opponents, animal testing remains a viable practice that is both beneficial and important for humans and, to some degree, animals.
  • Using Animals in Medical Experiments This paper explores how the principles of the character-based ethical approach can be applied to the discussion of using animals in the medical research and experiments.
  • Ancient Rome’s Animal Cruelty for Entertainment in the Amphi-Theatre
  • Childhood Animal Cruelty and Interpersonal Violence
  • Animal Cruelty: Should Animals Be Treated With Dignity?
  • Harsher Punishment for Perpetrators in Animal Cruelty Crimes
  • Animal Cruelty Facts: Understanding the Law and the Link
  • The Reasons Why Purchasing Meat Supports Animal Cruelty
  • Animal Cruelty: Physical Abuse of Animal in Traditional Farm
  • Physical and Environmental Signs of Animal Cruelty
  • Associations Between Different Motivations for Animal Cruelty, Methods of Animal Cruelty, and Facets of Impulsivity
  • Enforcing Sympathy: Animal Cruelty Doctrine After the Civil War
  • What Does the Bible Say About Animal Cruelty?
  • Animal Cruelty: Fights for Animal Rights – Help Them Living a Better Life
  • The Link Between Domestic Violence and Abuse and Animal Cruelty in the Intimate Relationships of People of Diverse Genders
  • Animal Abuse and Interpersonal Violence: The Cruelty Connection and Its Implications for Veterinary Pathology
  • Animal Cruelty and Its Effect on Society
  • Potential Causal Relationship Between Animal Cruelty and Family Violence
  • Animal Cruelty and Public Health Hazards in the Factory Farming Industry
  • Childhood Animal Cruelty Motives and Their Relationship to Recurrent Adult Interpersonal Crimes
  • Just a Dog: Understanding Animal Cruelty and Ourselves
  • Animal Cruelty Laws on Abuse, Torture, and Abandonment
  • Why Animal Cruelty Should Receive Maximum Jail Time
  • Animal Cruelty as a Sentinel for Human Violence
  • 11 Signs of Animal Cruelty and How You Can Help
  • Stopping Animal Testing and Vivisection by Passing a Bill Against Animal Cruelty
  • Animal Cruelty: Early Signs of Violence
  • Animal Cruelty and Domestic Violence
  • Palliative Animal Law: The War on Animal Cruelty
  • Getting Away With Animal Cruelty
  • The Link Between Animal Cruelty and Violent Crime Victimization
  • Animal Cruelty and Its Effects on Children
  • Health, Environment Issues, and Being Against Animal Cruelty as the Major Reasons Why You Should Go Vegan
  • Animal Cruelty and Testing in the United States
  • Ways to Prevent Cruelty to Animals
  • Animal Cruelty: A Serious Crime Leading to Horrific Outcomes
  • The Fight Against Animal Cruelty
  • Animal Cruelty: Pathway to Violence Against People
  • What Is Animal Cruelty and What Are Its Main Types?
  • How America Can Efficiently Solve the Problems of Animal Cruelty
  • Animal Cruelty and Vital Aspect of Medical Advancement
  • World Hunger, Animal Cruelty, and Animal Exploitation
  • Risk Factors for the Development of Animal Cruelty
  • Animal Cruelty as a Gateway Crime
  • Humans Should Not Engage in Animal Cruelty
  • Tougher Punishments for Animal Cruelty Crimes in England
  • What Is the Most Common Animal Being Abused?
  • Relationship Between Animal Cruelty and Antisocial Behaviors
  • Animal Cruelty: Dog Fighting
  • The Psychology of Animal Cruelty
  • The Causes and Effects of Animal Cruelty
  • Animal Cruelty: What Can We Do to Stop It?
  • How Does Animal Cruelty Affect the Society?
  • What Are the Effects of Animal Cruelty?
  • How Many Types of Animal Cruelty Are There?
  • What Is the Main Problem With Animal Cruelty?
  • Is There the Link Between Animal Cruelty and Human Violence?
  • What Causes Animal Cruelty?
  • Why Is Factory Farming the Largest Cause of Animal Abuse in History?
  • Is Animal Cruelty a Moral Issue?
  • What Are the Main Types of Animal Cruelty?
  • When Did Animal Cruelty Start?
  • Is There a Punishment for Animal Cruelty?
  • What Is the Largest Source of Animal Cruelty?
  • Why Should We Avoid Animal Cruelty?
  • How Can We Stop Animal Cruelty in India?
  • What Is the Maximum Punishment for Animal Cruelty in the World?
  • Is Animal Cruelty a Jail Sentence?
  • What Will Happen if We Don’t Stop Animal Cruelty?
  • Where Is Animal Cruelty Happening Most?
  • What Is the Punishment for Animal Cruelty in India?
  • Does Animal Cruelty Affect Humans?
  • What State of the USA Has the Highest Rate of Animal Cruelty?
  • Is Animal Cruelty a Social Justice Issue?
  • What Are the Best Ways to Help Stop Animal Cruelty?
  • How Does Animal Cruelty Affect the Environment?
  • What Are the Acts of Cruelty to Animals?

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Good Survey Questions for Animal Cruelty

Animal cruelty is a sensitive subject, and many people may struggle to find the correct questions to ask. a severe issue like this necessitates thorough planning and survey design. we've included actual survey questions about animal cruelty that we created and used in public research..

1 minute to complete

Eligibility

There are no specific eligibility requirements to fill out a survey on animal cruelty. However, it is important to be aware of the sensitivity of the topic and to be respectful of the opinions of others.

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Questions for Good Survey Questions for Animal Cruelty

Did you grow up with pets?

How many pets do you currently own?

Have you witnessed what you consider to be animal abuse before?

Do you consider any of the below scenarios animal abuse? (Select all that applicable)

  • Leaving a pet in a hot car
  • Leaving a pet in a cold car
  • Not providing food and water
  • Organized dog fight
  • Overcrowding pets at home
  • Caging the wild animals at Zoo
  • Using the animals at circus
  • Physically punishing an animal
  • Using them at lab

Do you feel badly about how these types of animals are typically treated?

  • Zoo Animals
  • Circus Animals
  • Wild animals that are hunted
  • Factory farmed animals

How concerned are you about animal abuse?

  • Extremely concerned
  • Very concerned
  • Somewhat concerned
  • Not so concerned
  • Not at all concerned

Do you believe more should be done to prevent animal abuse where you live?

How would you rank the below issues by importance? (1 is highest, 5 is lowest)

Is animal cruelty an issue that still occurs today?

  • Strongly disagree
  • Neither agree nor disagree
  • Strongly agree

Are you aware of the PACT (Preventing Animal Cruelty and Torture Act)?

“Humanities true moral test, it’s a fundamental test...consists of its attitude toward those who are at its mercy: animals”-Milan Kundera. Do you agree with this quote?

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What is animal cruelty, animal cruelty is a term that encompasses acts of violence, neglect, or malicious killing of an animal. it can also include not providing an animal with basic necessities like food or water. types of animal cruelty range from unintentional (unprovoked) acts to intentional (provoked) acts., why is animal abuse a concern, animal abuse is a concern because it often does not end within a single time or with a single animal. humans if not punished or warned would continue to harm and abuse other animals., want to use this template, loved by people at home and at work.

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Animal behavior research is getting better at keeping observer bias from sneaking in – but there’s still room to improve

animal abuse research paper questions

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Animal behavior research relies on careful observation of animals. Researchers might spend months in a jungle habitat watching tropical birds mate and raise their young. They might track the rates of physical contact in cattle herds of different densities. Or they could record the sounds whales make as they migrate through the ocean.

Animal behavior research can provide fundamental insights into the natural processes that affect ecosystems around the globe, as well as into our own human minds and behavior.

I study animal behavior – and also the research reported by scientists in my field. One of the challenges of this kind of science is making sure our own assumptions don’t influence what we think we see in animal subjects. Like all people, how scientists see the world is shaped by biases and expectations, which can affect how data is recorded and reported. For instance, scientists who live in a society with strict gender roles for women and men might interpret things they see animals doing as reflecting those same divisions .

The scientific process corrects for such mistakes over time, but scientists have quicker methods at their disposal to minimize potential observer bias. Animal behavior scientists haven’t always used these methods – but that’s changing. A new study confirms that, over the past decade, studies increasingly adhere to the rigorous best practices that can minimize potential biases in animal behavior research.

Black and white photo of a horse with a man and a small table between them displaying three upright cards.

Biases and self-fulfilling prophecies

A German horse named Clever Hans is widely known in the history of animal behavior as a classic example of unconscious bias leading to a false result.

Around the turn of the 20th century , Clever Hans was purported to be able to do math. For example, in response to his owner’s prompt “3 + 5,” Clever Hans would tap his hoof eight times. His owner would then reward him with his favorite vegetables. Initial observers reported that the horse’s abilities were legitimate and that his owner was not being deceptive.

However, careful analysis by a young scientist named Oskar Pfungst revealed that if the horse could not see his owner, he couldn’t answer correctly. So while Clever Hans was not good at math, he was incredibly good at observing his owner’s subtle and unconscious cues that gave the math answers away.

In the 1960s, researchers asked human study participants to code the learning ability of rats. Participants were told their rats had been artificially selected over many generations to be either “bright” or “dull” learners. Over several weeks, the participants ran their rats through eight different learning experiments.

In seven out of the eight experiments , the human participants ranked the “bright” rats as being better learners than the “dull” rats when, in reality, the researchers had randomly picked rats from their breeding colony. Bias led the human participants to see what they thought they should see.

Eliminating bias

Given the clear potential for human biases to skew scientific results, textbooks on animal behavior research methods from the 1980s onward have implored researchers to verify their work using at least one of two commonsense methods.

One is making sure the researcher observing the behavior does not know if the subject comes from one study group or the other. For example, a researcher would measure a cricket’s behavior without knowing if it came from the experimental or control group.

The other best practice is utilizing a second researcher, who has fresh eyes and no knowledge of the data, to observe the behavior and code the data. For example, while analyzing a video file, I count chickadees taking seeds from a feeder 15 times. Later, a second independent observer counts the same number.

Yet these methods to minimize possible biases are often not employed by researchers in animal behavior, perhaps because these best practices take more time and effort.

In 2012, my colleagues and I reviewed nearly 1,000 articles published in five leading animal behavior journals between 1970 and 2010 to see how many reported these methods to minimize potential bias. Less than 10% did so. By contrast, the journal Infancy, which focuses on human infant behavior, was far more rigorous: Over 80% of its articles reported using methods to avoid bias.

It’s a problem not just confined to my field. A 2015 review of published articles in the life sciences found that blind protocols are uncommon . It also found that studies using blind methods detected smaller differences between the key groups being observed compared to studies that didn’t use blind methods, suggesting potential biases led to more notable results.

In the years after we published our article, it was cited regularly and we wondered if there had been any improvement in the field. So, we recently reviewed 40 articles from each of the same five journals for the year 2020.

We found the rate of papers that reported controlling for bias improved in all five journals , from under 10% in our 2012 article to just over 50% in our new review. These rates of reporting still lag behind the journal Infancy, however, which was 95% in 2020.

All in all, things are looking up, but the animal behavior field can still do better. Practically, with increasingly more portable and affordable audio and video recording technology, it’s getting easier to carry out methods that minimize potential biases. The more the field of animal behavior sticks with these best practices, the stronger the foundation of knowledge and public trust in this science will become.

  • Animal behavior
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animal abuse research paper questions

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  1. Cruelty to Animals Essay

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  2. 💄 Animal abuse essay papers. Free Animal Abuse Essays and Papers. 2022

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  4. ⭐ Animal cruelty research paper. Animal Cruelty Essay: Most Exciting

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  6. Animal Abuse Essays

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  1. Worst ANIMAL ABUSE

  2. Animal Abuse Cases On The Rise In Oklahoma

  3. Animal Abuse: A Legal Definition

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  5. University of Florida veterinary students learn to detect, document animal cruelty

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COMMENTS

  1. 110 Animal Abuse Essay Topic Ideas & Examples

    Animal Testing and Environmental Protection. While the proponents of animal use in research argued that the sacrifice of animals' lives is crucial for advancing the sphere of medicine, the argument this essay will defend relates to the availability of modern […] Animal Cruelty as an Ethical and Moral Problem.

  2. Understanding the Link between Animal Cruelty and Family Violence: The

    The primary goal of this paper is to introduce the bioecological systems model and propose that professionals addressing and/or treating an animal or a human being who have been subjected to abuse are uniquely situated to act in the role of 'first responders' when they suspect or recognize animal abuse, human abuse, and family violence ...

  3. Animal Abuse and Interpersonal Violence:

    Cruelty to animals is a widespread phenomenon with serious implications for animal welfare, individual and societal well-being, veterinary medicine in general, and veterinary pathology in particular. 65 Extensive research has identified acts of animal cruelty, abuse, and neglect as crimes that may be indicators and/or predictors of crimes of ...

  4. Recognizing and responding to cases of suspected animal cruelty, abuse

    More than 1,000 journal and mainstream publications address animal cruelty, abuse, and neglect as linked to human health and safety and as worthy of a multidisciplinary professional response. 49 Over 100 of these are specific to veterinary recognition and reporting issues. 50 - 61 Varying findings were reported in several surveys of ...

  5. Documenting Harm to the Voiceless: Researching Animal Abuse

    Abstract. This chapter considers how harms against nonhuman animals have been documented in criminological research, associated challenges and implications for future research. The development of animal abuse research is examined and contributions from studies identifying, defining and measuring harm to nonhuman animals are discussed.

  6. (PDF) The Psychology of Animal Cruelty: An Introduction ...

    of Research and Education in Forensic Psychology, School of Psychology, University of. Kent, Canterbury, Kent, CT2 7NP. E mail: [email protected]. Abstract. As guest editors for Psychology ...

  7. Animal Cruelty and Neighborhood Conditions

    1.1. Animal Cruelty and Human Relationships/Domestic Violence. The relationship between animal cruelty and domestic violence has been extensively studied [].Forty-seven to seventy one percent of women in domestic violence shelters indicated that their partners had abused or threatened their pets [].Research comparing women that had and had not been abused found that cruelty to pets was ...

  8. Extending Animal Cruelty Protections to Scientific Research

    On November 25, 2019, the federal law H.R. 724 - the Preventing Animal Cruelty and Torture Act (PACT) prohibiting the intentional harm of "living non-human mammals, birds, reptiles, or amphibians" was signed. [1] This law was a notable step in extending protections, rights, and respect to animals. While many similar state laws existed ...

  9. PDF The impact of animal cruelty and future interpersonal violence: a

    2016). The FBI's justification for separating animal cruelty into an independent category was to identify possible patterns between animal abuse and other offenses (FBI, 2016). At the time of this research, animal cruelty data had only been reported to the FBI's NBIRS for 2016, 2017, and 2018.

  10. Recognizing and responding to cases of suspected animal cruelty, abuse

    This article reviews these changes, discusses abuse as a matter of animal welfare and public health, and summarizes research describing animal abuse as a possible indicator and predictor of interpersonal violence. Five steps that helped build human health care's response to child abuse, domestic violence, and elder abuse, and that are ...

  11. Animal Abuse as a Type of Trauma: Lessons for Human and Animal Service

    Research literature addressing the link between animal abuse and other forms of violence ("the link") is discussed. Articles selected for review were published in a peer-reviewed journal, relevant to some aspect of the link between animal abuse and child abuse and/or domestic violence, used either a national or a longitudinal database, or ...

  12. A Qualitative Study of Children's Accounts of Cruelty to Animals

    The second set of tasks (vignettes and open questions, CAI) were used to more specifically answer the second research question, on children's understanding of animal cruelty behavior. These tasks focused on the treatment of animals, asking about animal cruelty, how children understood motivations for harm, and whether they understood how this ...

  13. (PDF) Animal Cruelty: A Review

    Animal welfare concerns are reported in different forms and in different species, and dogs are one of the most commonly reported victims [9]. Concerns may involve violence [10,11], injuries caused ...

  14. Investigating Animal Abuse: Some Theoretical and Methodological Issues

    This paper focuses on some basic issues that have been an object of debate in the last few years in the field of human-animal studies, namely the meaning and definition of animal abuse, the ...

  15. The dark side of the animal experiments

    The use of animals in research has increasingly continued, although there are serious concerns about appropriate methodology, moral issues and translation to clinical practice. ... many footages released from many experienced animal research centers all over the world reveal the maltreatment and abuse of animals.[12-15] Addition of previously ...

  16. PDF Animal abuse and child maltreatment: a review of the literature and

    This report attempts to move forward the debate about child and animal maltreatment in the UK context in two ways. In the first part, a critical literature analysis reviews the nature of the existing international research base into the co-existence of animal and child abuse.

  17. 106 Animal Cruelty Essay Topics & Research Titles at StudyCorgi

    The paper names animal testing as one of the most vivid examples of cruelty, in terms of which animals are to suffer from medical or cosmetic experiments. Saving the Animals: Stop Animal Testing In the article, the author argues why animal testing should be banned and replaced with alternative research methods.

  18. Animal abuse in the United States' circus industry: A comparative case

    The purpose of. this study is to analyze the prevalence of animal abuse in the industry and to draw conclusions to. how the growing anti-animal movement is impacting the circus and vice versa with how a. circus's actions impact public perception via three comparative case analysis. This study seeks to.

  19. Animal cruelty, pet abuse & violence: the missed dangerous connection

    The mistreatment and abuse of animals is a significant indicator of violence towards humans, up to and including intimate partner abuse, sexual assault, rape, murder. All too often mental health ...

  20. Good Survey Questions for Animal Cruelty

    Animal cruelty is a sensitive subject, and many people may struggle to find the correct questions to ask. A severe issue like this necessitates thorough planning and survey design. We've included actual survey questions about animal cruelty that we created and used in public research.

  21. The Flaws and Human Harms of Animal Experimentation

    Introduction. Annually, more than 115 million animals are used worldwide in experimentation or to supply the biomedical industry. 1 Nonhuman animal (hereafter "animal") experimentation falls under two categories: basic (i.e., investigation of basic biology and human disease) and applied (i.e., drug research and development and toxicity and safety testing).

  22. Animal behavior research is getting better at keeping observer bias

    We found the rate of papers that reported controlling for bias improved in all five journals, from under 10% in our 2012 article to just over 50% in our new review.These rates of reporting still ...

  23. Abuse Practice of Power in Orwell's Animal Farm

    practice of power in Animal Farm. I n this research paper, "The Abuse of Power in George Orwell's Animal Farm" we. pinpointed the twentieth century modern pe riod and modern novels as the ...