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  • Essay / Overview of animal rights issues that can be identified nowadays

    First of all, one of the animal rights issues that can be identified is cosmetic testing on animals. According to an estimate by the Humane Society International, approximately 100,000 to 200,000 animals suffer and die each year due to cosmetic testing. During these tests, the said animals suffer as they experience many dangerous complications such as skin irritation and eye irritation due to toxins used in cosmetic products. For example, animals undergo chemical substances contained in the throat, in the eyes and even on shaved skin in order to analyze the effects of cosmetic products and ensure the safety of humans when using these products. These tests will decide whether these cosmetic products will cause diseases or health complications such as cancer or birth defects. Most cosmetic companies also conduct lethal dose testing, in which animals are forced to consume large amounts of chemicals to determine what dose can cause death. As a result, tested animals will experience excruciating pain due to organ damage and seizures. It can therefore be concluded that cosmetic testing is considered extremely inhumane and unnecessary. The death of animals can lead to a rapid decline in the animal population. Perhaps more worrying is the fact that many animals do not survive the animal testing process and are subsequently disposed of in large numbers. This leads to environmental exposure to toxins and disease. In other words, the disposal process presents potentially dangerous exposure to biological hazards, including radioactive materials. Therefore, it can cause irreparable damage to the ecosystem, leading to disruption of the food chain when apex predators disappear. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an Original Essay Secondly, another animal rights issue that can be identified is that of animals held captive in zoos. The American Zoo and Aquarium Association (AWA) has certified 233 zoos and aquariums. The U.S. Division of Agriculture also offered licenses to approximately 2,400 "animal exhibitors." These animal exhibitors use their licenses to run roadside zoos and petting zoos, both of which are notorious for animal abuse. Zoos participate in animal abuse by benefiting from the visitor attention and conservation grants they obtain while keeping animals in captivity with a poor quality of life. Since 1995, U.S. zoos have used antidepressants and antipsychotic medications to treat depression and aggressive behavior in zoo animals across the country. Apart from this, zoos also cause trauma to animals. For example, zoos are generally only interested in baby chimpanzees and not adults. So, only baby chimpanzees are captured in the wild and when captured, these baby chimpanzees experience trauma since adult chimpanzees are usually slaughtered in front of them. Many baby chimpanzees have been injured during capture and some even die before reaching their respective zoos. Additionally, zoos are also interested in capturing major wildlife predators, such as lions and tigers. According to Oregon State University, which has conducted more than 42 studies over the past 50 years, it has been found that..