animal rights vs animal welfare

[ouroboreos]

i see a llooottt of people use these terms interchangeably, so ig this is more about wanting to hear what you guys have to say and what those things mean to you? many people think they're the same thing so i was just wondering!

[blazesong]

Animal rights - think animals should be allowed to do what they want/not used to benefit humans( anti-zoo anti-pet ect)
animal wellfare - Think animals can be used to benefit humans solong as the animals are happy

[Lonin]

Animal right is where animals should have the same or similar rights as humans. So not used for food, entertainment, as pets etc.
Welfare is fine with using animals as food, pets or whatever as long as suffering is eliminated or reduced as much as possible. So it's ok to eat them as long as they're treated well while they're alive and killed in a way that minimizes harm or it's ok to keep them in a zoo if they're in a suitable enclosure and given enrichment activities.

They're definitely not interchangeable.

[Geralt&Ciri<3]

I’m all for Welfare they don’t got far give piles of propaganda or make ridiculous claims.
They aren’t against Zoos, eating animals, pets or using animals.

RIghts on the other hand are against many if not all things we do with animals! As for PETA they are the worst of all, nasty hypocritical.

[bananapudding]

I study this sort of thing in school actually ^^

In a nutshell, animal welfare is providing an animal a high quality of life, as impacted by human actions.
An influential canadian researcher in this field came up with the idea that there are three "categories" of welfare: biological function (body), psychological state (mind) and behavioral well being (nature).
Especially in food animal production/agriculture animal welfare is becoming increasingly important topic!

[rancidram]

Personally, I'm kind of on both sides.
I'm all for using cows, pigs, chickens, and basic livestock for food, as long as they animal is killed humanely and nothing is wasted.
I don't support using fur, whales and big cats in captivity, or having animals like venomous snakes, big cats, wolf/wolf hybrids, or predatory birds as pets. I think animals like that belong in the wild or in a sanctuary of some sort and not with humans as household pets.

[minimire]

Personally, I'm kind of on both sides.
I'm all for using cows, pigs, chickens, and basic livestock for food, as long as they animal is killed humanely and nothing is wasted.
I don't support using fur, whales and big cats in captivity, or having animals like venomous snakes, big cats, wolf/wolf hybrids, or predatory birds as pets. I think animals like that belong in the wild or in a sanctuary of some sort and not with humans as household pets.

out of curiousity, may i know if you would be okay with fur if those animals were killed humanely?

[2ShotWhiskey]

This is a very important topic to discuss.

Full disclosure: I have a degree in Animal Science with a concentration in Industry and a Minor in Agricultural Business Management. I am currently a horse farm manager.

If you look in my bio, you actually can see that in my interests that I list "Animal Welfare". Welfare vs. Rights has been correctly described in the posts above mine, so I will not go into their definitions again. However, It is extremely important to distinguish between the two - you can be an avid animal lover, and still support Animal Welfare - and that is for all animals, not just livestock. Whether it be a dog, cat, lizard, horse, or pig, they all deserve to have access to clean food/water, be mentally stimulated, be maintained in a safe way, and be able to express themselves naturally (behaviorally).

Personally, I feel that more people should push for animal welfare. Treat the animals in captivity or in farming as humanely and naturally as possible. We all know that there are some animals in captivity that cannot be returned to the wild for various reasons. As long as these animals are taken care of and maintained, why can't they be in captivity?

Having been in both the agricultural and pet industries, I can honestly say I have not met a person who was purely for animal rights and not animal welfare. I have also not encountered someone who was fanatical about animal rights (such as most PETA supporters) in my day to day workings. There have been instances where these types of people have verbally attacked my colleagues. I know there are bad apples in every bunch, however, PETA has made false claims again and again and produced inflammatory propaganda that is based on footage out of context.

We are all here because we love animals (if you don't at least like animals... i feel as if CS is not the place for you). At the end of the day, we do not want to see animals suffer. Ensuring our animals are healthy and happy is key to owning a pet/farm/zoo/aquarium. Happy and healthy animals produce the best "product" - whether that be milk, meat, wool, a running buddy, a riding buddy, or a teaching tool. Therefore, if we wish to surround ourselves with animals in all facets, we must consider our impact on them and their lives and wellbeing; always striving for the best possible life for them.

But hey, that's just the tip of the iceberg for me. And my 2 cents.

[virtualpet]

Animal welfare is also sometimes better for the environment, faux fur is made of plastic and can be a major issue since it doesn't decompose and sometimes scavengers will think it's real and try to eat it (which leads to choking and often death). Many animals also need human care due to domestication, sheep being one example because they can't regulate their coat and need to be sheared. Zoos and aquariums can also serve a good purpose, provided they are ethical of course, where they can help to rehabilitate animals and educate people.

-{Farly}

[Strillers]

I lean towards animal rights myself, though I think the terms "animal rights" and "animal welfare" are pretty vague honestly.

I personally feel animals should have a right to life and to not suffer unnecessarily at the hands of humans (hence why I'm a vegan). However, I do think that some things that some people might class as "animal exploitation" can be good and not negatively affect the animals, such as grazing management in conservation, and the use of service animals (so long as they're done with the welfare of the animals in mind). In general animal welfare means "exploitation ok, with caveats" and animal rights tends to mean "no exploitation at all", but I think as individuals with nuance it's possible to appreciate aspects of both ideas, and to admit that situations involving animal use can be complex.