This week I have started the book, Rattling the Cage by Steven M. Wise and Jane Goodall, and am currently on page 48. So far in the book, it has discussed the history of the treatment of animals, going back as far as 2,300 years ago. Back then animals were considered only resources and many people believed that the sole purpose of having animals around was for food, labor, and entertainment. The idea that the world was designed for humans and that everything in nature has a previously decided purpose is called "teleological anthropocentrism". This idea encompasses the archaic ideas mentioned in the first 48 pages of the book.
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"everyone who is concerned about the well-being of animals, by those who are, as I am kept awake by the grim mental images of the abuse inflicted on animals by humans"(Goodall ix)
Jane Goodall is a primatologist who is very much concerned with the animal rights movement. She began her work as a primatologist around the 1960s after being an apprentice to paleontologist and anthropologist Louis Leakey. From there she became known as the one of the world's foremost expert on chimpanzees. Goodall's long connections to animals is what made her so fond of animals and believe in fighting for the rights of animals. In the foreword of the book she mentions that she is kept awake by the image of animals being abused by humans. The fact that she says it keeps her up at night really proves that she cares so deeply about the well being of animals. Her concern for animals was one of the reason she started the Jane Goodall Institute, which stands for protecting chimpanzees and inspiring people to conserve the natural world we all share, we improve the lives of people, animals and the environment.
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| Photo Taken by Jessica S. |
Much like Jane Goodall was very concerned with the well being of animals, saying that the abuse inflicted on animals keeps her up at night, I am also concerned just as she is. Back in 2016 my family and I adopted a two year old dog from the Derry Humane Society In Derry, New Hampshire. When we brought her home she was very ill and had visible scars all over her body, including a large one on her head that had previously been infected. Skye was originally from Miami, Florida where due to the high volume of stay dogs in that area, many dogs are brought into kill shelters, much like she was. Before the kill shelter it is assumed that she was either used for breeding or breeding of fighting dogs because by the time she was two she had already had at least two litters of puppies. To a person uneducated about dogs, Skye can look like a pit bull, a dog which is notoriously known for being a common dog to be involved with dog fights. In fact she is actually American bulldog, Rotwileir, and Greman shepard, but contains not terrier at all. Once she was rescued from the kill shelter in Miami, we adopted her. Now that I have had her for two years I see what a great dog she is, and I wonder how could anyone abuse an animal, much like she was before she was resuced. Much like Jane Goodall, I too am extremely bothered by the abuse inflicted on animals.
Wise, Steven M., and Jane Goodall. Rattling the Cage: toward Legal Rights for Animals. Da Capo Press, 2017.
That’s cool that you rescued your dog. I don’t see why more people don’t rescue animals.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if there is a way that for your project you could connect more potential dog owners with those types of shelters. You should look into somehow being a liaison for this.
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