Animal Rights

Year 8 Summer 1

You are going to learn about how different people view the issue of animal rights

What words can you find?

ZooGreenpeacerespectvegetarianWWFcullingwelfareconservationpetsstewardshipGodRSPCAcreationvivisectionresearchmeathuntingcircusfarmingsport

Did you find all these?

Zoo Greenpeace respect vegetarianWWF culling welfare

conservation pets stewardship GodRSPCA creation vivisectionresearch meathunting circus

farming sport How could you connect these words together

bearing in mind the idea of animal rights? example

Animal Rights Protest

160 rodents killed to re-test safety of sunflower oil component

Animal Rights Protest

This experiment, conducted by Procter & Gamble makers of Daz, Fairy, Pantene, Max Factor, Sunny Delight, IAMS/Eukanuba and many more well-known brands), scientists at their American HQ in Cincinnati, sacrificed 160 animals to test the safety of sunflower oil-derived ethyl oleate, one of the most common fatty acids found in nature.

Animal Rights Protest

This test was conducted despite the existence of previously published human test figures showing that ethyl oleate is well-tolerated in the diet and is very safe.

Three animals were found dead during the experiment. After thirteen weeks, the surviving rats were killed by 'exsanguination' - bleeding to death - and dismembered for examination of their body parts.

Animal Rights Protest

Dan Lyons, director of Uncaged Campaigns, the Sheffield-based pressure group leading the protests, comments:

"These are crude and brutal tests based on outdated theories going back to the 1930s. We're appalled that Procter & Gamble, in league with Syngenta, are involved in perpetuating barbaric animal experiments at the expense of cruelty-free methods that desperately need support and adoption.

Animal Rights Protest

"Left to their own devices, scientists will persist with obscure experiments that have no relevance to the real world, treating animals as worthless objects rather than individuals who deserve respect.

That's why it's so important that the public protests against these cruel and outdated practices and forces researchers to leave the dark ages behind."

Your Task: You belong to an animal aid

organisation and have been involved in a demonstration outside a department store selling real fur coats.

Three of your friends, a Muslim, a Christian and a humanist, were arrested and charged with a breach of the peace.

You have been asked to help prepare a statement in their defence on behalf of the organisation.

You must:

Explain the aims of the organisation. Give examples of issues involving animals

which are of concern to the organisation. Explain the type of action taken by the

organisation in response to such issues. Use at least 5 words from the topic word list.

You should:

Give some background details explaining the beliefs of each of your friends who have been arrested.

Explain clearly how their beliefs have led to their involvement in the organisation.

Explain why each of your friends took the action they did in this instance.

Use at least 8 words from the topic word list.

You could:

Suggest what other people’s responses might be to the situation, presenting a variety of viewpoints.

Say why you think the courts should show leniency in this case.

Make suggestions as to how protests could be made in the future, which did not involve a breach of the peace.

Use most of the words from the topic word list.

The purpose of your statement is to explain the actions of your friends and to make a case for leniency.

You should use some of the following phrases: My friends and I belong to …… The aims of our organisation are …… We are concerned about …… We take action by …… My three friends joined the organisation because of their beliefs. My Christian friend believes …… and became involved because …… My humanist friend believes …… and became involved because … My Muslim friend believes …… and became involved because …… They became involved in this incident because … Other views might be …… I believe my friends deserve leniency because … In future we could ……

Homework

Prepare the statement to be read aloud. You will be videoed. You could prepare a banner or protest poster to go

behind you