What is the difference between welfare and rights?
Animal welfare is the humane treatment of animals. Most people believe in principles of animal welfare; humans have a right to use animals, but also a responsibility to treat them humanely. Animal rights activists believe that humans have the same rights as humans, and that humans shouldn’t use animals in any way, whether for research purposes, or as food, clothing, entertainment, medicine – or sometimes, even as pets.
The Five Freedoms of Animal Welfare!
The “Five Freedoms” are recognized worldwide to describe the welfare needs of animals cared for by humans. An animal’s welfare needs can be met by providing:
- Freedom from hunger, malnutrition, and thirst
- Freedom from fear and distress
- Freedom from physical and thermal discomfort
- Freedom from pain, injury and disease
- Freedom to express normal patterns of behavior