Which issue is more serious? Endangered species or animal cruelty

[-Apples-]

Extinction, but I guess animal cruelty fits under that too. As for those animal "activists", start doing something real and stop reading PETA and attack innocent people.

They are both endangerment and cruelty.

Animal abuse is cruel, and so is hunting animals to their extinction.
Low animal population endangers the species, as animal abuse endangers the animal being abused.

I would not take PETA seriously, but by supporting preserving species, I am supporting the EPA.

 

[xSuperMario64x]

The fact that more people voted for endangered species that animal cruelty is really surprising.

But I feel like I worry much more about animal cruelty, especially since I extend that to every animal in the world, not just those domesticated. I definitely feel like it includes those animals who are killed for game or who have their habitat destroyed by people who want to build more houses for our overgrown population. It really is a tragedy.

 

[Hellfish]

Animal cruelty doesn't really fit under extinction tbh. It's not like people who destroy forests are like "yeah! Kill all the animals!!!" They're just doing their job. Poachers are the closest points to where cruelty is involved as they generally harm the animal greatly before they kill it. Hunters aren't necessarily cruel either, it's horrible that they kill animals (if we're talking about game hunting) but it's not like they torture the animals.

I just don't see how the two cross over...

 

[Tao]

Both are obviously bad, but I would probably go with endangered species since it could shed light on another possibly more serious issue which is the root cause...Presuming they're going extinct due to environmental changes or something rather than some guy smashing them all with a mallet.

not sure how hunting wildlife to the point of (near) extinction or driving them out of their natural habitats or anything else isn't animal cruelty tbh

to me this just reads as "is selective animal cruelty or complete animal cruelty worse?"

Whilst the two are often linked, a species being endangered or going extinct isn't inherently the same as animal cruelty. Dinosaurs are extinct, but humans had nothing to do with it.

 

[-Apples-]

I don't think slaughtering farm animals for meat is cruelty in general. It's how we slaughter them in slaughter houses (including packing a whole bunch of animals together) that is cruel. They have sacrificed themselves to keep us alive, but it doesn't mean we can treat them poorly. What I'm more concerned about is how people treat pets, like what we seen in the ASPCA. That form of animal cruelty is where I would seek the death penalty for abusers. I already support the death penalty for child abuse, especially if they intentionally kill the child for a moral reason. Why not we do that to cat abusers and dog abusers? Unintentional neglect is despicable, but I wouldn't support capital punishment for that because there's no hate with passion involved.

 

[LambdaDelta]

Whilst the two are often linked, a species being endangered or going extinct isn't inherently the same as animal cruelty. Dinosaurs are extinct, but humans had nothing to do with it.

not talking natural endangerment/extinction though

 

[Alienfish]

not talking natural endangerment/extinction though

yeah and if people go destroy forests, swamps etc. just for money yeah that is cruelty because all they go is "like lolzzz lets make gazillion of dollars and not think at all" basically.

 

[Mr_Persona]

Hm nah I don't really care about that some animals are becoming extinct, which I don't believe at all. The only animals I don't want to become extinct which they will never will, are chickens, lobsters, and cows and because why those animals because I like to eat them. They help me live by eating the food that are made out of them.

 

[visibleghost]

i dont get why people think animal cruelty is worse than humans making entire species go extinct. millions of animals dying, their food and places they live being destroyed, animals dying painfully due to how humans are ruining their lives and changes affecting the entire globe are more serious things than animal testing and cruelty.

i guess the line between animal cruelty and making animals go extinct can be quite blurred in some cases as w rhinos being killed for their horns and being endangered

- - - Post Merge - - -

Hm nah I don't really care about that some animals are becoming extinct, which I don't believe at all. The only animals I don't want to become extinct which they will never will, are chickens, lobsters, and cows and because why those animals because I like to eat them. They help me live by eating the food that are made out of them.

do you know what an ecosystem is

 

[DJStarstryker]

Both. I don't think I could really pick.

In my town recently there was a lady who was hoarding cats. She, no exaggeration, had over 100 cats in her house who were living in really terrible conditions. The local humane society took them in since authorities took them away from her. The humane society is so overcrowded with cats that they're having to use an office in a no-longer-used fire station in the next town to house some of the cats while they try to find them homes. I think that's insane, and is a huge example of animal cruelty.

But at the same time, hearing about things like the white rhino sub-species in Africa that literally cannot make anymore babies without human intervention (the last male died, there's only 2 female rhinos left) due to poaching... Both of those things break my heart.

 

[mitfy]

there are many sides to this. animal cruelty via establishments (zoos, circuses, etc) and pet ownership are definitely a human problem. meanwhile species being endangered or extinct is simply a part of how our world works. however, more species are becoming endangered or extinct more often because of human interference, be it hunting, habitat destruction, or whatever. also, animal cruelty is usually out of selfish reasons and/or lack of respect for the animal, and animals being hurt in this way are intentional. animals going extinct and endangered can be affected without humans meaning to - for example, someone buying an area of land and building massive settlements on it, therefore destroying the habitat and inadvertently killing many of the species that live there.

they're both obviously serious issues, but i have to say that endangered species are more serious. animal cruelty is obviously horrible, but it's not usually an endangered animal being purposefully neglected/abused. it's also an issue that can be more pinpointed and easier to avoid, since it's also usually with domesticated animals (be it pets or lab animals or whatever). the owners can be charged and sent to jail, animals go to the vet. establishment revealed to have been abusing performance animals, establishment faces consequences (like the circus removing elephants from their act). but then endangered species is a widespread problem, and not just with animals, but plants as well. and some of these endangered organisms might be harmed out of necessity - some people might poach because they can't get food anywhere else.

but yea like i said before both are very serious, and i dont like either of them. but if i were asked to join a campaign to help end one or the other, i would probably choose endangered species.

 

[Midoriya]

there are many sides to this. animal cruelty via establishments (zoos, circuses, etc) and pet ownership are definitely a human problem. meanwhile species being endangered or extinct is simply a part of how our world works. however, more species are becoming endangered or extinct more often because of human interference, be it hunting, habitat destruction, or whatever. also, animal cruelty is usually out of selfish reasons and/or lack of respect for the animal, and animals being hurt in this way are intentional. animals going extinct and endangered can be affected without humans meaning to - for example, someone buying an area of land and building massive settlements on it, therefore destroying the habitat and inadvertently killing many of the species that live there.

they're both obviously serious issues, but i have to say that endangered species are more serious. animal cruelty is obviously horrible, but it's not usually an endangered animal being purposefully neglected/abused. it's also an issue that can be more pinpointed and easier to avoid, since it's also usually with domesticated animals (be it pets or lab animals or whatever). the owners can be charged and sent to jail, animals go to the vet. establishment revealed to have been abusing performance animals, establishment faces consequences (like the circus removing elephants from their act). but then endangered species is a widespread problem, and not just with animals, but plants as well. and some of these endangered organisms might be harmed out of necessity - some people might poach because they can't get food anywhere else.

but yea like i said before both are very serious, and i dont like either of them. but if i were asked to join a campaign to help end one or the other, i would probably choose endangered species.

The end of the second paragraph here is really true. There are probably nations that are dirt poor, so the civilians have to eat species, thereby endangering them from existence. That’s more of a political-economical problem though for a lot of places I imagine.

 

[nintendofan85]

They're both bad. Very bad and serious. However, I voted for endangered species. Having species go endangered in the wild can cause the overpopulation of others and mess up nature in general, and that is not good for our ecosystem. While I'm concerned about animal cruelty as well, I feel like having an entire species being in danger of extinction is truly a more pressing issue.

 

[Aleigh]

In my personal opinion, animal cruelty or animal abuse is worse. If we keep it up, there's a good chance we will cause more extinction through this cruelty.

 

[Halloqueen]

They're both important issues and needn't be put into competition with each other, but since they are currently pitted against each other in this thread, I would have to say endangered species/extinction is more "serious." We're in the midst of the Holocene extinction, the (generally regarded) sixth mass extinction event in our planet's history. Various plants and animals are dying off either because of our direct actions or the indirect effects which result from our actions. Extinction is natural but the pace at which species are dying off because of us is unconscionable. Not only is it despicable that we collectively do little to nothing to change course, it's also shortsighted and may well possibly lead to our own extinction. If any of the other risks facing us don't do it first, anyway.

That all isn't to say that abuse and cruelty toward animals isn't also serious, but when you really look at the world, humans do that every day not only to animals but also their fellow humans. It's all absolutely terrible, but at the same time it's almost mundane. The two issues are also intertwined at some points due to humanity's callous disregard for others' well-being regardless of species.

Politics being what they are now and in the foreseeable future, I don't see either problem being tackled in any real, worthwhile ways.

 

[riummi]

To me, they're both equal but I chose animal extinction. Of course not extinction by natural means but more by overpopulation and habitat disruption. Imo animal extinction encompasses many other worrying and serious issues. I actually had to do a bio paper on a certain animal and did some research on their decline.

I mean they can essentially be the same thing too. Getting rid of a animal's natural habitat and capturing them to sell as 'pets' when they should not be is animal cruelty.

 

[KaydeeKrunk]

Animal cruelty in my opinion is worse, if people deliberately hurt animals for the sake of hurting them, just no.

I can be ok with people who fish, and hunt (not big game though... why are you so desperate that you'd pay thousands of dollars to hunt something that's already endangered?) as long as it's done for food and stuff, I mean I get that, just respect the animal ya' know? But people microwaving turtles and setting dogs on fire for fun don't deserve to be alive themselves... Not to mention people who do these things are much more likely to cause harm to humans so just lock them tf up.

 

[Geoni]

Endangered species won't be around forever but animal cruelty will.