An article written by Marc Bekoff stated:

“[s]cientific research in evolutionary biology, cognitive ethology (the study of animal minds), and social neuroscience support the view that numerous and diverse animals have rich and deep emotional lives.”

It baffles me, though, that people need scientific proof to realize animals have feelings, too. What’s even more surprising is that this proof is out there, and people continue to abuse and kill animals without thinking once about how the animals feel. We, as humans, need to come together and stop cruelty to animals -- whether that be for scientific tests, or for one’s own enjoyment.

How are animals being mistreated?

Where do I start? There are very public stories such as Michael Vick and his scandal with dog fighting, and Sea World claiming they treat their whales with care. There are also things that happen behind closed doors, such as cosmetic and scientific studies. I recently read an article stating that there are now synthetic skin samples even more identical to human skin than that of animals. So why is animal testing still happening?

Another behind closed doors abuse is circuses. Animals, such as lions and tigers, are kept in very poor conditions while being in a circus. Not to mention the abuse that they endure when they are being trained to do the same thing over and over again night after night.

A huge mistreatment scandal recently came to public light. I’ve seen articles on “Top 10 ways to prevent hot car death." Here’s an idea: love and care enough for your pet or child to not forget about them in the backseat.

I could also go into very great detail about the food packing industry, but I feel that Upton Sinclair has already covered that. Your meat and milk are not grass-fed and kept in farms. They are kept in metal cages their whole life.

Do not buy your pet from a breeder. Do not buy any pet from anywhere other than a shelter. Some places, such as Petland, do not care about the animals. Their only purpose is to breed the animals 24/7, and to make money off of them. They even put sugar water in dogs’ bowls to make them seem energetic enough for the customers. They are kept in glass window jails with crate-feeling floors and no cushioning. Please adopt.

In sports, both teams have an equal chance of winning. If hunting is a sport, why don't the animals have guns? Do not kill for "sport."

How can we, as humans, help our fellow friends?

Buy makeup that does not use animal testing.

Protest and do not go to the circus.

Care for your pet enough to not forget about them in your car.

Do research on where your meat comes from.

Adopt, do not buy.

Do not hunt innocent animals.

The human race needs to come together and prevent all of this from happening to our beloved animal friends. Let’s be their voice against cruelty.