Animal Studies Commons^™

Thinking Pigs: A Comparative Review Of Cognition, Emotion, And Personality In Sus Domesticus, Lori Marino, Christina M. Colvin

SENTIENCE

While relatively little is known about the psychology of domestic pigs, what is known suggests that pigs are cognitively complex and share many traits with animals whom we consider intelligent. This paper reviews the scientific evidence for cognitive complexity in domestic pigs and, when appropriate, compares this literature with similar findings in other animals, focusing on some of the more compelling and cutting-edge research results. The goals of this paper are to: 1) frame pig cognition and psychology in a basic comparative context independent of the livestock production and management setting; and 2) identify areas of research with pigs that ...

Killing For A Living: Psychological And Physiological Effects Of Alienation Of Food Production On Slaughterhouse Workers, Anna Dorovskikh

Undergraduate Honors Theses

This thesis research focuses on the negative effects that Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (later referred to as CAFOs) have on the environment and the psychological and physiological effects of alienation of food production on slaughterhouse workers of industrial slaughterhouses in comparison to niche-market slaughterhouses. Billions of animals in United States are slaughtered each year for food. Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations function as establishments that raise large numbers of animals in small, confined spaces to accommodate the large demand for animal products. This comes at a certain environmental cost concerning water and air pollution. Animal agriculture produces more greenhouse gases than ...

A Moral Argument For Veganism, Dan Hooley, Nathan Nobis

HUMAN HEALTH

In this essay, we argue for dietary veganism. Our case has two steps. First, we argue that, in most circumstances, it is morally wrong to raise animals to produce meat, dairy products, most eggs (a possible exception we discuss is eggs from pet chickens) and most other animal food products. Turning animals into food, and using them for their byproducts, causes serious harms to animals that are morally unjustified: that is, the reasons given to justify causing these kinds of harms – goods or alleged goods that result from animal farming and slaughter – are inadequate to justify the bad done to ...

The Effect Of Stress On Livestock And Meat Quality Prior To And During Slaughter, Temple Grandin

AGRIBUSINESS

The effects of stress on cattle, pigs and sheep prior to slaughter are reviewed. Long-term preslaughter stress, such as fighting, cold weather, fasting and transit, which occurs 12 to 48 hours prior to slaughter depletes muscle glycogen, resulting in meat which has a higher pH, darker color, and is drier. Short-term acute stress, such as excitement or fighting immediately prior to slaughter, produced lactic acid from the breakdown of glycogen. This results in meat which has a lower pH, lighter color, reduced water binding capacity, and is possibly tougher. Psychological stressors, such as excitement and fighting, will often have a ...

The Friendly Yeti, Daniel S. Capper

Faculty Publications

Most images of yetis in Western popular culture and scholarly literature portray them as secular, predatory monsters. These representations overlook important religious dimensions of yetis that are hidden in the current literature, so I take a new look at yetis in Tibetan religions in order to clarify our understanding of these legendary creatures. Following a phenomenological approach that sets aside the issue of the ontological existence of yetis, I examine texts, art, ritual, and folklore in order to propose four yeti personal ideal types: the Buddhist practitioner, the human religious ally, the friendly yeti, and the mountain deity yeti. These ...

101 Puppy Mills: A Sampling Of Problem Puppy Mills In The United States, The Humane Society Of The United States

PUPPY MILL INFORMATION

The goal of the report is to inform consumers about widespread problems with puppy mills before they make an uninformed purchase that could potentially support animal cruelty. The report includes puppy mills from 22 states, but because most of the dealers sell online or to pet stores, their puppies could be available to unwary consumers in all 50 states and beyond.

The breeders and sellers on this list represent common issues with puppy mills and puppy mill brokers. This report is not a complete list of all puppy mills, nor a list of all problematic facilities. For more information on ...

The Case For Animal Rights, Tom Regan

ANIMAL WELFARE

In the space I have at my disposal here I can only sketch, in the barest outline, some of the main features of the book Its main themes-and we should not be surprised by this-involve asking and answering deep, foundational moral questions about what morality is, how it should be understood, and what is the best moral theory, all considered. I hope I can convey something of the shape I think this theory takes. The attempt to do this will be (to use a word a friendly critic once used to describe my work) cerebral, perhaps too cerebral. But this ...

Fish Intelligence, Sentience And Ethics, Culum Brown

SENTIENCE

Fish are one of the most highly utilised vertebrate taxa by humans; they are harvested from wild stocks as part of global fishing industries, grown under intensive aquaculture conditions, are the most common pet and are widely used for scientific research. But fish are seldom afforded the same level of compassion or welfare as warm-blooded vertebrates. Part of the problem is the large gap between people’s perception of fish intelligence and the scientific reality. This is an important issue because public perception guides government policy. The perception of an animal’s intelligence often drives our decision whether or not ...

People And Animals, Kindness And Cruelty: Research Directions And Policy Implications, Frank R. Ascione, Kenneth J. Shapiro

ANIMAL WELFARE

This article addresses the challenges of defining and assessing animal abuse, the relation between animal abuse and childhood mental health, the extensive research on animal abuse and intimate partner violence, and the implication of these empirical findings for programs to enhance human and animal welfare. Highlighted are recent developments and advances in research and policy issues on animal abuse. The reader is directed to existing reviews of research and areas of focus on the expanding horizon of empirical analyses and programmatic innovations addressing animal abuse. Following a discussion of forensic and veterinary issues related to animal abuse, we discuss policy ...

Gender, Sex Role Orientation, And Attitudes Toward Animals, Harold A. Herzog Jr., Nancy S. Betchart, Robert B. Pittman

ATTITUDES TOWARD ANIMALS

To examine the relationship among gender, sex role orientation, and attitudes toward the treatment of animals, 144 male and 222 female college students were administered the Bem Sex Role Inventory, a Likert-scale questionnaire designed to assess attitudes toward animal welfare issues, and a measure of perceived comfort touching animals of a variety of species. There were significant gender differences on all of the animal-related measures with the exception of self-reported comfort touching positively perceived animals. Gender and the expressive (feminine) dimension of sex role orientation accounted for a significant proportion of the variation in attitudes toward animal welfare issues and ...