Animal Rights (Final Draft)

You hop as fast as you can, hopping over the tables, trying to get away. He is too fast, with his giant net, and he scoops you up in it. Just like that, your freedom is gone. The little freedom you once had, that only lasted in the first few weeks of your life, is gone. You do not know what will happen, if you will ever see your family again, or at least tell them goodbye, I love you. He ties you to the table, and pulls out a syringe full of a clear liquid. Then, he pours it all over you, and you swell up. Your skin is covered with hives. It hurts. It itches. You can not do anything about it because you are tied up. “The shampoo did not work,” he says to his assistant. You do not hear him, as the pain is too much. On the walls there is cages that contain your siblings and friends, who will go next. The man brings in another syringe, this time with blue liquid. He puts the needle in your skin, and the baby bunny dies. She was only 3 weeks old.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      What is animal rights?                                                                                                    The animal rights movement started back in the 1970’s. The main goal of this movement is for animals to suffer the same way that humans do. “Many people often forget about the animal rights movement,” says Tami Szelis, a student at Blackhawk Middle School. Many students in Mr. Hoering’s eighth grade advanced language arts class knew little to no knowledge on the animal rights movement.  It is time for that to change.

Students take a stand

One student, Camille Haines, knew exactly what it was. In her interview, she stated what animal rights means to her. “Animal rights means that animals deserve certain kinds of consideration- consideration of what is in their best interests, regardless of whether they are cute, useful to humans, an endangered species, and regardless of whether any human cares about them at all,” Haines said. I would actually be willing to go vegetarian in order to support the animal rights committee. Camille asked her fellow peers if they would go vegetarian or vegan to benefit animals. At first it seemed as though no children had the heart, but later she found one determined student, Tami Szelis, who had a big heart. “I wont stop until at least half of us are vegan,” she exclaimed. Tami is on her way to being a vegan herself, she believes strongly that we should not eat off of animals. “We don’t let animals eat us, so how does that give us the right for us to kill, torture, and eat them?”, asked Madison Cocks. People usually assume that when you are vegan, that all you eat is leaves. “If they actually knew the facts, they would understand that its really not all that bad,” says Szelis.

Vegan Facts

“Veganism is a strict type of vegetarianism that excludes meat and all animal products. Vegans do not eat meat, fish, eggs, dairy products, or any foods containing them. A vegan diet relies on plant-based foods including fruits, vegetables, grains, beans, nuts, and seeds,” said PETA, the biggest animal rights organization in the world. Veganism may be easy for some, but others say it is a waste of time and money. “There is no waste in saving innocent animals’ lives,” says Szelis. “You can find a substitute for almost anything,” stated Madi Cocks. In the whole world, approximately 7.3 million people are vegetarian, and 1 million of those people are vegan. So if you give up on starting a vegan diet but still want to save the animals, you could always be a vegetarian.

In conclusion, the animal rights movement is based on how people should treat animals the way you want to be treated. Some members and supporters are willing to do anything to stop the cruelty of animals. Whether that is changing your diet, skincare routine, or what you wear, it is all worth it in the end when millions of lives are being saved.

     You hop through the hills. Free at last. Your parents have told you horrifying stories of your ancestors and when they were hunted and killed. You think about them every night, and what kind of bunny they would have been like. They are resting in heaven now, and they wont have anymore pain. But in the meantime you hop through the hills and enjoy your freedom, freedom they never had. Of being able to run and play with your friends without the fear of getting caught. This is what you wish you had. Anyone can change the world.