BLOG |
By Allison WasieleskiAlthough it is easy for pugs to win over our hearts with their undying affection, squishable faces, and silly snorts, there is an upsetting truth lying underneath their adorable exteriors. Selectively breeding pugs to get this adorable look has resulted in pugs experiencing debilitating medical issues at the hands of humans. Selectively breeding pugs to the point of deformation and persistent medical issues is both unethical and irresponsible. Pugs’ current appearance has been made possible through generations of selective breeding that focuses on aesthetic appearance over medical wellbeing. Pugs are easily recognizable because of their wrinkled skin, large eyes, and flat faces, but pugs didn’t always look this way. Originally, pugs had long legs, longer noses, straight tails, and a slim build. Over time, the presence of baby-like and enlarged features on dogs gained popularity, so people began selectively breeding pugs to enhance these qualities. While the breed’s flat face, bulging eyes, wrinkled skin, and tendency towards obesity are often considered cute by the public they pose serious health concerns. Luckily, there is growing awareness of these severe health problems, but there is still not enough being done to minimize these issues. As pugs’ appearances continue to stray further from their original features, their health degenerates as a result. Pug caretakers claim to love their furry friends, but their demand for these disfigurements reflects sentiments of harm rather than affection.
Some people may argue their pug is relatively healthy and doesn’t suffer exponentially, but outlying cases like this do not speak for the majority of pugs and the statistics of their agony. Although non-pugs can suffer from similar issues, it is almost never to the same extent and is not nearly as common as it is in pugs’ cases. A study by the Royal Veterinary College at the University of London compared the health of pugs to non-pugs and found that of the 40 most common disorders across pug and non-pug groups of dogs, pugs had a higher risk of 23 out of the 40 (57.5%) disorders compared with a lower risk of only seven out of 40 (17.5%) disorders. Brachycephalic obstructive airway syndrome, which results in difficulty breathing, was the disorder with the highest risk in pugs, with the breed almost 54 times more likely to have the condition. The study also found that pugs are at higher risk of a shocking number of other conditions compared to non-pugs, including:
Another claim made to justify the current state of pugs’ appearances is the idea that they wouldn’t be as desired if they weren’t bred this way. Like many other dogs, pugs aren’t loved solely for their looks, but for their temperament and personality traits as well. Pugs have been described as sturdy little dogs with big personalities, a sweet temperament, good-natured spirits, spunk, and adaptability. Pugs do well in many different living situations, including homes with kids, older adults, other companion animals, in the city, or in the country. There is so much more to both human and non-human animals than their appearance! By prioritizing the adoption of companion animals based on their individual personalities and needs rather than superficial characteristics, companion animal caretaking will become much more ethical and appropriate. When you shop for a pedigree or specific breed of dog, that dog often comes from a store, which sources from mass breeding facilities. These facilities are often unclean, crowded, and inhumane, and studies published during the past 23 years have suggested that dogs sold through stores and/or born in high-volume, commercial breeding establishments show an increased number of problem behaviors as adults. If you agree that the selective breeding and selling of pugs should stop, but you still find yourself wanting to adopt a dog with the personality traits of pugs, you are in luck! The most common dog breeds found in shelters, which are pit bulls, Labrador retrievers, German shepherds, dachshunds, Chihuahuas, and boxers, have many personality traits in common with pugs; such as being good with kids, their friendliness, high trainability, loyalty, and countless other qualities. Settling for cruelty is never your only option. If you still have your heart set on getting a pug, you can work directly with a reputable pug rescue, such as Tiny Paws Pug Rescue, but be prepared to pay for their long-term medical care. The selective breeding of pugs resulting in deformation and chronic health issues is not only unethical, but also irresponsible. In order to live in harmony with our companion animals, we must reassess our treatment and standard of care for them, as we are the stewards of their well-being. For years we have realized how detrimental our breeding practices have been to pugs, and it’s time for us to stand up for other animals who don’t have a voice and end their unnecessary suffering. ReferencesBest, Shivali. “What Your Pedigree Dog Breed Looked Like Centuries Ago: Dachshunds, Bulldogs and Basset Hounds Have Been Cruelly Overbred to Have Floppier Ears and Tiny Legs – as Vets Warn Obsession with Flat-Faces Has Left Pugs Enduring a ‘Lifetime of Suffering.’” Daily Mail Online, Associated Newspapers, 18 May 2022, www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-10828681/Vets-reveal-pugs-USED-look-like-amid-warning-breed-cruelly-overbred.html. “Finding Pugs: Tiny Paws Pug Rescue.” Finding Pugs | Tiny Paws Pug Rescue, www.tinypawspugrescue.org/. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024. McMillan, Franklin D. “Behavioral and Psychological Outcomes for Dogs Sold as Puppies through Pet Stores and/or Born in Commercial Breeding Establishments: Current Knowledge and Putative Causes.” Journal of Veterinary Behavior, Elsevier, 28 Jan. 2017, www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1558787817300102. “New Research Shows Pugs Have High Health Risks and Can No Longer Be Considered a ‘typical Dog’ from a Health Perspective.” RVC, www.rvc.ac.uk/vetcompass/news/new-research-shows-pugs-have-high-health-risks-and-can-no-longer-be-considered-a-typical-dog-from-a-health-perspective. Accessed 11 Apr. 2024. Stregowski, Jenna. “Learn about the Loving and Charming Pug.” The Spruce Pets, The Spruce Pets, 15 Dec. 2023, www.thesprucepets.com/pug-dog-breed-profile-1117989#:~:text=Pugs%20generally%20have%20a%20very,the%20yard%20with%20their%20families. “The 6 Most Common Dogs in Animal Shelters - and Why You Should Consider Taking Them Home.” PEDIGREE®, 12 May 2023, www.pedigree.com/dog-care-articles/6-most-common-dogs-animal-shelters-and-why-you-should-consider-taking-them-home. Author Bio
By Emma SealeyBy the year 2050, climate change will reduce thirty five percent of Earth’s nonhuman animals and plants to extinction. Global warming and climate change as a whole have become such politically charged topics that, when assessing the impact, it is important to recall proven facts. According to the largely respected scientific agency, NASA, evidence for rapid climate change include: a rise in global temperature, retreating glaciers, rising sea levels, increased ocean acidification and more. These proven and undeniable observations are evidence that climate change is slowly contributing to the ruination of our planet and the species occupying it. To save and preserve a multitude of animal species, humans need to do more to prevent climate change and the negative consequences that accompany it.
temperature. This means that the shifting seasons, extended droughts, changing precipitation patterns, and increased extreme weather events occurring due to climate change are a severe threat to these vulnerable nonhuman animals. Without humans doing our part to end climate change, amphibian biodiversity will rapidly continue to decline. However, amphibians are not the only animal group susceptible to extinction via climate change. Up to 54% of species are under speculation to become extinct from climate change. According to Earthday.org, by 2100, an estimated 50% of species will go extinct due to climate change. Their article covering this topic also provides a list of nonhuman animals threatened by climate change. This list includes, but is not limited to: bumblebees, Asian elephants, giraffes, oceanic birds, great apes, and monarch butterflies, among others. The majority of these species are breaching endangerment due to climate change induced habitat loss. As a willing and able species, the human population has an obligation to pick up the slack and provide these species with safe and protected environments without making them spectacles to observe. After all, humans are the primary producers for the greenhouse gasses that cause climate change. Why should so many species pay the price for our mistakes? How has climate change gotten to this point and why aren’t people taking action to stop it? According to a Harvard Business Review it is because ignoring it is easier and more cost effective: “Ignoring climate change in the short term has benefits both to individuals and to organizations. Individuals do not have to make changes in the cars they drive, the products they buy, or the homes they live in… Companies can keep manufacturing cheaper if they don’t have to develop new processes to limit carbon emissions”. We need to look beyond immediate profits and comfort. If humans are not willing to solve climate change for nonhuman animals, we must do it for ourselves. According to the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), “Individuals may experience greater risk from climate-related health effects because: they have greater exposure to climate-related hazards; [or] they are more sensitive to the effects of climate stressors…”. With all of this in consideration, it is clear that there are no long-term positives to ignoring climate change. There are only short-term positives that will develop into extreme and possibly even deadly blunders. While all this information may appear overwhelming and the thought of switching to a new, sustainable lifestyle can seem daunting, there are a variety of things that you can do in your daily life to help reduce your contribution to climate change.Possibly the most important is spreading the word. This includes not only sharing the dangers of climate change with other people, but also making sure you keep yourself informed and up to date. After you’ve gained and shared accurate and timely knowledge, take action! The United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) states that transportation accounts for more than a quarter of all greenhouse gas emissions. By simply walking, carpooling or riding a bike to your next destination, you are contributing to the conservation of the planet. Another quick and easy action is to not waste your food. The US EPA also points out that the decomposition and waste of food produces copious amounts of methane that then contributes to and quickens the constant heating of our planet. By making accurate portions and composting any waste, you are reducing your output of greenhouse gas emissions and protecting the planet you call home. Overall, several types of species are growing closer to extinction each day due to climate change. If humans cannot be motivated by this fact alone, there needs to be a dependence on our innate selfishness in order for change to be initiated. Animals alone cannot save themselves from the misery of our actions. We need to do more to prevent climate change and save non-human and human species alike. REFERENCES Ecosystems Mission Area Species Management Research Program. (N.D.) “The State of Amphibians in the United States.” USGS. Retrieved on Oct. 18, 2023 from https://armi.usgs.gov/sota/. Markman, Art. (2018, Oct. 11). “Why People Aren’t Motivated to Address Climate Change.” Harvard Business Review. Retrieved on Oct. 18, 2023 from https://hbr.org/2018/10/why-people-arent-motivated-to-address-climate-change. Urban, Mark C. (2015, May 1). “Accelerating extinction risk from climate change.” Science. Retrieved on Oct. 18, 2023 from https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.aaa4984. (2023, Oct. 31). “Fast Facts On Transportation Greenhouse Gas Emissions.” United States Environmental Protection Agency. Retrieved on Dec. 2, 2023 from Fast Facts on Transportation Greenhouse Gas Emissions | US EPA. (2023, Oct. 26). “Quantifying Methane Emissions from Landfilled Food Waste.” United States Environmental Protection Agency. Retrieved on Dec. 2, 2023 from Quantifying Methane Emissions from Landfilled Food Waste | US EPA. (2022, Nov. 07). “Human Health Impacts of Climate Change”. National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. Retrieved on Oct. 30, 2023 from Human Health Impacts of Climate Change (nih.gov). (2020, Mar. 25). “Climate Change Endangers Wildlife.” U.S. National Park Services. Retrieved on Oct. 31, 2023 from Climate Change Endangers Wildlife - Point Reyes National Seashore (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov). (2019, Feb. 07). “10 Animals Threatened By Climate Change.” Earthday.org. Retrieved on Oct 25, 2023 from 10 Animals Threatened by Climate Change - Earth Day. (N.D.) “How Do We Know Climate Change is Real?” NASA. Retrieved on Oct 20, 2023 from Evidence | Facts – Climate Change: Vital Signs of the Planet (nasa.gov). Author BioEmma Sealey is a first-year student at Minnesota State University, Mankato. She is currently studying biochemistry and plans to, eventually, obtain a career in the medical field. Her favorite non-human animal is her cat companion, Seymour
By Patrick Moua“There’s been naslkoshi (genocide) here” -Iranian Fisher “Now, remember we’re dealing with a raw seafood endangered species, so it’s basically like eating and dealing with, you know edible elephant tusk.” - Deborah Keane, California Caviar Company owner and founder After reading the above quote by owner and founder of the California Caviar Company, I wondered, How can one eat another non-human animal knowing they are on the brink of extinction? Because that is what we are doing when we eat caviar. Sturgeons are one of over 150,300 species now on the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) Red list because humans have proclaimed their roe (fish eggs) as a “luxurious” treat, and they continue to kill and mistreat these fish for this “delicacy.” Sturgeons are classified in the Acipenseridae genus family. They are a species of fish that primarily live in fresh water and can grow up to 7-12 feet and weigh about an average of 48 pounds. They once dominated the northern hemisphere and were so populated their roe would wash over the shores of beaches and lakes. According to Insider Tech, the sturgeon’s roe used to be so plentiful in the 19th century they would even be provided as a free snack by saloons. Sturgeons, specifically the beluga sturgeons, are the biggest freshwater fish in the world. For example, “The largest Beluga ever caught weighed 1,571 kg (about 3463.46 lb.) and was 7.2 m long”. That is about half the size of an elephant. Beluga sturgeons are larger than other species of sturgeons, and because of that humans have marked the beluga sturgeons as the most valuable. Their large size means they have roe comparably larger to other sturgeon species roe and that is what makes them so valuable because of this they have been inhumanely farmed and poached.
The dramatic increase of caviar production demonstrates how many Sturgeons are being farmed. To harvest the female sturgeon’s roe, they are slit open which kills the sturgeon. Then, the roe is extracted to be cleaned, salted, and packaged in a tin to become caviar. Although there are better ways to farm sturgeon eggs, most sturgeon farms find the slit process “more efficient.” After reading the above quote by owner and founder of the California Caviar Company, I wondered, How can one eat another non-human animal knowing they are on the brink of extinction? Because that is what we are doing when we eat caviar. Sturgeons are one of over 150,300 species now on the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) Red list because humans have proclaimed their roe (fish eggs) as a “luxurious” treat, and they continue to kill and mistreat these fish for this “delicacy.” Sturgeons are classified in the Acipenseridae genus family. They are a species of fish that primarily live in fresh water and can grow up to 7-12 feet and weigh about an average of 48 pounds. They once dominated the northern hemisphere and were so populated their roe would wash over the shores of beaches and lakes. According to Insider Tech, the sturgeon’s roe used to be so plentiful in the 19th century they would even be provided as a free snack by saloons. Sturgeons, specifically the beluga sturgeons, are the biggest freshwater fish in the world. For example, “The largest Beluga ever caught weighed 1,571 kg (about 3463.46 lb.) and was 7.2 m long”. That is about half the size of an elephant. Beluga sturgeons are larger than other species of sturgeons, and because of that humans have marked the beluga sturgeons as the most valuable. Their large size means they have roe comparably larger to other sturgeon species roe and that is what makes them so valuable because of this they have been inhumanely farmed and poached. The high demand for caviar markets has caused a decrease in the sturgeon population and now 16 of the 27 sturgeon species are critically endangered. Due to sturgeons being heavily populated around the 1960’s, humans started to overfish them for their meat and roe. This caused their population to greatly decrease, negatively affecting caviar production and making it less accessible and rarer. The population of sturgeons declined by 89 percent from 26,000 in 1960s to 2,800 in 1990s in the Caspian Sea. The demand for caviar has also led to sturgeon farming. One study found that “[a]t present (2012), the total caviar output from aquaculture is estimated at 260 tons, a production that could increase to 500-700 tons within the next 10 years”. The dramatic increase of caviar production demonstrates how many Sturgeons are being farmed. To harvest the female sturgeon’s roe, they are slit open which kills the sturgeon. Then, the roe is extracted to be cleaned, salted, and packaged in a tin to become caviar. Although there are better ways to farm sturgeon eggs, most sturgeon farms find the slit process “more efficient.” After reading the above quote by owner and founder of the California Caviar Company, I wondered, How can one eat another non-human animal knowing they are on the brink of extinction? Because that is what we are doing when we eat caviar. Sturgeons are one of over 150,300 species now on the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) Red list because humans have proclaimed their roe (fish eggs) as a “luxurious” treat, and they continue to kill and mistreat these fish for this “delicacy.” Sturgeons are classified in the Acipenseridae genus family. They are a species of fish that primarily live in fresh water and can grow up to 7-12 feet and weigh about an average of 48 pounds. They once dominated the northern hemisphere and were so populated their roe would wash over the shores of beaches and lakes. According to Insider Tech, the sturgeon’s roe used to be so plentiful in the 19th century they would even be provided as a free snack by saloons. Sturgeons, specifically the beluga sturgeons, are the biggest freshwater fish in the world. For example, “The largest Beluga ever caught weighed 1,571 kg (about 3463.46 lb.) and was 7.2 m long”. That is about half the size of an elephant. Beluga sturgeons are larger than other species of sturgeons, and because of that humans have marked the beluga sturgeons as the most valuable. Their large size means they have roe comparably larger to other sturgeon species roe and that is what makes them so valuable because of this they have been inhumanely farmed and poached. The high demand for caviar markets has caused a decrease in the sturgeon population and now 16 of the 27 sturgeon species are critically endangered. Due to sturgeons being heavily populated around the 1960’s, humans started to overfish them for their meat and roe. This caused their population to greatly decrease, negatively affecting caviar production and making it less accessible and rarer. The population of sturgeons declined by 89 percent from 26,000 in 1960s to 2,800 in 1990s in the Caspian Sea. The demand for caviar has also led to sturgeon farming. One study found that “[a]t present (2012), the total caviar output from aquaculture is estimated at 260 tons, a production that could increase to 500-700 tons within the next 10 years”. The dramatic increase of caviar production demonstrates how many Sturgeons are being farmed. To harvest the female sturgeon’s roe, they are slit open which kills the sturgeon. Then, the roe is extracted to be cleaned, salted, and packaged in a tin to become caviar. Although there are better ways to farm sturgeon eggs, most sturgeon farms find the slit process “more efficient.” Overfishing has negatively impacted the habitats of sturgeons. This caused sturgeon farms to exploit and breed sturgeons as their habitat no longer became suitable for them to survive. Sturgeons used to bask in the Caspian Sea, but due to the overfishing, the Caspian Sea found itself becoming a victim of pollution, “The Caspian Sea, shared between five countries – Iran, Russia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Turkmenistan – is in ‘critical condition’ with oil tankers alone dumping over 120,000 tons of pollutants annually”. Not only is the Caspian Sea contaminated with oil and pollutants, but the waste from the Fisherman and their boats also continue to harm all of its inhabitants. Villas surrounding the Caspian Sea have also participated in the damage by disposing their sewage in the Sturgeon’s waters. As we think about the decline in sturgeons, it also begs the question what other species are also fighting for their life in that sea? Sturgeons have also been sought out as a food source because of their rich nutritional value, claiming that eating caviar and Sturgeons are beneficial to humans. According to Eating Sturgeon: An Endangered Delicacy, by Raposo, Alturki, Alkutbe, and Raheem, “Sturgeon flesh includes highly digestible proteins, lipids, vitamins, and minerals. Consuming Sturgeon provides essential fatty acids that play important oxidative and anti-inflammatory roles in human cells.” Caviar has similar nutritional value as sturgeon meat, but caviar also contains polyunsaturated fats and numerous biochemical components that contribute to health benefits because of the biodiversity and fish farming. Understanding the health benefits of sturgeons and caviar gives an insight into why humans continue to consume them, but there are also other alternatives to gaining those same health benefits. This can be done by taking vitamin pills or consuming other foods with that rich nutritional value. Sturgeons have been on the IUCN Red List for many years now. More than half of their species are endangered, yet humans still choose to consume their roe and flesh. The roe is deemed as a delicacy and therefore, they are marketed at high prices and make good profits. We must protect the sturgeon species and any other species on the IUCN Red List from any more harm. It is important to clean our waters and hold each other accountable for our actions. By preventing illegal fishing, overfishing, and pollution we can prevent these species from becoming extinct. You can also abstain from eating caviar. If you must consume caviar, try looking into production called “no kill caviar,” where the female sturgeons are induced into labor instead of being murdered for their roe. ReferencesReferences “Beluga Sturgeon.” Danube Sturgeons, danube-sturgeons.org/sturgeon/beluga-sturgeon/#:~:text=The%20Beluga%20Sturgeon%20(Huso%20huso. Bronzi, P., et al. “Global Sturgeon Aquaculture Production: An Overview.” Journal of Applied Ichthyology, vol. 27, no. 2, 28 Mar. 2011, pp. 169–175, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1439-0426.2011.01757.x. Accessed 28 Nov. 2018. Bronzi, P., and H. Rosenthal. “Present and Future Sturgeon and Caviar Production and Marketing: A Global Market Overview.” Journal of Applied Ichthyology, vol. 30, no. 6, 27 Nov. 2014, pp. 1536–1546, https://doi.org/10.1111/jai.12628. Accessed 30 Dec. 2019. correspondent, Tehran Bureau. “Pollution and Overfishing Plague the Caspian Sea.” The Guardian, 11 Mar. 2015, www.theguardian.com/world/iran-blog/2015/mar/11/iran-caspian-sea-pollution-overfishing. Farag, Mohamed A., et al. “Caviar and Fish Roe Substitutes: Current Status of Their Nutritive Value, Bio-Chemical Diversity, Authenticity and Quality Control Methods with Future Perspectives.” Trends in Food Science & Technology, vol. 110, Apr. 2021, pp. 405–417, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tifs.2021.02.015. Accessed 9 Feb. 2022. Raposo, António, et al. “Eating Sturgeon: An Endangered Delicacy.” Sustainability, vol. 15, no. 4, 1 Jan. 2023, p. 3511, www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/4/3511, https://doi.org/10.3390/su15043511. “The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.” IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, www.iucnredlist.org/about/background-history#:~:text=Currently%2C%20there%20are%20more%20than. Torabi Jafroudi, Hor, et al. “Molecular Identification of Residual DNA Separated from the Persian Sturgeon (Acipenser Persicus) for Modeling EDNA Evaluation in Aquatic Ecosystem.” Journal of Genetic Resources, vol. 9, no. 1, 1 Feb. 2023, pp. 103–110, sc.journals.umz.ac.ir/article_4297.html, https://doi.org/10.22080/jgr.2023.25221.1348. Accessed 18 Oct. 2023. United Nations. “UN Report: Nature’s Dangerous Decline “Unprecedented”; Species Extinction Rates “Accelerating.”” United Nations Sustainable Development, 6 May 2019, www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/blog/2019/05/nature-decline-unprecedented-report/#:~:text=At%20least%20680%20vertebrate%20species. “Why Caviar Is so Expensive | so Expensive.” YouTube, 8 Feb. 2018, www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_O5bT3hfkQ. Accessed 31 Oct. 2019. Author BioPatrick Moua is a senior at Mankato State University, majoring in Art Education. His focus is painting but he also enjoys exploring all mediums of art. He spends his summer working with children and enjoying the outdoors. His sisters have a great passion for all animals and that passion carried on over to him.
By Ivan Burmeister The glimmering waves, shimmering horizon, and the immense breathtaking extent of our ocean have long captivated our mind and souls. However, a looming danger lurks below this surface: microplastics. These tiny, virtually invisible particles have infiltrated our oceans, posing a grave threat to marine life and, ultimately, our own well-being. It's time we take a stand to address this issue and all come together to contribute to ocean cleanup efforts. Microplastics are “extremely small pieces of plastic debris in the environment resulting from the disposal and breakdown of consumer products and industrial waste.” Microplastics come in many different shapes and forms, including microbeads from personal care products, microfibers from synthetic clothes or fabrics, and a range of different shaped fragments from larger plastic debris. Because of their tiny size, they can easily infiltrate aquatic ecosystems and go unnoticed by the human eye or some ocean preservation efforts. The amount of plastic in our oceans is truly staggering. Woods Hole Oceanographic Institutions reported that a 2015 study conducted by Science.com estimated that roughly eight million tons of plastic enter our oceans each year. Only 1% of this immense amount of plastic is found to be floating atop the surface. This statistic suggests that a majority of our ocean’s plastic is likely microplastic suspended in the water or beneath the ocean floor sediment. Microplastics pose a significant threat to marine life, affecting organisms at all levels of the food chain. The most concerning impact they have is on filter feeders. These are animals such as mussels, oysters, or krill who inevitably and inadvertently consume microplastics while feeding on algae and plankton. These plastics will then accumulate in their digestive tracts, causing blockages, malnutrition, an introduction to foreign toxic chemicals and, in the worst-case scenario, death. These toxic chemicals have been directly linked to a fairly recent influx in cancer seen within wildlife across the globe. Microplastics are also in everyday store-bought food items. While a majority of it comes from processing and packaging plants, a large source of infiltration is also derived from consumption of sea animals. These plastics start their way into our seafood from the very bottom of the food chain through filter feeders and various other organisms eventually making it all the way to our plates. Microplastics, and plastic in general, are unable to be broken down naturally through biodegradation or through the digestive tract. A study from Ohio State University shows that enzymes, which typically are in charge of breaking down biodegradable materials, don't recognize the bonds that hold polypropylene (plastic) together. This causes plastic to be trapped within the food chain, unable to exit and finding its way directly to whichever animal, human or non-human, that finds itself atop the food chain. While microplastics finding their way into our digestive systems haven't shown serious signs of major digestive blockage linked to death or injury, they do introduce a world of harmful chemicals linked to cancer and other serious health conditions to us. Chemicals like PCB (polychlorinated biphenyls), BPA (bisphenol A), PVC (polyvinyl chloride), and various other carcinogens are found in plastic and are linked to causing life threatening diseases. Various pesticides and flame retardants can also be absorbed and released by plastic once it has been introduced to an animal's digestive system. Our oceans' great coral reefs are also victims of this microplastic attack. While it's true, and very real, that microplastics impact coral through the same methods of ingestion that other non-human animals deal with, coral is unique because of the pretty cool relationship they form with microscopic algae. This algae will inhabit the coral's tissue gaining a protective shelter in which they utilize to photosynthesize and in exchange supply the coral with up to 90% of the food they produce through photosynthesis. While microplastic is very small the microscopic algae is smaller, so when the two meet, microplastic can obstruct the sunlight vital for photosynthesis hindering the algae and coral from getting a vital source of nutrition from our sun. Depending on the scale of microplastic in the environment, this can lead to serious health risks for the coral, leading to bleaching, and even death. Coral bleaching impacts the entire ecosystem the particular reef lives in. Healthy coral can support thousands of species of fish and other organisms which use the coral for shelter from larger predators, food, and breeding grounds directly contributing to the longevity of a particular species life. Coral's help isn't limited to just the ocean either. Because of the algae that inhabits coral, a positive attribute is that they can also help remove carbon dioxide from our atmosphere which ever more slightly helps us win the climate change battle making them ever more vital to our life here on earth. Coral can also help protect the coast from erosion and storm damage by reducing the impact of waves, protecting communities in regions prone to tropical storms and hurricanes. There are plenty of things you can add or change to your current lifestyle to help contribute to combating the issue of microplastic pollution in our oceans. By recycling, reducing your usage of single-use plastics, and considering a complete switch to biodegradable plastics we can help reduce the major influx of plastic entering our oceans every year contributing to a better, happier ocean. I encourage you to follow up this article with your own research about biodegradable plastic and explore the ways you can integrate them into your own life. Here are some places you can start:
ReferencesChatterjee, S., & Sharma, S. (2019, March 1). Microplastics in our oceans and Marine Health. Field Actions Science Reports. The journal of field actions. https://journals.openedition.org/factsreports/5257 US Department of Commerce, N. O. and A. A. (2016b, April 13). What are microplastics?. NOAA’s National Ocean Service. https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/microplastics.html Marine microplastics. Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. (2019, February 6). https://www.whoi.edu/know-your-ocean/ocean-topics/ocean-human-lives/pollution/marine-microplastics/ The Ohio State University, Y. V. (2022, June 3). Why isn’t plastic biodegradable? OSU.edu. https://news.osu.edu/why-isnt-plastic-biodegradable/#:~:text=The%20enzymes%20in%20the%20microorganisms,already%20done%20to%20the%20environment. Exposure to Chemicals in Plastic. Exposure to chemicals in plastic. (n.d.). https://www.breastcancer.org/risk/risk-factors/exposure-to-chemicals-in-plastic Written By Michael Greger M.D. FACLM • July 11, 2023 Last updated: July 12. (2023, July 11). Microplastics in seafood and cancer risk . NutritionFacts.org. https://nutritionfacts.org/blog/microplastics-in-seafood-and-cancer-risk/ Are corals plants, animals, or rocks?. Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. (2022, April 29). https://www.whoi.edu/know-your-ocean/did-you-know/are-corals-plants-animals-or-rocks/#:~:text=Because%20corals%20are%20animals%2C%20they,home%20in%20the%20coral’s%20tissues. The Ohio State University, Y. V. (2022, June 3). Why isn’t plastic biodegradeable. OSU.edu. https://news.osu.edu/why-isnt-plastic-biodegradable/#:~:text=The%20enzymes%20in%20the%20microorganisms,already%20done%20to%20the%20environment. Alexandra Thompson Health Reporter For Mailonline. (2018, May 22). Humans are causing cancer in animals with a surge in plastic waste, dirty oceans, pesticides and even street lamps. Daily Mail Online. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-5757461/Humans-causing-cancer-ANIMALS-surge-plastic-waste-light-pollution-pesticides.html Carlstedt, T. J. (2022, March 15). California and the world move toward cleaning up microplastics: What you need to know now water. The Nickel Report. https://www.huntonnickelreportblog.com/2022/03/california-and-the-world-move-toward-cleaning-up-microplastics-what-you-need-to-know-now/ Zolotova, N., Kosyreva, A., Dzhalilova, D., Fokichev, N., & Makarova, O. (2022, June 14). Harmful effects of the microplastic pollution on Animal Health: A Literature Review. PeerJ. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9205308/ US Department of Commerce, N. O. and A. A. (2013, June 1). Zooxanthellae...what’s that - corals: NOAA’s National Ocean Service Education. Zooxanthellae: Corals Tutorial. https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/education/tutorial_corals/coral02_zooxanthellae.html#:~:text=The%20relationship%20between%20the%20zooxanthellae,to%20the%20host%20coral%20tissue. What is blue carbon?. Great Barrier Reef Foundation. (n.d.). https://www.barrierreef.org/news/explainers/what-is-blue-carbon#why-is-protecting-blue-carbon-important Author BioIvan Burmeister is a sophomore Pro Flight Aviation major at Minnesota State University, Mankato. He plans to pursue a career in Commercial Aviation. His dream is to use his aviation knowledge to travel the world and experience different cultures and customs. Animals have always been a passion of his, surrounding himself with nature and companion animals.
Every semester students have the opportunity to choose to do projects that interest them. One project option is to create a children's story that teaches children non speciesist ways to relate to nonhuman animals. Please enjoy this beautiful story about a lovely bird who lost some of their feathers. The book was hand illustrated in ink on paper and is based on a bird who the author once met. Be sure you read the captions to see the story's text! By Anika Rossow StrasserAuthor bioAnika Rossow Strasser is a first-year student majoring in Interdisciplinary Studies at MNSU. Her many interests include art, poetry, nature, reading, volunteering, and hanging out with cats. Curious and always thinking, she strives to see the world through the eyes of fellow animals.
Students in the in-person version of Animals and Society are able to choose from several optional projects. One of these projects was to develop stories/books geared toward young children. The assignment was to create engaging picture books or a fable that would draw children in, would not promote speciesism, and would teach the children non-speciesist ways of relating to animals. Below are some fabulous stories that were submitted, along with brief essays in which each author explains why they created their book the way they did. ENJOY! (Please do not reproduce or copy and of these stories without permission of the author). Animals Friends by Jessi ShatirishviliThe Courage of the Cow by Madeline HuitingIn this fable, Maddie provides an alternative fable for the prohibition on eating cows that some follow in India.
Check out the fable and Maddie's essay here. By Morgan Round Review of Just Like Family: How Companion Animals Joined the Household by Andrea Laurent-Simpson (2021). NYU Press. (298 Pages) This book is about a particular kind of family, the American "Multispecies" family. Andrea Laurent-Simpson illuminates the multispecies family, how common it is today, and how it is constantly growing, not to mention thriving in todays society in the United States. The author discusses the roll of dogs and cats in what she refers to the "multispecies family," where dogs and cats are identified and treated as legitimate members of the household. The Ultimate goal of Just Like Family was to demonstrate how the multispecies family has developed in the context of many different family structures within the United States. Andrea Laurent-Simpson is currently a lecturer in the department of Sociology at Southern Methodist University. She also has written various academic journals over the last 5 years. (2016-2021). Andrea Laurent-Simpson has had her own personal experiences with both a childfree multispecies family and a multispecies family with young children present. In addition to her personal experience, the author conducted her own personal studies, which consisted of personal in-depth interviews and close personal observation with 35 different participants that are owners of dogs and cats. The participants come from a multitude of different family structures. The family structures included traditional two parent groups with young children, single mother/single fathers, singles, empty-nesters, step families, and families without children. The families without children fall into two different groups; the first group chose not to have children and the second group tried having kids with no success. The author also conduced veterinary clinic observations. With all of this evidence, she proves to be a trustworthy and dependable source. This book is organized into 5 different chapters and each chapter covers the different aspects of the multispecies family. Chapter 1 covers and explains what the multispecies family is today and how the multispecies family has evolved since the industrial revolution. Chapters 2, 3, and 4 discuss the different family identities involved with the multispecies families. The different family identities discussed in these chapters consisted of the role humans take on as parents to their companion animals. In chapter 3 and 4, Laurent-Simpson discussed the parent roles that her participants experienced and how their surrounding family verified their own parent identities. Chapter 5 discusses how advertising is also changing to appeal to the multispecies family members. I feel that this book was layed out in a easy to follow, smooth flowing order. One of the themes that stuck out to me was the vast amounts of family dynamics mentioned throughout Just Like Family. Americans today now largely accept many kinds of living arrangements as "family," without one true family form accepted over other family forms. Laurent-Simpson does a fantastic job explaining this new existence of a unique family structure known as the multispecies family. She also does a great job in explaining the various different family identities that the multispecies family can have and how it has only seemed to emerge within the last 50 years in the United States. She dives deep into the personal interviews, explaining what she learned, and describing how each family dynamic functions on a day to day basis. The author describes how increasing family diversity now includes the multispecies family, in which the dog or cat is labeled as an actual family member and is treated as a person would be. Since the industrial revolution things have dramatically changed within our society, such as the control of infectious diseases with antibiotics, sustained standard of living, and innovations in sanitation. Laurent-Simpson adds quotes throughout the book from the many participants she interviewed closely allowing readers to gain personal insight into individuals' point of view on their multispecies family. Identity theory is also a major theme throughout this book. With this new and unique family structure, it requires you, as a reader, to think critically about this dynamic of family. The identities of the multispecies family include statuses such as parent, child, grand-parents, and siblings. Laurent-Simpson shows that the multispecies family is a separate type of family structure, in which, identities that are normally assigned to humans are instead assigned to dogs and cats. Essentially, the multispecies family creates a new, non-traditional definition of family that impact how family can be done. The author states: "Role identities are important because they "give the very meaning to our daily routine . . . [and] largely determine our interpretations of the situations, vents, and other people that we encounter. This information is an important component of any social situation, but the conglomeration of role identities in the family sphere can tell us much about how family relationships are structured." (Andrea Laurent-Simpson; 2021, pg. 63) The author also touches on how these patterns have become widespread enough in the United States in the past few decades to now include dogs and cats as family members, and given the vast family dynamics you encounter may be internalized or assigned based on whatever family dynamic that may be at hand. Another theme that I found interesting was that strategically through the book Laurent-Simpson incorporated photos of the participants and their companion animals. I found this effective in appealing to my emotions and it made me think about my animals involved in my multispecies family. I also thought this was effective, from my perspective, as being a dog owner. In using these pictures it allowed me to relate and see that having animals as family members is a very common occurance. The author incorporated the pictures and in doing so accomplished a feeling of relatability to the individuals that participated in her research. Just Like Family did a great job displaying and explaining all the research she conducted on all of her participants in this book. I feel, Laurent-Simpson had such a vast amount of information from her research that each family structure could not be explained in just one chapter. I think, the vast amount of research done on each family dynamic, it could be enough content for a separate shorter length book on each separate family configuration. Just Like Family is a very well written work. Laurent-Simpson does a great job explaining what the multispecies family is today. She also articulates the many different family dynamics involved in the multispecies family. The author provided mass amounts of research and throughout the book she shows how thorough she was in her research. She incorporates many different scholars and how they offered their advice and expertise throughout the book. As a reader, you are shown throughout the book how common the multispecies family is today in the United States. Also, Laurent-Simpson stresses the importance of identity theory and how we, as a society, have a need to label our specific identity in a family dynamic. This book will make you think about human nature, why some of us feel the need to have companion animals, as well as to realize that not all humans see companion animals as family members, as equals, or as human beings themselves. Just Like Family has made me consider a person's upbringing and incorporate cultural reasons into why someone decides to have a companion animal in their household. This book is a very respectful representation of companion animals and shows how many family dynamics include their companion animals as equals as well as family members. Just Like Family would be highly recommended for college level students, a sociology course, veterinarians and vet techs, anyone that is passionate about human animal relationships(with and without companion animals), and finally anyone pursuing a career involving work with animals. Author Bio: Morgan Round is currently a student at Minnesota State University Mankato, and she has been incarcerated at MCF-Shakopee for 1 year. She Enrolled in this program to utilize her time and earn credentials. She is 23 years old and is from the Rochester, MN area; she is forever grateful for this MNSU opportunity, and plans to continue her education post incarceration. by Chelsea Olinger Review of Elephant by Dan Wylie. 2009. London: Reaktion Books. 205 pages. Elephant by Dan Wylie is all about elephants, as the title would imply. Wylie's purpose of writing this book is to give readers a broad look into the history of elephants. He includes information on the physiology of elephants and the way elephants are represented across the world. Wylie also writes about the many uses of elephants and the conservation of elephants. He ends the book with a timeline of elephants from c. 60 million BC to 1989. Wylie was successful with giving his readers a broad look into elephant history. Thanks to the book I now understand more about elephant and human animal interactions and how most of the time it isn't a positive interaction for the elephants. The book also has me wishing I was in a better position to help with the conservation of elephants. Dan Wylie has previously spent about fifteen years researching and publishing on early Zulu history. He is currently a lecturer in the English department at Rhodes University, Grahamstown in South Africa. Wylie has published multiple books and articles, with subjects including ecology, elephants, poetry, and whales. He is best known for a biography on King Shaka. Wylie used an array of secondary sources in his research for this book. He used books ranging in publication years from 1947 to 2005, multiple websites which he accessed from 2006 to 2008, many different academic journals as well, ranging in publication years from 1991 to 2006, as well as using newspaper and magazine articles as sources. Overall, he used a total of 112 sources, ranging in publication from 61 years prior up until the year of his publication of Elephants. Wylie used a topical approach for the layout of his book. Each of the five chapters in Elephant includes a different topic. Chapter one, "Proboscidae", talks about the origins of the elephant, the elephants ancestors, and the evolution of the proboscidae family. Chapter two, "An Astounding Physiology", discusses elephant anatomy, the family structure, and how elephants communicate. Chapter three, "Representing Elephants", is all about the history of elephants in art; such as elephant rock art, folklore, religious iconography, sculptures, paintings, literary appearances, and contemporary pop culture. Chapter four, "Using Elephants", focuses on the utilization of living elephants, such as being used for wars, logging sites, and human entertainment. Chapter five, "Conservation", discusses the ivory trade, elephant reserves, the effect that locals have on elephants, and the loss of elephant habitats. The layout of this book generally works well. I believe Wylie's choice in doing a topical approach to the book was a good idea. With the history of elephants spanning across such a broad range in time, I don't believe that doing a chronological order would of worked well for this book. I really enjoyed how each chapter covered a specific topic that correlates with elephants. The inclusion of approximately 100 images throughout the book adds to the success of it. Wylie chose smartly where to put the images in his book, so that they corresponded with what was being discussed at the time. The images provide visual information, a look back into history, and make the book beautiful to look at. At times the book was a little drawn out, hard to understand, and confusing. Wylie did include some information that seemed to somewhat drag on, making the book at times a little dense. On a few occasions throughout the book, he would use a word that people may not know, and he'll either not define the word, or wait a few pages to really explain the meaning. Every now and then as you read through the book, you'll come to a part that you'll question why it was included where it was. I believe Wylie could have separated chapter five into two chapters; one chapter about conservation and another about the ivory trade. I expected chapter five to be more about elephant reserves or sanctuaries, but it was filled with so much information about the ivory trade. While Wylie did make it seem like the ivory trade was the reason behind elephants needing to be saved, he did point out that there were other reasons behind the decline of elephants. The book was mostly a success, Wylie informed his readers all about the history of elephants. While there were some parts of the book that dragged on a bit due to an overload of information, Wylie did succeed in informing me about elephants, as I had hoped he would. This book was respectful to non-human animals for the most part. I say for the most part because Wylie did have to at times talk about the hunting, killing, and the use of elephants for human animals' pleasure. Readers wouldn't have gotten a full overview of elephant history though if the negative aspects had been left out. The appropriate audience for the book Elephant, would range anywhere in age from high school students to college students, along with individuals who want to learn more about the history of elephants. Author Bio: Chelsea Olinger, is currently enrolled in MSU Mankato through the Scholars Serving Time program while she is incarcerated at Shakopee Women's Prison. She has loved non-human animals since a young age and has had a variety of companion animals throughout her life. Chelsea's favorite non-human animal is the elephant. She is from Mankato, MN and has two children. Chelsea is currently pursuing her AAS degree. By Amanda Peltier Review of Swamplife: People, Gators, and Mangroves Entangled in the Everglades Laura A. Ogden, Copyright 2011 by Regent's of the University of Minnesota.(185 pages). Swamplife: People, Gators, and Mangroves Entangled in the Everglades (2011) by Laura A. Ogden, lays emphasis on a specific body of concepts regarding the impact that human activities and urbanization have had on plants and nonhuman animals within Florida's Everglades. The author illustrates the story through the perspective of the humans that dwell there, in order to shed light on the positive and negative effects of the human lifestyles on the natural habitats of nonhuman animals. This book allows you, the reader, to recognize the differences in the thoughts and treatment of the ecosystem in the Everglades by the different groups of people who share contrary cultures and social class backgrounds, from the Seminole Native American tribe to the wealthy businessmen who urbanized the Glades. In this excerpt, "Within a relatively brief period, about seventy-five years, southern Florida shifted from a largely rural, agrarian, and undeveloped landscape to one of the largest urban centers in the United States"(18); Ogden provides support to what she believes are the causes that ultimately effect the lives of the nonhuman animals in the area. One begins to ponder questions like: what caused such fast and extreme change? What effects has this quick shift had on the environment and nonhuman animals? Will there continue to be an Everglades? The conjuring of these questions are Ogden's exact purpose for writing this book; to challenge the reader to begin to think critically about the effects that our daily life plays on the many natural wonders of the world and the nonhuman animals that call them home. Laura A. Ogden is an associate professor of anthropology at Florida International University. She has conducted fieldwork in the Florida Everglades for the past decade and is coauthor of Gladesmen: Gator Hunters, Moonshiners, and Skiffers with Glen Simmons. In addition to Laura A. Ogden's extensive fieldwork, she uses a multitude of references. These include, but are not limited to: books, newspaper archives, photographs, government records, and journal articles. Her research was vast and extremely intelligible. The work and the research she put into this subject is evident making it a reliable source of history and knowledge. The main characters in this book are the gladesmen, the alligators, snakes, mangroves, and fire. Normally, I would not consider fire and mangroves to be characters, but Laura Ogden depicts their important roles in a way that assures they are, in fact, characters. Swamplife is written chronologically, beginning in the late 1800's when the value potential of the land was first being discovered. This book than travels through the cultivation, drainage, and development of two-thirds of the Everglades. Gladesmen are the poor rural whites. This book focuses mainly on the outlawed Ashley Gang, who hid out in the Everglades for years evading the law. The Ashley Gang remains a central figure in the mythology of the Everglades almost a hundred years later. Their story is fascinating. The author made a good choice in using their lives to narrate the life of the Everglades, as they are so prominent that at times it is sensed that the Ashley's were born of the Everglades. It's as though they are as much the Everglades as the snakes and gators. When a person thinks of the Everglades, alligators are commonly the first thought. This book covers the conservation, hunting, and protection laws of gators. Laura A. Ogden does a thorough job of describing how, alligator hunting was one of the most reliable sources of income as alligators could be hunted year round rather than seasonally, as is the case for other games animals. Swamplife talks in detail of how laws have been put in place to help conserve the amount of alligators killed for hides. Though methods of conserving alligators shifted over time, very few alligators lives were saved. Ogden discusses how alligator conservation was crucial, in the Everglades, to the visitors expectations and experience of the "exotic" swamp. Also, how game wardens were brought in to police the hunting of alligators, though true arrests were rare. This merely transformed Everglades hunters into poachers. Alligators weren't the only nonhuman animal to mark their territory in the Glades. Fantastic unnaturally large snakes were also very prevalent and equally threatened. Ogden tells the reader that the Everglades are home to at least twenty-five species of snakes, and how enormous snakes lie concealed in the jungles as hunters chop their way through the constant growing and changing roots and branches. She tells how these snakes and the fear they evoke, altered the mobility of settlers, hunters, visiting explorers, and naturalists. Though, nonhuman residences of the Everglades are ever present throughout this book, for the purpose of my reading, I would have liked them to be the central subjects. It was enlightening to learn of the significant roles that mangroves and fire played in the development of the Everglades. Laura A. Ogden talks at length about how mangroves may be thought of as just trees, but the fact is that they are highly mobile and rhyzomatic. They grow freely, covering the land densely. As well as, how fire was used to keep mosquitoes at bay, mark hunters trails and territories, drive animals out of saw grass, to encourage deer to assist in fresh growth, and to make traveling easier in a "hard- walking" landscape, as well as, a tool for hunting until bull's-eye lanterns came to be. Ogden describes how mangroves map the movements of people, nonhuman animals, water, nutrients, sediment, and plant life in the Everglades. She captures the essence that mangroves are the core of the Everglades, the heart. Swamplife ends with details of how humans saw the potential of opportunity in the vastness of the land, therefore, the lands were drained for development. Laura A. Ogden explains how this guided the way for massive changes to Everglades ecology and wildlife. Also, how it had an extensive impact on the nonhuman animals, including the region's famous wading bird populations, which have been reduced by 90 to 95 percent since the predrainage era. Although this is just one of many example of the extreme damage human development had on nonhuman animals in the Everglades, this book could have been more impactful had Ms. Ogden used more examples like this one. If the reduction of population in these particular birds is so devastating, one can only imagine the impact it's had on other nonhuman animals. The phrase that I feel summarized Swamplife: People, Gators, and Mangroves Entangled in the Everglades, brilliantly comes at the end of the book. Ogden states "The concurrent human pressures of market-driven hunting, changing water levels and cycles, and extensive habitat loss intersected at the same time across the same landscape to threaten alligator populations in the Everglades." (150). In this phrase, the author describes the substantial impact humans have had on the ecosystem of the Everglades and how detrimental this has been on the nonhuman population, particularly on alligators. This is a wonderfully educational and inspiring book. It is a marvelous resource for anyone that is interested in the impacts of developing swampland for human use, how it impacts the nonhuman lives that call the swamps home, the ecosystem, and especially the impacts on alligators. This book is filled with phrases, photographs, and stories that, I feel, give life and a society to those marginalized. It encompasses the life of the swamp, the humans, and every nonhuman part of the Everglades. Ms. Ogden brings understanding to what can't be seen through the naked eye and narrow thought processes. I think that due to the elaborate language used in this book, it is appropriate for higher level education students or as a research tool for those interested in the Everglades, the Ashley Gang, or alligator hunting. By Cheryl "Africa" Albert Review of Companion Animals and Domestic Violence Rescuing Me, Rescuing You (234 pages) by Nik Taylor and Heather Fraiser, Palgrave MacMillan (2019) This book is about the very real need for society to recognize animal abuse as domestic violence in order to fulfill the need to establish safe shelters and escape plans that include companion animals alongside their human victims/survivors. The intention of the authors Heather Fraiser and Nik Taylor is to provide a better understanding of human-animal relationships in relation to domestic domination, control, and violation. For the purpose of their study and this book, they focused on the relationship of nine women and their companion animals in an effort to include public support in having very important conversations about domestic violence and animal abuse. Their desire in doing this is to generate a new understanding that allows us to recognize animals as victims of domestic violence, alongside their human counterparts. In addition to this new understanding, the authors intend to show more than just the comfort that humans receive from companion animals, but to also shed light on the interconnectedness between humans, namely females, and animals when they undergo shared experiences of domestic violence and animal abuse. All of their work is to bring attention to the immense healing and recovery that can stem from relationships during abuse and recovery from trauma. This literary work is an exceptional example of the authors deep passion, writing skills and professional expertise. Presently, Nik Taylor is the Associate Professor at the University of Canterbury, New Zealand. Heather Fraiser is the Associate Professor at the Queensland University of Technology, Australia. Together, Fraiser and Taylor share an extensive background in studying domestic violence, as well as, child and animal abuse. While Taylor has a more detailed background volunteering in animal shelters and witnessing the outcomes of abuse, both physical and sexual, against animals. Fraiser has spent many years of her career in shelters, working as an advocate with woman and children who've experienced domestic and/or child abuse. They both have written many articles on the subject of animal abuse as domestic violence that are worth reading to further understand their concept. Throughout their literary work, you find that Fraiser and Taylor relied on a magnitude of resources. A vast amount of their ideas and theories are drawn directly from their very own extensive research developed through case studies and projects they conducted of people and their companion animals. One such study from which this book has been derived is their "Loving You, Loving Me" project, where they interviewed nine Australian women who'd previously experienced domestic violence. For the purpose of this study they focused on the relationship these women had with their companion animals during the trauma, the obstacles in escaping trauma with companion animals and healing together or apart from their animals after trauma. You find references from experts in fields that work and/or study domestic violence, animals abuse, animal advocacy, trauma advocacy, shelters, human studies, and so on and so forth. Along with the expanse of knowledge that both Fraiser and Taylor bring with them from their backgrounds educationally and professionally, the quality of information evokes credibility to their argument. This book is categorized into seven chapters that are intricately woven to invoke knowledge, heighten awareness, reveal alternatives, bring forth true empathy, and enlighten the reader to a higher level of understanding of this very real issue. Consider the layout of this book as a journey through the lives of the thousands of nameless women facing these situations and you'll see that the authors did a terrific job of bringing readers from ignorance to revelation and finally to viable solutions. In the chapters of this book there are many important topics, aspects, theories and information that address the benefits of calling awareness to the direct relation of animal abuse to domestic violence, furthermore, the separate cultural ideals becoming one; recognizing animals as domestic violence victims/survivors in their own right. For the purpose of my review, I focus on the link between domestic violence and animal abuse, human-companion animal relations, and the stages of rescue, refuge and recovery. These are themes that I found most eye-opening, though this is not to discredit other aspects of the authors arguments. The main reasoning for the necessity of this study is not to just draw the link between domestic violence and animal abuse, but to further this agenda by assuring that animal abuse is to be considered domestic violence. Throughout this book the authors do a wonderful job of imploring you to think critically about non-human animals, their ability to feel pain, fear, shock, confusion, loyalty, and love but also to feel victimized when subjected to domestic violence. When you consider my last sentence, you should realize that the current and general idea of what domestic violence is understood or defined to be is inadequate when that concept is expanded to include other animals. An intersectional analysis of domestic violence, when extended to non-human species becomes the basis by which we are enabled to view animals as victims of direct abuse, as well as recognize the effects imposed on animals as bystanders of abuse. To focus on only the human aspects of domestic abuse basically implies that other animal species do not experience this violence and therefore are not victims in their own right. In support of this theory the authors cite various sources to provide the statistics that show the widespread effects and existence of domestic violence. While on the other hand, very little in comparison is known or even documented due to a justice system that views animal cruelty and abuse as the lesser crime and human services that are ill equipped to protect all victims/survivors of violence which keep few to no records of the animal abuse they encounter. This is why human-companion animal relations in the context of domestic violence is important and the authors express this explicitly. As a result of their study, the authors recognized that a fraction of women who were in domestically violent situations procrastinated on leaving due to concern for the safety of their companion animals. These animals often become the target of human abusers as a strategic method to control human victims, whose animals have a higher chance of being harmed or even dying in such situations, than the animals of women who have never experienced such violence. Child victims often experience violence as result of their relationships with companion animals. Being forced into positions were the children of abused mothers, feel the need to become the protector and at times the defender of their animals in order to prevent the experience of threats, harm, or death. The authors do suggest that shelters and refuge be provided that will accept nonhuman animals as readily as their human companions, that organizations involved in preparing escape plans consider not only the safety of human victims but also companion animal victims and include them in the plan, and that during the recovery process these organizations and individuals involved with nonhuman animals who've experienced domestic violence recognize that they need support in healing too. In my opinion, readers can easily see how a sense of camaraderie amongst the human and non-human victims/survivors are formed and the roles that they play in the stages of rescue (or escape), refuge, and recovery. The pressure to escape violence is often wrongfully placed on the victims. This is a concept that, I believe, the authors took great care in explaining for those who don't understand the fear that victims of domestic violence face when considering escape. These inaccurately framed concepts that victims can just leave, or must either be too complacent, weak, or ignorant to stand up for themselves and walk away are a very far cry from the truth. Speaking from person all experience, this can be very disheartening to hear for a person trapped in a domestically violent situation. Even after escape, there are short- and long-term effects to adults, children, and animals in homes were domestic violence is occurring. Some of these effects include: "...psychological problems for all human victims/survivors and, for children, increased risk of behavioral and educational problems. (Geffner et al. 2003). Mental and physical health problems, including post-traumatic distress, anxiety, depression, are common, as is substance use as a form of self-medication. (Zlotnick et al. 2006)" (Qtd. in Nik Taylor et al. 2013, pg.34). Homelessness, and unemployment are also prevalent. Finding refuge after escape has proven to be dangerous when appropriate help can be out of reach, fear of speaking up about abuse due to fear of being found out and retaliated against is present, and the availability of shelter for companion animals is few and far between or nonexistent all together. In conclusion, it is my opinion that this book is well written, the authors accurately articulate their arguments for the benefits of redefining domestic violence to be inclusive of all species and the importance of cross-species camaraderie between victims/survivors. The authors are well versed in their fields and research, they utilize their knowledge along with reputable experts, and use references to support their claims and arguments. The use of the individual stories of real people in domestically violent relationships with their companion animals makes the writing very real and even relatable for those who've been in similar situations. In that, as a reader, with a similar background it was easy to recognizes the emotions, decisions, and struggles present when deciding whether to escape violence with a companion animal. Furthermore, as a reader, from the beginning to end of this book you are confronted with concepts, ideas, and scenarios that require you to think critically about the plight of non-human animals as domestic violence victims. This requires you to think out of the box that society often implies a victim of domestic violence "looks like". This allows you to consider non-human animals as equals. This is a respectful representation in that you must take away the ideas of property or commodity and look to the animal as a person in their own right. One who is able to endure the same processes of emotions, pain, and recovery as oneself. This book would be highly recommended for a sociology course, persons working in human and/or animal shelters, crisis centers, trauma response teams, domestic and/or child abuse advocates, and honestly, anyone who needs an enlightened and heightened awareness of the true scope of domestic violence, how it correlates with animal abuse, and how it effects both human and animals victims/survivors in the home. Lastly, I recommend that if you are someone who has been in a domestically abusive relationship, or have been witness to such violence, take caution as you read this book. Though the authors do a great job preparing readers for parts that may be triggering, be sure to be gracious to yourself, reach out to someone you can talk to, and/or give yourself more time to heal before reading this book. Author Bio: Cheryl "Africa" Albert attends Minnesota State University Mankato by way of Minnesota Correctional Facility in Shakopee. She is of Nigerian descent, hence the nickname "Africa", where she attended a girls Catholic boarding school in small jungle like village called Ijebu Itele in Ogun State, Nigeria. On many nights, Africa often found comfort late at night sitting silently listening to the calls of the animals since she was so far from home and family. She strongly believes in educating her mind in order to better herself and her community. |
ABOUT
This is a website about nonhuman animals, written by human animals taking a Society and Animals class at Minnesota State University, Mankato. Archives
April 2024
Categories
All
|