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Spook with his son, Coleman |
ANIMAL RIGHTS VS. ANIMAL WELFARE — WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE?
By definition, as well as the support of the American people, quite a bit.
By Karen Lee
Ask Robert Abernethy, the NWTF's assistant vice president of agency programs, to explain the difference between animal rights and animal welfare and you'll get this explanation: "I'm driving my car down a road, and there's a squirrel and a child in my path. Swerve one way and I hit the child; swerve the other way and I hit the squirrel. An animal rights activist believes the squirrel and the child have the same right to live. I beg to differ. As a hunter, I believe we have the responsibility to care for, protect and manage wildlife, and we should kill it in the quickest, most humane manner possible that causes the animal the least amount of suffering."
Ask the folks at Responsive Management, one of the top research firms in the wildlife and sports industries, and you'll get a clear definition of each, as well as a better perspective of what they mean to hunters and nonhunters alike.
"There is a difference between animal rights and animal welfare," said Mark Duda, executive director of Responsive Management. "Animal rights typically is defined as absolutely no use of animals, and only about 3 percent of Americans live by this belief. While very few American support animal rights, nearly all support animal welfare, which means that some use, including hunting, is acceptable as long as animals are treated humanely and with respect."
Legal, ethical hunting is not anathema to animal welfare; actually, it's an integral part of it. Hunting is also an important part of wildlife conservation and management, which benefits wildlife for the long term.
"Hunters care about wildlife, habitat and the environment," said Duda. "To me, that's the greatest challenge we have, explaining how we love wildlife even though we kill it. It goes beyond a love for the individual animal, but caring for the entire population. Doing what we can to have those animals around years from now."
According to a study by Responsive Management, the overwhelming majority of Americans (85 percent) agree with the animal welfare philosophy, not the animal rights philosophy, which is why it's important to portray the "caring" side of wildlife management. When talking to nonhunters about hunting, try going beyond explaining why you hunt to showing them how much wildlife professionals and hunters care about wildlife and the wildlife resource.
"Anti-hunters should not be allowed to commandeer the 'we care about wildlife' message as theirs," Duda said. "Isn't it ironic that people who devote his or her lives to wildlife — hunters and wildlife managers — are accused of not caring?"