animal rights......what it means to me

There are many ways to be a moral and ethical person. Your way of achieving it may be very different
than mine, but whatever belief system you follow is less important than the fact you have a set of
moral values (beliefs) which I believe define us as human beings. Do you fight for the rights of abused
children and adults, try to alleviate hunger, work to fund research for a debilitating disease, enlighten
another person- or- speak up for homeless and mistreated animals. What's important is to be involved.
Be part of the solution, instead being part of the problem.

I believe in God but know that my set of ethics were shaped thru a combination of things. A belief in a higher power, the way I was brought up and personal experiences. I believe that because we are the most highly developed species on the planet (subject to debate) that we owe the other life forms here, as well as the earth itself a certain degree of respect. You might say that we were "in a sense" put here to act as custodians for the planet, and haven't always done a very good job!.

Although there are many legitimate, worthwhile projects that need support I have chosen to do what I
can to make life more dignified for animals, because they cannot speak for themselves and perhaps
)in tghe process) will point out some things you were not aware of.

Because they cannot let their concerns be known animals are viewed as less important than human
beings, and as a result have few laws to protect them against crimes like abuse and abandonment.

When I've mentioned that my cause is Animal Rights, sometimes I'll be asked "if I really believe that an animal's life is as important as that of a human." I believe you cannot make that comparison. My answer
is always the same. Is a supposedly normal person's life more important than that of a retarded individual?

Within the animal rights movement are many honorable and worthwhile organizations and many different "equally important," issues. Here are some of the issues and what's being done.

When Hurricane Charlie hit the Florida Gulf Coast in 2005, like with any disaster that displaces people
animals are impacted too! Because of its central location in Englewood the Suncoast Humane Society
a privately funded organization, was given the responsibility of caring for "the animals." While residence rebuilt their homes and lives the shelter was called on to house animals whose owners could not care for them at that time and take in the huge amount of strays. When the time was right they helped people reconnect with their pets and Executive Director Debra Drake and her staff even saved baby squirrels who had been left to fend for themselves. All at very little or no cost to those effected. Not a single animal was turned away, and volunteer veterinarian services were also provided.

Perhaps unlike any other disaster that hit the USA, we could see the total destruction caused by Hurricane Katrina right before our eyes because of the extensive TV coverage. The human tragedy was difficult to watch. We saw an entire region destroyed by water and wind. People whose lives were changed forever, often rescued by helicopter or boat, but not able to take all those they loved. If you
believe that a domesticated animal has the same protection as a human being than why were people who were being rescued during Katrina in New Orleans not allowed to take their pets with them? No law required the rescuers to provide this additional service. One reason why some people in-peril refused to leave. However out of a terrible tragedy came a lesson, "Never forget the power or capacity to be good." The enactment of the Pets Evacuation and Transportation Standards Act, which requires that during times of tragedy domesticated animals as well as people must be rescued. was signed into law by President George W. Bush on October 6, 2006. (Read all about it.) The Humane Society of the
United States, deserves a huge amount of credit for not only campaigning for the passage of the bill but also for coordinating the effort to rescue as many animals as possible during Katrina and to attempt to re-unite them with their owners. An overwhelming task helped out by so many other animal care organizations.