Animal cruelty, where do you draw the line?

Question

Ok, so I've put on my hard hat, and am preparing to duck, but please read the whole question before shooting me!
I'm an animal lover who has no problems being a meat eater, but I totally respect those who decide that eating animals is not for them. My question is about where we draw the line when it comes to respecting the right to life?
So as caring animal owners we worm our animals, and vaccinate them, so worms and germs have no right to life, is this OK?
Do we quite happily try and eradicate insect problems, ants, wasps, flies, mosquitoes?
When it comes to rats and mice, in the barn, or in the feed shed, potentially spreading disease to our animals, which has the right to life?
We have problems with prairie dogs, and fox and badger holes, they are a definite danger to both horses and cows, how do we deal with that?
We also have coyotes which pose a threat to my calves.
My question is how far up and down the food chain to you go for the right to life?

As a farm girl I have no problems with dealing with these issues, I worm vaccinate, swat mozzies, set the dogs on the rodents. I'll happily fetch the gun for the boys to shoot the coyotes, but won't do it myself, I don't believe I'm a good enough shot to be able to have a one shot solution. My real sticking point would be if a family of wolves turn up. I would have many a debate with myself over my calves right to life, (and my bank managers right to get the mortgage payment) vs the wolves. Also, not sure at all about my son wanting to go after the bear if he comes back!

Answer 1

For me, it's not a question of deciding which animals do or don't have the right to live. Really, they all do. But they also get sick, get hurt, get eaten -- they die. And we are part of that cycle whether we like it or not. As thinking, feeling creatures it is simply our responsibility to be thoughtful and respectful about every interaction we have with them. As long as we do that, I don't believe we are being cruel even when we eat them or kill them.

To feed my family, I buy free range eggs and kosher hot dogs. We don't eat veal. We pay more for meats that we can verify have been humanely slaughtered. When my husband hunts, he uses well-maintained, accurate rifles and only kills what we can eat.

Around my home, I spray wasp's nests and swat mosquitoes that endanger the comfort and health of my family. I don't wander through the woods looking to kill any I see just because I don't like them. I kill poisonous spiders but leave harmless ones alone. I kill mice inside but not in the yard. (I have to admit, I kill roaches too, but it's because they startle me badly and make me very nervous; I don't know why and I wish they didn't affect me that way but they do and I have the right to protect myself from it. I don't torture them.)

When I give my dogs heartworm pills I am protecting their health because they are part of my family. I wouldn't go around feeding heartworm pills to deer and raccoons in the woods; those are wild animals and heartworms have a place in their lives. Domesticated animals are part of the human world, created by us and dependent on us as they are no longer part of any wild ecosystem; it only makes sense for us to treat them with different ethical rules than those we apply to wild animals.

I hope this helps, and I'm looking forward to reading other replies, too. Ethics are always worth giving more thought to!

Answer 2

When it comes to "nuisance" animals, or predators to livestock, my first choice is using non-lethal deterrents (guard dogs, fencing, securing feedstuffs, annoying them to drive them out of the pasture, ammonia-soaked rags in den holes and entrances, etc.). Make it unattractive enough that they go elsewhere.

If that doesn't work and they remain a danger to livestock and livelihood, then more severe measures may be necessary. I'd like to think I'd be able to shoot a dog or coyote that was attacking my animals, in defense of my livestock.

I have no problem killing mosquitos that land on me, or other insects/parasites that present a health hazard to me, my family, or my pets. For ants and wasps, to which I have bad allergies, it's no-holds-barred and no guilt involved. But spiders often get a "live and let live" approach in my house, because they help prevent other nuisance/dangerous insects.

I think we have something living under our back deck, but I've had the "discussion" with them that as long as they're not hurting the house or my pets, they can stay. If they start getting destructive, then they have to go.

Answer 3

I am an animal lover/meat eater as well. I like cows anyway you slice 'em! :) However, if an animal was a threat to my pets, I would take care of that animal anyway I could. To me, animal cruelty is when people won't/don't take proper care of the animals they have chosen to live with. It extends to meat processing plants only if the animals are suffering from horrible deaths(like death isn't horrible, but I think you get my meaning). Everything has a right to live, but when one organism threatens the life of another, you take out the lesser organism, such as get rid of the worms and keep the dog. Or keep the worms if that is what you like.

Answer 4

In all reality, we have no right. As humans, our main purpose has been to interfere it seems.. What we tend to do is what is best for the animals we've domesticated and we can control. Worms and holes can harm OUR livestock and pets. Insects can destroy our gardens which we need to eat from. We irradicate what we need to survive and to keep our animals safe. I don't kill insects, I let them go outside. I don't cover up holes, because they have the right to live there. I do vacinate and deworm, because livestock and pets can't live comfortably with something eating away at them.

Answer 5

well i am a very big aniaml lover as well. i think every creature has a right to life . Bacteria- we may have vactionations to kill them when they are in are systems but other than that they are always there. I wouldn't kill those animals that are a threat . scare them away, shoot the gun in the air i'm sure that will scare them away.

Answer 6

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Answer 7

well, to be honest, killing anything wild screws up the balance, but wild animals mingling with civilization can be a pain, civilization screws up the wild balance, for instance, the mountain lion population around virginia has been decimated, so now we have way too many deer in certain areas, and they eat my flowers, but i can't hunt them in my subdivision, so i use a paintball gun on them, with pink paintballs, all hunting season, it has cut the herds around here down, but the next subdivision over has it worse, see the problem just moves unless you kill it. killing anything is cruel, but you need to sometimes

Answer 8

Girlfriend, if you have this many worries, you need to move off of the farm! If you depend on your cattle and horses for your livelihood, then you have to choose what is most important. If you are worried about bugs and varmints...don't...there will always be more.

Answer 9

well, killing is a part of life, in my opinion. but we as humans as much as we kill we try to help to balence things out. sometimes we need to kill a cow for food. but then again we will help an injured cow an heal it if we see it anouther time. we dont just kill kill kill or help help help. we do both. i dont think we base it on species we base it on the situation at hand an what we can or need to do. we would help a mouse out of a bucket if we seen it trapped. but we would kill it if it was in our kitchen. it just depends on the situation. only extremists will be only on one side of the spectum.