Zoos - it is wrong to use animals for 'education' or 'entertainment'

I want your feedback and help to improve this text that I wrote to comment on a thread in an event promoting an aquarium:

Animals are sentient beings. They have the right not to be exploited, not to be killed, not to get their family torn away from them, and it is morally wrong for anyone of us to disregard their interests.

Breeding up an animal for entertainment or "education" is neglecting their fundamental interests, such as their interest of freedom. It is also neglecting their fundamental interest of not being bred up to be property under the law [1], which gives the owner of the animal the opportunity and often the right to kill and exploit him/her for any reason. This is also frequently done in aquariums, zoos, and other institutions of animal use where "domesticated animals" are killed for any reason, including being exploited to become food for another imprisoned and exploited animal. Many animals are killed in zoos when the owners of the zoo decides that the animal should be replaced by another animal for "education" or "entertainment".

If we care about animals, we don't use them as property, and we don't exploit them for entertainment, education, pleasure, convenience, tradition, or any other reason.
This includes that we eat and thrive on a healthy plantbased diet without any animal foods, don't use animals as clothes, for entertainment, for companionsip, or any other purpose. For more information I refer to www.vegankit.com and https://www.facebook.com/ThoughtsPicturesPoems

1. http://law.bepress.com/rutgersnewarklwps/art21/

Why all farming of animals involves unnecessary suffering and death

First of all even if you think that there may be such a thing as a moral and responsible "property owner", the mere status of animals being property will necessarily lead to that many animals are subjected to completely unnecessary suffering. Thus if you think that animals have a moral value, you can't justify animals being property under the law:

"When it comes to our moral and legal obligations to nonhuman animals, we suffer from “moral schizophrenia.” We claim to recognize that animals have morally significant interests in not suffering and that it is morally wrong to inflict “unnecessary” suffering on animals. Although we have laws that purport to reflect these moral sentiments, the overwhelming portion of the pain, suffering, and death that we impose on animals cannot be regarded as necessary in any sense. Our moral schizophrenia is related to the status of animals as property, which means that, as a practical matter, animal suffering will be regarded as necessary whenever it benefits human property owners. If we really are to take animal interests seriously, we can no longer treat animals as human resources. This does not mean that we must give animals the rights that we accord to humans, or that we cannot choose human interests over animal interests in situations of genuine conflict. Rather, we must recognize that animals have one right--the right not to be treated as property, and we cannot create conflicts between human and animals by using animals in ways in which we would never use any humans. As long as animals are human property, the principle of equal consideration can never apply to them (just as it could not apply to slaves), and animals will necessarily remain as nothing more than things that possess no morally significant interests.
The theory presented applies to any animal that is sentient and does not require that animals have any additional cognitive characteristics.
"
http://law.bepress.com/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1021...

Second of all,
Every sentient being has an interest in a continued existence. They appreciate their positive subjective experiences, and have an interest of experiencing more positive subjective experiences.
The question is whether your pleasure or convenience can justify taking this from a sentient being.

Third of all,
We know scientifically (and we know by many observations too) that animals are harmed when torn away from their families. This happens for ALL cows used for dairy, and it occurs when animals are slaughtered.
Can you justify this emotional suffering just to gain pleasure or convenience?

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Follow up answer to a person I am discussing with:
Torah stipulates 8 days. There is lots of emotional suffering involved when you separate a mother from her baby after 8 days. Some people claim that there is more suffering involved, since they have made a much stronger bond after that time. Just one of the many instances when I think that Torah is proscribing people to do immoral acts.

2. I showed you that there is suffering involved in all farming regardless whether it is "kosher" or not. And it is completely unnecessary since we have no nutritional need for animal foods.

And you didn't comment on how you can justify depriving a sentient being of her interest of a continued existence.

3. The "Animals as property"-argument is valid. Human slaves couldn't get any real rights either as long as they were property. If you were willing to study the provided research by Prof. Gary Francione you would find out that this is true.

Vegan reply to plants, sentience and 'Do you agree that our moral charge towards organisms relies on their degree of sentience'

Ron,
There is a difference between reacting on stimulus and between being sentient. Plants are not subjectively aware, i.e. they are not sentient. They don’t feel any subjective pain.

 

Yes, they react. But that doesn’t imply that they are sentient.

“Do you agree that our moral charge towards organisms relies on their degree of sentience?“
No, either you are sentient or you are not sentient. If you are sentient, you value your own life even if no one else is valuing your life. You have an inherent value. The speciecism of many humans doesn’t change your inherent value.
If you are not sentient, you are not subjectively aware, you are a thing and not a being.

Philosophies that grant different value compared to different sentient species are speciecist. This is discussed here: http://www.abolitionistapproach.com/do-chimpanzees-dolphins-and-elephants-matter-more/

 

“Plants have nervous systems with many neuronal connections.”
No, they don’t. Their stimulus response is caused by chemical reactions.

 

It is well-known scientifically that animals are conscious and feel pain, and that plants are not conscious and don’t feel pain.
See e.g. this about plants: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=do-plants-think-daniel-chamovitz
“Plants exhibit elements of anoetic consciousness which doesn’t include, in my understanding, the ability to think.  Just as a plant can’t suffer subjective pain in the absence of a brain, I also don’t think that it thinks.”

What do you think of this article: http://blog.nj.com/njv_guest_blog/2013/08/are_we_the_animal-lovers_we_th.html ?

Reply to counter argument to vegans. Vegans are killing plants

Why show love  to e.g. dogs and cats; but not to all other animals. There is no difference between the animals we love, and between the animals we hurt, kill and enslave for palate pleasure. A small child would never dream of hurting precious animals, they are his/her friends; to kill and hurt animals is something that is taught by our cultural indoctrination and by excluding animals from our circle of love and compassion at our meals.

Plants?
People do recognize the different between cutting a grass lawn, and between killing an innocent puppy or human. If receiving guests, you would appreciate flowers, but you wouldn't appreciate getting a dead dog. I recommend this post about plants: http://www.abolitionistapproach.com/a-frequently-asked-question-what-about-plants/

It shows that plants are not sentient and they don't feel pain and suffering.
If you still think that plants are consciousness, just like we are and all the other animals are, then avoid killing them. You don't need to. See the paragraph further down.

If you kill and eat cows - then you kill an innocent and conscious cow; and  in total you consume more than 10 times more plants are consumed (the food of the cow) compared to the amount of plants you would have had to consume if you ate a vegan diet. This is also why we will eliminate starvation and poverty if everyone eats a vegan diet: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fws0f9s4Bas

To quote Philip Wollen: "Poor countries sell their grain to the West while their own children starve in their arms. And we feed it to livestock. So we can eat a steak? Am I the only one who sees this as a crime? Every morsel of meat we eat is slapping the tear-stained face of a starving child. When I look into her eyes, should I be silent?
The earth can produce enough for everyone’s need. But not enough for everyone’s greed."
More about how our eating habits is causing poverty and starvation is explained here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fws0f9s4Bas

Second of all, if you think that plants are sentient beings, you don't need to uproot plants. You can eat their fruits, grains, and seeds. See the last part of this post for more information (I don't want to make this comment too lengthy): http://bloganders.blogspot.no/2013/05/the-connection-of-eating-meat-and.html

The connection of eating meat and starvation

My answer regarding plants to a person:
First of all, I recommend this post about plants: http://www.abolitionistapproach.com/a-frequently-asked-question-what-about-plants/

It shows that plants are not sentient and they don't feel pain and suffering.
If you still think that plants are consciousness, just like we are and all the other animals are, then avoid killing them. You don't need to. See the paragraph further down.

If you kill and eat cows - then you kill an innocent and conscious cow; and  in total you consume more than 10 times more plants are consumed (the food of the cow) compared to the amount of plants you would have had to consume if you ate a vegan diet. This is also why we will eliminate starvation and poverty if everyone eats a vegan diet: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fws0f9s4Bas

To quote Philip Wollen: "Poor countries sell their grain to the West while their own children starve in their arms. And we feed it to livestock. So we can eat a steak? Am I the only one who sees this as a crime? Every morsel of meat we eat is slapping the tear-stained face of a starving child. When I look into her eyes, should I be silent?
The earth can produce enough for everyone’s need. But not enough for everyone’s greed."

Second of all, if you think that plants are sentient beings, think about the following [a quote from another person]:
First off you don't kill plants. (..) If you eat an apple does the apple tree die?
You throw the apple seeds into the ground another apple tree may sprout. Where is the killing?
Do you know that if you planted a carrot top into the soil it will start growing again. Although you won't get a full grown carrot but it does grow.
The only plants you actually "kill" are then ones you need to uproot the roots for.
Take a look at a grain or legume field a soy, rice or wheat field. They are brown when its ready to harvest.

Thats because the plant is dead. I was a part of a seed conservation project.
You cannot conserve seeds from a live plant. Lets take soy. If you plucked the edmame the green raw soy it will rot in some time. Very rarely does it become hard. You have to wait for the plant to die. During this process the seed/legume produces enough phytic acid to protect it and becomes dry natural. Such seeds/legumes stay for years without getting spoiled.
Then plants and humans/animal have a symbiotic relationship. Plants can't move. They need external
help. that is why they produce nectar so they can attract the bees and butterflies that help them cross pollinate the flowers so they can reproduce.

Seeds that fall to the ground from overripe fruits or other plants do not grow into a tree. Because the "parent" plant shade and roots does not allow it to grow.
A human or an animal has to eat that fruit and disperse it far enough so it can grow.
This is how all natural fruit groves have come into existence.
A study found that 80% of all trees were planted by squirrels. They store nuts for winter and then they forget where they have stored it, when monsoon comes these nuts grow into trees.
So that you are killing any plants is just a myth .
If you are concerned about carrots then you can follow Jain Philosophy, Manish Jain Can, help you more with this.
Donald Watson was inspired by Jain philosophy of Ahimsa and Veganism is based on it.
They don't eat carrots, potatoes, and other roots vegetables Manish can help you with what to avoid and what are the alternatives.