I love animals. I can't help but love them. In the past year, I have learned about shameful abuse of domestic animals, the enslavement of farm animals in "factory farming", and the dissimation of wildlife. Animals are sentient beings—they have awareness, feelings and experience suffering, just like us. Therefore, there are many ethical and moral issues at heart when it comes to inflicting cruelty and protecting animals and their welfare.

Cruelty of domestic animals is everywhere. From dog fighting, to lack of proper food and water, to not taking the animal to the vet when he/she is sick. One of the reasons why we have pets is because we trust them in our homes as our companions. In return, they trust us to take care of them. But if we neglect their basic physiological needs, or inflict cruelty and unnecessary hardship on them, they suffer. Most likely we choose them, not the other way around, and we have that parental responsibility.

Some of the most cruel behaviors against animals can be found in farms, where animals are considered "tools of production", with little or no legal protection. Here is what Senator Robert Byrd said on the floor of the U.S. Senate, in July 9, 2001: “On profit-driven factory farms, veal calves are confined to dark wooden crates so small that they are prevented from lying down or scratching themselves. These creatures feel; they know pain. They suffer pain just as we humans suffer pain. Egg-laying hens are confined to battery cages. Unable to spread their wings, they are reduced to nothing more than an egg-laying machine. . . . The law clearly requires that these poor creatures be stunned and rendered insensitive to pain before [the slaughtering] process begins. Federal law is being ignored. Animal cruelty abounds. It is sickening. It is infuriating. Barbaric treatment of helpless, defenseless creatures must not be tolerated even if these animals are being raised for food—and even more so, more so. Such insensitivity is insidious and can spread and is dangerous. Life must be respected and dealt with humanely in a civilized society.”

There are many issues in the endangerement of wildlife and biodiversity. There are ethical, scientific, ecological and economic values in biodiversity. The ethical significance lies within us, in our understanding that other creatures, like us, have the right to exist. The scientific significance is what biodiversity contributes to the knowledge of evolution. The ecological significance is directly related to the very survival of mankind, because the makeup of ecosystems are interwoven by many species, which have developed through thousands of years. The economic significance is found in the food, pharmaceutical and industrial production, and tourism. (Wikipedia)

Here are some websites I've found that are jam-packed with information and committed to animal welfare:

http://www.compassionatecooks.com
Designarchy donates service hours to Compassionate Cooks, an organization dedicated to empowering people to make informed food choices and to debunking myths about vegetarianism through cooking classes, nutrition courses, farmed-animal sanctuary tours, cooking DVDs, and the 30-Day Veg Challenge™.

http://www.hsus.org/
Humane Society of the United States

http://www.peta.org/
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals

http://www.berkeleyhumane.org/
Berkeley-East Bay Humane Society

http://www.elephants.com/
The Elephant Sanctuary

http://www.farmsanctuary.org/
Farm Sanctuary

http://www.bestfriends.org/
Best Friends

http://www.sierraclub.com/
The Sierra Club