First of all, one of the animal rights issues that can be identified is cosmetic animal testing. According to an estimate by the Humane Society International, every year between 100,000 and 200,000 animals suffer and die as a result of cosmetic testing. In these tests the animals suffer because they experience numerous dangerous complications such as skin and eye irritation due to the toxins used in cosmetic products. For example, animals are passed chemicals into their throats, eyes and even shaved skin to analyze the effects of cosmetic products and ensure the safety of humans when using these products. These tests will decide whether these cosmetic products will cause diseases or health complications such as cancer or birth defects. Most cosmetic companies also conduct lethal dose testing, in which animals are forced to consume large amounts of chemicals to determine what dose can cause death. As a result, test animals will experience excruciating pain due to organ damage and seizures. Therefore it can be concluded that cosmetic tests are considered extremely inhumane and unnecessary. The death of animals can cause a rapid reduction in the animal population. Even more disturbing, perhaps, is the fact that many animals fail to survive the animal testing process and are subsequently eliminated in large numbers. This results in environmental exposure to toxins and diseases. In other words, the disposal process involves potentially dangerous exposure to biological hazards, including radioactive materials. Therefore, this can cause irreparable damage to the ecosystem leading to disruption of the food chain as apex predators become extinct. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Secondly, another animal rights issue that can be identified is that of animals held captive in zoos. The American Zoo and Aquarium Association (AWA) has certified 233 zoos and aquariums. The U.S. Division of Agriculture also offered licenses to approximately 2,400 "animal exhibitors." These animal exhibitors use their licenses to operate roadside zoos and petting zoos, both of which are notorious for animal abuse. Zoos take part in animal abuse by benefiting from the attention of visitors and also from the conservation grants they get by keeping animals in captivity with a poor quality of life. Since 1995, American zoos have used antidepressant and antipsychotic drugs to treat depression and aggressive behavior among zoo animals across the country. Beyond that, zoos also instill trauma among animals. For example, zoos are usually only interested in baby chimpanzees and not adult ones. Therefore, only baby chimpanzees are captured in the wild, and once captured, these baby chimpanzees experience trauma as adult chimpanzees are usually shot dead in front of them. Numerous baby chimpanzees were injured during capture and some even died before reaching their respective zoos. Additionally, zoos are also interested in capturing major wildlife predators such as lions and tigers. According to Oregon State University, which has conducted over 42 studies over the past 50 years, it has been found that the loss of top predators in forest ecosystems has allowed the population of prey animals to increase dramatically,.
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