Animal welfare is an issue that has been spoken of over and over. This might be because farm animals are most affected and humans highly depend on them for food and survival. There has always been a question of who between animals and humans need the other the most?
In my opinion, i would say , we humans need the animals more than they need us. They existed anyway before God had thought of creating Adam and Eve. This clearly shows that animals can co-exist uniterrupted by humans. The next time you think of mistreating an animal, be very careful. You need it, but it doesnt need you.
So, what exactly do we need to consider in order to attain good animal welfare? There is a couple of things that if we consider, that particular animal is said to be in good welfare. The major one is taking care of the five animal freedoms which include;
- Freedom from hunger and thirst – we should always ensure animals are provided with clean drinking water and balanced feeds.
- Freedom from pain and injury – If an animal is injured, it is said to be in pain and that particular animal will not produce.
- Freedom from fear and stress – Mistreating an animal subjects it to stress and fear of that particular person mistreating it.
- Freedom from discomfort – An animal should live in its comfort and not be interrupted by human activities.
- Freedom to express its natural behavior – an animal should be allowed to roam freely, not to be confined.
