Hal Herzog PhD writing for the website Psychology Today questions whether Americans really are animal lovers despite 65 percent of households having a companion animal. He argues that you should follow the money to decide whether pet loving Americans are genuine animal lovers. Whereas about $600 million is spent on saving animals, $300 billion (note the ‘b’) is spent on killing them in America.
However, I have faith in Americans and I think that at heart the majority of Americans are animal lovers and want to see an improvement in animal welfare in their country and across the world.
It is a great shame, therefore, that Donald Trump is the current president of United States looking for re-election. All animal lovers should withhold their vote for President Trump. I think his behaviour in respect of animal welfare is reprehensible. We know that his son Donald Trump Jr (and brother) likes to trophy hunt the rarest and most precious of iconic wild species in far-flung places for his pleasure, which I presume he endorses.
People should also realise that Trump’s administration recently made it legal to kill hibernating bears and their cubs in their dens for the entertainment of sport hunters. Further, the government wants to allow the shooting of caribou from speedboats in national parks in Alaska. These are meant to be parks where animals are protected. I’m told that he has also allowed wolves and their pups to be killed in their dens.
You could not distance yourself further from animal welfare than President Trump both in his general alpha male demeanour, in the context of his family and in the legislation that his administration writes.
The Centre for Biological Diversity has sued the Trump administration three times in a week and there is a resistance movement against the Trump administration’s disregard for animal welfare.
They sued the administration for failing to protect endangered species from two deadly pesticides which were used to kill coyotes and other native carnivores. Apparently cyanide bombs were used indiscriminately.
As an outsider perhaps I shouldn’t get involved in the forthcoming mid-term elections. Perhaps it is not my place to be involved. But I believe that I have a right to speak up for animal welfare internationally. Animal welfare is an international topic and anyone anywhere has a right to be involved because wild animals know no boundaries. They don’t compartmentalise the world into different countries. They live in the landscape, freely and often keep their distance from the dangerous human.
I hope for two outcomes, (1) that Trump is dumped and (2) that Joe Biden is an animal lover (isn’t there someone better out of 310m Americans?). There is a huge need to improve animal welfare particularly that of farm animals. According to Google’s research tool, there has been a steady and quite dramatic increase in concern for the well-being of animals in recent years. It was kicked off apparently by the publication of the book Animal Liberation written by philosopher Peter Singer. I have just bought the book on Amazon. It would be nice to think that that interest in animal welfare is translated into tangible results one of which is to vote in a new American president.
Sources: As stated and Biological Diversity.org
Pet?
Trump admires the German shepherd dog for its ability to detect illicit contraband at airports and so on but he refuses to have a pet dog to enhance his profile politically. He said that it would be phony if he adopted a dog. He said that he wouldn’t mind having one but he hasn’t got the time to look after a dog and he also said, “How would I look walking a dog on the White House Lawn?”
Is he concerned about how he looks walking a dog at the White House? Does that support the idea that he is narcissistic and overly concerned with his appearance and how the public perceives him?
My pleasure and hope you are well.
Thank you for speaking out about this. I will share far and wide.