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of killing a helpless Lion cub? What kind of jail would we provide for it? Once we have crossed the line into jurisprudence, where would we then redraw the line? Of course, we understand that the buffalo cannot share a cell with a lion.

How fair would we be to different species?
We know how well we would treat the Pandas and the Dolphins. What about the other species that we don't love that much? What about the slugs, termites, mosquitoes, and the rats? Would it be even politically correct to call some species of animal vermin?

Animals do have certain rights. They should not be tortured or made to suffer needlessly. Do pigs in factory pig farms suffer from crowding? Do they resent the hormones and antibiotics? How do we even know how they feel? All we can do is assume that they have our own emotions, needs, and ideals. What if we are just projecting our emotions and assuming it is how these animals feel?

From there to Where?
Suppose we get so far as to legally imprison animals for criminal violations. Then what next? Will trees have rights too? What about the forest fires that hurt and consume the trees? One day we may have to face carrot rights and carrot rights pickets.

In some ways, animals already have more rights than some humans do. Many pets in North America and Europe live better than a quarter of the worlds human population.

Source: www.un.org

Learn more about this author, Jobie Weetaluktuk.
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