You don't have to be an animal rights activist to take an interest in how we treat other creatures. All of us, with few exceptions, use animals in some way: for food, research, recreation and companionship. In Britain we eat around a billion chickens every year, while 60% of all mammals on Earth, by biomass, are now livestock. In 2020, approximately 2.88 million scientific procedures involving living animals were carried out in Great Britain. Because all this happens in our name, as consumers and citizens we have a duty to understand, to care and to exert some influence over how animals are used. But because such use is ingrained in our daily lives and largely happens behind closed doors, we are barely aware of it. The animals deserve better. Understanding the inconsistencies in our attitudes, in the law and in what is deemed acceptable practice is an important first step. This timely and incisive book makes compelling reading for anyone who has an interest in animals, whether wild or domestic, free-living or captive, people intrigued about how their food is produced, and those keen to make informed and intelligent decisions.
Alick Simmons is a veterinarian and a naturalist. After a 35-year public service career controlling epidemic diseases of livestock, culminating in eight years as the UK's Deputy Chief Veterinary Officer, in 2015 he began conservation volunteering. As well as practical tasks such as surveying waders and catching baby cranes, he advises a number of conservation organisations on animal welfare and ethics. He is chair of the Zoological Society of London's Ethics Committee for Animal Research and sits as an independent member of ethics committees for both the RSPB and the National Trust. He is former chair of the Universities Federation for Animal Welfare and the Humane Slaughter Association.
Preface 1 The Exploitation of Animals 2 Why Aren't All Animals Treated the Same Way? 3 The Welfare of Farmed Animals: an Overview 4 Grazing Animals: the Best, and Some of the Worst 5 Pigs, Poultry and the Rest 6 Snares, Guns and Poison: the 'Management' of Wildlife 7 Conservation: Exploitation with Clear Limits? 8 Recreation, Sport and a Little Food 9 Pets: Exploitation Begins at Home 10 Animals Used in Research 11 A Personal Ethical Framework 12 Making Sense of It All Notes Glossary and Abbreviations Further Reading Acknowledgements Index
Do our animals deserve better treatment? Why are there so many inconsistencies in our attitudes and in laws relating to animals? This book answers many of these questions and certainly provides much information to help decide how we ourselves can act in the best interest of these animals. -- Patricia MacDuff, British Naturalist This is a brilliant book and I recommend that you buy it and read it. -- Mark Avery, author and environmental campaigner Refreshingly, [Simmons] is far from puritanical in matters concerning animals... His book is a welcome contribution to debates about the use and abuse of animals and will surely serve to prompt further discussion. -- Josh Loeb, The Veterinary Record Perhaps in sixty years we'll look back on Treated Like Animals as helping to initiate a new era of openness, transparency and citizen engagement in all forms of the exploitation of animals. -- Moira Harris, Animal Welfare A thought-provoking tome...This is a book that sets out to ask difficult questions. It does not always provide answers, but it reminds the reader, farmer, animal rights activist or conservationist that there are no easy answers. -- The Leveller [Simmons] encourages us to become better informed about the myriad ways societies and economies depend on animals-and to be more accountable for our choices... his overall message is universal. -- Animal Welfare Institute Quarterly
