Blog 10: New Zealand to Ban 'Cruel' Animal Testing of Cosmetic Products

There are a lot of products on the market that we as humans use every day. Most of the time when we are shopping we don’t think about how the product was made or the steps used to create the product. Many products such as cosmetics and house-hold products are tested on animals. This is a situation that the New Zealand government is now addressing. The New Zealand government is considering a ban on inhumane animal testing of cosmetic products. The changes will legally require the government to stop animal testing. The proposed revision in New Zealand’s animal welfare laws was introduced by Green Party MP Mathers. The new law would make animal testing of cosmetics like lipstick or shampoo a criminal offense and punishable by law. New Zealand's reputation in animal testing is under international scrutiny, and failing to impose a ban on "cruel" cosmetics testing will not continue to remain unnoticed.

Testing products on animals can very harmful to the animals the product is being used on. Animals testing is wrong because the animals have no say. They cannot tell you that they want to participate in an experiment. The nails are treated very badly and live in very poor conditions while they are being experimented on. If you think about it, animal testing is animal abuse. The animals have things injected inside them just to see how the animal will react. There need to be a voice for the speechless. That’s exactly what New Zealand is doing. By banning cosmetic testing on animals they are ensuring the safety for the animals. 

http://au.ibtimes.com/articles/544287/20140321/animal-testing-welfare-new-zealand-cosmetic.htm#.U1EVZldPPwk

 

Blog #7: Copenhagen Zoo kills 4 lions, weeks after shooting giraffe

Much global attention has been given to the Copenhagen Zoo in Denmark here in the last few months. Last month the zoo killed a health 18 month-old giraffe by shooting him in the head. After killing the giraffe the zoo then turned around and feed his body to lions. Now, this upcoming week the zoo said that it will have to euthanize four lions in order to make room for a newly arrived young male lion. Certain sources say that the zoo staff members are “serial killer” and “murderers.” The excuses that the zoo gave in order to justify the killing of the lions is that they wanted genetic purity and conservation, noting that the new lion would invariably prey on the cubs, while there was a risk that the older male lion would try to breed with one of the female lions that were his offspring. The zoo was extremely worried that the old male would mate with the two females (his own offspring) and thus give rise to interbreeding.

There is a cultural divide between the United States and Europe when it comes to animal euthanasia. Europe, is relatively more open to euthanizing animals in the name of conservation and ensuring genetic diversity .Here in America, our zoos prefers to use contraception to prevent overpopulation or inbreeding, European zoos often favored allowed animals to breed and express their natural behavior, including sexual reproduction. In Europe, there is a strict attempt to maintain genetically pure animals and not waste space in a zoo for genetically useless specimens. This type of behavior is completely unacceptable. No animal should have to die just because it isn’t a purebred. All animals have the right to live. 

http://www.cnn.com/2014/03/26/world/europe/copenhagen-zoo-lions/