When you think of animal activist groups, the World Wildlife Foundation or those heartbreaking American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals commercials may come to mind. Every mainstream animal activist group has one key theme in common; they all advocate for cute, fluffy animals.
Dogs, cats and even panda bears are the typical faces of animal rights and conservation campaigns, but they aren’t the only animals that need protection. Millions of species of animals are excluded from this umbrella of protection due to the simple fact that they aren’t considered “cute.” The attitude that only specific types of animals should be protected needs to end.
If you hit a dog, activists will be up in arms, but if you swat away a fly, no one will bat an eyelash. There shouldn’t be a double standard when it comes to animal rights and protection. A vast majority of animal activist groups are champions for mammals, but seem to forget that there are other members of the animal kingdom.
A number of animals that are critical to the function and sustainability of the environment aren’t your typical cute and cuddly mammals, but rather strange, and sometimes visually unappealing, insects and reptiles.
Bees, for example, are far from cute but are still one of the most important insects in the environment. They are a staple in agriculture, with one-third of all food products depending on bees for pollination, according to BBC. However, bees are quickly being killed due to the use of agricultural pesticides and chemicals. BBC reported that pollination via bees could be lost within three generations. But do we see commercials or mainstream campaigns which advocate saving the bees? No. Bees are undoubtedly more important to human survival than house pets, yet society only makes a minimal effort to save them.
If we want to strive for a society where animals are protected and treated well, then we can’t be hypocrites and pick and choose which animals we want to save. Taking steps to protect those cute and cuddly animals is great, but it’s just scratching the surface of the work that needs to be done within animal activist groups. Making sure that domesticated animals aren’t abused is important, but the public should also be made aware of how humans can impact, and possibly hurt, the millions of other species of animals on the planet.
From mammals to reptiles, and everything in between, all animals deserve to be protected. Animal activist groups need to ensure that campaigns reflect this equality among all animals. Changing the way these activist groups present information to the public can help change the mindset that only cute mammals need protection.
Every animal is important to the function of the environment in some way, shape or form and, therefore, deserves to be protected. Society as a whole needs to adopt the mindset that every animal should be cared for the same way we care for pets. So next time you’re about to swat a fly, or squish a lizard, stop and think if you would treat a cuter animal that way.
