Rationale

Animals are not commodities

The topic I choose was "Humankind's relationship to the environment”,

With scientific advances in the field of genetics and genetic engineering I wanted to explore how humans may use or misuse this knowledge/power in the near future. Animal rights groups make claims that "Genetic engineering and selective breeding violate animal rights. It is manipulating animals for human ends"
I looked at a few different things around genetic engineering:

• Unknown side effects of genetic engineering. One of these effects could be a more violent unpredictable beast .The new species have become more vicious in order to survive and therefore more dangerous.

• How humans may abuse theses animals for entertainment. People may develop, breed and train these “beasts” for illegal fighting competitions. This may also extend beyond genetically modifying animals, replacing body parts with cyborg parts.

• Breeding to introduce characteristics we may desire for the animals. Increased energy, strength and many other traits making them better “work animals” fit for a purpose or  having “exotic” looking pets. This is another form of slavery

• Negative impact on the environment. Genetic engineering is not natural and can upset the balance of nature. If we accept that nature has an orderly food chain of predator and prey, what happens if this is turned upside down and “the hunted becomes hunted”. Nature becomes unbalanced.

Genetic engineering and selective breeding violate animal rights. Animals become nothing more than human commodities. Animals are not human property, they are beings in their own right. This is not treating the animals with any respect and is an example of how human kind can ruin our environment and nature.

Scott Eng