Essay on animal care our responsibility
Answers
Animals play important roles in all our lives, and children especially seem to have a
natural affinity for animals. The nature of their relationships with animals and the natural
world are important in shaping their overall attitudes and beliefs. Encouraging positive
relationships with other living beings and our common home—the Earth—is the aim of
Humane Education.
Humane education is an approach to instruction that infuses the curriculum with
concern for all living creatures. It is not limited to instruction on animal care (though that
is included), nor is it a separate subject. It is taught when teachers model respect and
reinforce knowledge, skills and attitudes that demonstrate responsibility, kindness and
caring.
Humane Education values the inter-dependence of all living things. Respect,
responsibility and compassion for both animals and people are at its heart. Humane
educators do not regard animals as more important than people, but believe that
showing kindness to animals and having empathy for people go hand-in-hand.
Childhood is a time when one’s character is being formed, and humane education can
help students to do the following:
• Consider the needs, feelings and suffering of all living things
• Understand what it means to be human by examining out relationships to other
creatures
• Consider the effects of their own actions
• Reflect on the world and their place within it.
Humane education is premised on the belief that children raised to be kind to animals
will also show compassion to people. Research has shown that there is a demonstrated
link between cruelty to animals and other violent behaviours.
Many adults who commit violent crimes have a history of childhood cruelty to animals,
and many children who abuse animals have themselves been abused. Numerous
studies show that there are correlations between animal cruelty and child abuse,
domestic violence and elder abuse.