Below is a list of current issues that animals are facing today that I will continue to update as I learn more. I hope to explore each of these at some point. As time goes on, my wish is for this list to shorten because humans have stopped doing them.
Food & Agriculture
- Factory farming / concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs)
- Gestation crates and battery cages
- Chick culling (male chicks are killed immediately as byproduct of egg industry)
- Foie gras production
- Live animal transport over long distances
- Slaughterhouse conditions
- Dairy industry (separation of calves from mothers)
- Selective breeding and extreme production traits
- Routine painful procedures
Ocean & Aquatic Animals
- Overfishing and fish population collapse
- Bycatch (unintended capture and death of non-target species)
- Shark finning
- Whaling
- Aquaculture / fish farming conditions
- Underwater noise pollution from shipping
Animal Testing & Research
- Cosmetic testing on animals
- Medical and pharmaceutical testing
- Psychological experimentation (isolation and deprivation studies)
- Lethal dose testing (LD50 / LC50)
Wildlife & Exotic Animals
- Poaching and illegal wildlife trafficking
- Trophy hunting
- Commercial wildlife farming
- Habitat destruction and deforestation
- Species extinction from human activity
- Wild horse roundups
Entertainment & Sport
- Bullfighting
- Rodeos
- Animal fighting
- Poor welfare standards in zoos and aquariums
- Circuses and traveling animal acts
- Horse racing and greyhound racing
- Exotic animal tourism (elephant rides, tiger selfies)
- Dolphin captivity for entertainment
- Animal use in fashion/materials (furs, leather, etc)
Companion Animals
- Puppy mills and unregulated breeding
- Pet abandonment and shelter overcrowding
- Declawing of cats
- Chaining and tethering
- Dog and cat meat trade
- Feral and stray animal populations
Systemic & Legal Issues
- Weak enforcement of existing animal welfare laws
- Gaps in US the Animal Welfare Act still leaves out billions of animals
- Animals legally classified as property rather than sentient beings
- Ag-gag laws (legislation preventing documentation of farm conditions)
- Lack of legal protections for farmed animals specifically
- Insufficient funding for animal control and shelters
Climate & Environmental Intersection
- Climate-driven habitat loss and animal displacement
- Wildfires displacing wildlife and overwhelming rescues
- Ocean acidification harming marine ecosystems
- Deforestation driven by animal agriculture