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An extremist is one who advocates or resorts to measures beyond the norm. So an animal rights extremist is a person that would go beyond acceptable measures to fight for the rights of animals. Animal rights activists and animal rights extremist differs in the main reason that animal rights activist do not resort to violent acts, although extremist groups such as the Animal Liberation Front (ALF) claim to be non-violent. These extremists for animal rights are classified in society as deviant. They are deviant because they do not conform to society's norms. These animal rights extremists do not share the same ideas and standards as most of the people in our society.
Animal rights extremists are infamous for striking at universities or medical labs where animals are used as test subjects. On April 28, 1999, a scientist that works at UCSF and his family were terrorized outside of his house where nine extremists broke windows and burnt an effigy of the scientist on to the lawn. At the Yerkes Regional Primate Center at Emory University police were forced to tear gas, mace, and arrest 60 violent demonstrators that were attempting to force there way into the center. This happened April 26, 1997.
December 22, 1991, a fire was set by an animal rights organization that destroyed the Malecky Mink Ranch and everything inside of it, including the minks. The Ranch was working in collaboration with Oregon University concerning mink breeding and nutrition in the wild. On April 23, 1999, three laboratories were broke into and vandalized by demonstrators. A researcher was also violently confronted and equipment and windows were smashed. A few mice were also rescued. Some of the equipment that was damaged by the demonstrators was ironically cell cultures that were in the process of being developed to be used as a method of testing rather than animal test subjects.
These incidents were commited by smaller individual groups of animal rights extremists and are not isolated events. The ALF takes direct action against all forms of animal abuse. This action falls basically into two groups: 1) The rescue or liberation of animals from premises or establishments in order to save them from persecution. Such animals are usually taken to good homes where they will be properly cared for. Animals are only released into the wild if they have a reasonable chance of survival. 2) Damage to property or premises connected with animal abuse, to force them out of business or to encourage them to mend their ways. Often both types of action take place during the same raid.
It is against ALF policy to use violence against a person or animal. Self-defence is the only exception, and even then the minimum of force should be used. For example it may be necessary to restrain someone but not punch them in the face unless they are a serious physical threat. Raids are best planned to be carried out in such a way as to avoid confrontation with the opposition. Methods used to cause damage to property should reflect this policy both directly and indirectly, ie just as we do not accept killing or injuring anyone, so too must we avoid an action that may indirectly pose a similar threat To sum it up, the ALF campaign is one of animal rescue and economic sabotage.
This is Alf's mission statement. ALF is the worlds second largest Animal Rights Organization next to PETA. But PETA is a non-violent Animal Rights Organization. ALF has a small inner leadership, about 20 members. There are about 400 activists that are the extremists. The number of sympathizers is about 3000.
These people may help the extremists by giving them information or funds. ALF has all the things of a small revolutionary movement. ALF has safe houses, secret bank accounts, secret internet mailing lists, hunger strikes, the Vegan Prisoners Support Group, and a press officer. The founder of ALF, Ronnie Lee, states that, Direct action is most effective against targets that are already weakened. Thats why its good. Lee also wants to change the world, not just peoples appetites.
Lee also claims that for the ideal balance between animal and humans to occur, de-industrialization has to take place. Also the worlds population needs to be brought down to 100 million! That is an enormous drop considering the worlds population is over 6 billion. I wonder how many ALF followers would be willing to sacrifice their lives for the animals? Last weekend members of ALF attacked a fur farm in near Ringwood, England.
The activists freed about 6, 000 |mink| and released them into the surrounding area. Unfortunately the mink were released into an area called The New Forest, a wetland which was listed as one of the worlds 900 most important wetland areas at the Rio Earth Summit a few years ago. Since mink are extremely efficient predators, much of the wildlife at this environmentally sensitive site has been put in danger by these terrorists who claim to be looking out for animals. This report can be found on the website web Other such instances are common. Walls and computer screens spray painted at Western Washington University. $ 3000 dollars of damage done. 116 animals stole.
University of Minnesota Alzheimer's research set back 2 years. Forms of cancer stolen. Millions of Dollars of physical damage done. Cornell University broke into.
Dozens of woodchucks set free. Liver cancer research set back. Horses released whose tissues are used in skull bone birth defects in children. Chemical storage facility set on fire. 1000 workers and residents evacuated because of toxic chemicals released.
Coyotes stolen that were being used in a study to determine ways to protect them in the wild. Michigan State University office set on fire. Among the research destroyed was a study into the reproduction of endangered species. All of these excerpts from newspaper crime reports were crimes committed by ALF. ALF is not only the main animal rights organizations that commit acts of deviance to get its point across. The biggest animal rights organization, PETA, has a questionable use of its funds and donations and its tactics.
According to a July 26, 2000, Associated Press story, out of the 2, 103 animals that PETA rescued during 1999, a whopping 1, 325 of them were euthanized anyway. The web site web does research into the financial standings of different activist groups. They found disturbing information about PETA. While PETA and the other groups condemn scientific research involving animals (90 percent of which are rodents, according to Americans for Medical Progress, a pro-research foundation), they spend a pittance on animal shelters. Eleven million animals are destroyed annually for lack of facilities.
Yet PETA spent less than $ 3, 955 of its $ 12 million in fiscal year 1995 and $ 6, 100 of its $ 10. 9 million in fiscal 1996 for shelter programs, according to its nonprofit tax forms filed with the IRS. In contrast, PETA sent $ 70, 500 in 1995 to Rodney Coronado, a convicted arsonist and avowed member of the domestic-terrorist group called the Animal Liberation Front. Coronado served a five-year federal prison sentence for a 1992 animal-rights-related firebombing at Michigan State University. Unapologetic about its ties to domestic terrorism, PETA also made a cash donation in 2001 to the North American Earth Liberation Front, a group that the FBI has called a domestic terrorist organization. (web) So what can be done about these organizations that claim to be helping animals by supporting terrorism and committing acts of violence and vandalism. I believe Lisa Simpson learned a lesson in the episode where she decides to become a vegetarian. Lisa realizes that she can have her own independent thoughts about what is right.
But she also learns that she cannot force other people to think the same way as she does. Maybe these extremists should adapt the same attitude and not tell people how to live. People dont march in front of PETA headquarters in Norfolk, Virginia with signs that say that vegetarianism is bad.
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Research essay sample on Animal Rights Liberation Front
