Animals
Animals are used as a source of protection and security in various capacities. Lamas are good examples of animals known to offer protection. Most farmers use lamas to protect their livestock from other animals such as coyotes and foxes. Although the lamas may seem to be very comical at times, they are the best when it comes to watching over animals. Lamas are commonly used in America and Britain whereby the owners of sheep and goats place the lamas, and their herds in the same field and hence lamas end up protecting them as their offspring. Dogs are also relied on for protection and security by many homes across the world. The security department trains some dogs across the world whose primary purpose is to provide security at various categories. There are different varieties of dogs that are suitable for protection provisions as well as deterring attackers. The Rottweiler, Doberman, and The German Shepherd are examples of breeds that are known for threatening intruders or attackers.
Concerning organic farming, animals play a significant role. The animals’ waste products are used in the manufacture of organic fertilizers which is environmentally friendly. The organic mature helps in improving soil fertility by supplying essential nutrients in the soil. The presence of the organic manure in the soil improves the soil structure as well as uplifting the ability of the soil to retain water. Additionally, organic manure encourages the cycling of the nutrients hence results in the improvement of energy flow in the ecosystem. Relying on the animals for the fertilizers reduces the pollution of the environment and therefore should be encouraged.
Keeping animals as pets is another advantage of animals. Most people keep animals as a pet in their homes in search of happiness. Some of the animals kept as pets are seen to be a source of companionship to the owners who keep them. Once the animals are taken as pets, they lead a happy life with happy homes as well. Different species of dogs and cats are believed to have a long history of providing companionship to humans. Pet keeping is morally right. This is because it would be ethically wrong to force such animals to live in a wild environment, which might be unfit for them. Additionally, adopting such animals, it’s an excellent moral action because they would be otherwise destroyed in the harsh environment, where they might be subjected to.
Animals are used for experimentation. The experiments are commonly seen in scientific researches which are aimed at understanding the human body and how it functions. The use of animals for experimentation is said to be very significant as far as the development of new medicines is concerned. The animals are used for testing the safety and potential of medicine before administering them to the people. Animals are also used in the testing of the safety of other chemicals. In schools, animals such as rats and rabbits are bisected for practical, which enables the students to relate the internal functioning of those animals with the body of humans.
Regarding the cultural and social functions, animals play a significant role in society. Animals are used by different communities to fulfil a particular set of rituals and other social obligations in those communities. Those activities can be either informal or formal. For example, in some communities, cattle are used in the paying of the bride prize. Other communities use animals as a determinant of social status, whereby people with a large number of cattle in the society are highly respected. Such people are considered to be very important in the community, and hence they are involved in most events in the community. For example, they are mostly involved in the negotiations of dowery.
Animals are used in sports in different countries of the world. Horse racing, sled dog racing, greyhound racing, and organized animal fighting are all considered to be legitimate sports, especially in the United States. These legitimate sports evolved as a friendly competition between the owners of the animals who wanted to show off their animals. A different organization runs animal sports. Sled dog races and Rhodes depend largely on sponsors, while both Greyhound and Horse racing are intertwined with the gambling industry which is legalized. Animals sports are delightful to the fans, and hence they are taken as a source of entertainment as popularized by the Romans. Although the well-being and the fate of animals are in their owner’s hand, animal sports should be encouraged since it is a good source of entertainment for many people.
Finally, animals can be used as a source of power. Biogas system is associated with livestock whereby in building an energy integrated Demonstration base, livestock raising is meaningful content. Animals waste especially those from pigs and cattle, are very useful in the production of power by the biogas. Animals themselves are sources of energy whereby Draught animal technology is a very reliable farm power source. This source is popularly used in developing countries. In those countries, Zebu and buffalo are commonly used for the provision of draught power. The draught animal power is beneficial to small- scale farmers during cultivation.