Animal Euthanasia in Zoos

Animal Euthanasia in Zoos While zoos in the United States favor contraception as a means of keeping their resident populations under control, other zoos around the world take a different approach: euthanasia. Dave Morgan, chairman of the Population Management Committee at the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums explained to the New York Times that international guidelines on the ethics of breeding zoo animals are sketchy. Apparently, since ethics and philosophies are so diverse among countries of the world, its tough to make blanket regulations. For instance, both the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria and the African Association of Zoos and Aquaria generally consider routine euthanasia a viable management and breeding strategy, while the Central Zoo Authority of India has recommended that euthanasia of zoo animals may be carried out only in the specific circumstances when any animal is in such an agony or pain that it is cruel to keep him alive. How Euthanasia Is Used for Population Control Zoos that favor euthanasia over contraception generally allow animals to mate naturally and permit mothers to raise their young until an age at which the family groups would instinctively separate in the wild. At that point, zoo officials employ lethal injection to kill young animals that exceed the zoos carrying capacity, dont fit into breeding plans, and are unwanted by other zoos. In the spring of 2012, the Copenhagen Zoo euthanized a pair of leopard cubs who were approaching two years of age as part of their breeding management plan. Each year, the zoo puts approximately 25 healthy animals to death, including chimpanzees, whose similarities to humans make opponents of euthanasia particularly squeamish. Arguments in Favor of Euthanasia Contraception (pills, implants, injections) can pose health risks to animals.Euthanasia allows animals the natural experience of bearing young and parenting.Terry Maple, the former director of Zoo Atlanta and co-editor of Ethics on the Ark, knows of no definitive research that assesses the importance of raising young to animals health, but he has said that observation indicates that most zoo animals are motivated and protective parents that play frequently with offspring.Euthanasia imitates animals survival in the wild, where high percentages of young die early in life as a result of predation, starvation or injury.According to longtime zookeeper and curator Peter Dickinson, There is nothing wrong in killing an animal if it is done quickly and with forethought and kindness. When animals are euthanized for the correct reasons, then it is morally right and justified. The uninformed will often level accusations of being heartless and not caring when precisely the opposite is true. Good zoos with managed populations can see the bigger picture †¦ it is the species which is being managed and not individuals. Arguments Against Euthanasia Opponents of euthanasia suspect that the killing of adolescent animals is a convenient way for zoos to maintain a continual supply of their cutest inhabitants (babies), which draw crowds and generate more money.Contraception is a more humane way to limit populations while allowing animal family groups to coexist naturally.Cheryl Asa, director of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums Wildlife Contraception Center at the St. Louis Zoo, does not believe that euthanasia is a feasible option for zoos in the United States. On an emotional level, I cant imagine doing it, and I cant imagine our culture accepting it, she said.Worldwide breeding networks and genetic planning can be used to avoid a surplus of offspring while still ensuring that many animals breed and raise offspring, claims Terry Maple, former director of Zoo Atlanta and co-editor of Ethics on the Ark. I am not saying management euthanasia is wrong. It is just not the best solution.Killing animals in zoos because they dont figu re into breeding plans is not euthanasia, its zoothanasia, and is a most disturbing and inhumane practice. Using the word euthanasia seems to sanitize the killing at least for some people and makes it more acceptable. While one might argue that many, if not all, animals in zoos suffer, killing animals who arent needed isnt mercy killing; its really a form of premeditated killing, argues Marc Bekoff, Professor Emeritus of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Colorado, Boulder.

Free Essays on “Between A Rock And A Soft Place”

Although we live in the twenty-first century, has the debate about stereotyping men and women come to an end? In the essay â€Å"Between a Rock and a Soft Place† the author categorizes genders, male and female. More so the author tries to describe the hardship that men had to go through and may even still being going through, as well as woman during the feminist action movement. Before I read this essay, I never stopped for a moment to think about the difficulties men had to go through while woman were trying to establish equality. Looking back during the Victorian times, men had to be masculine bread winners and woman were looked upon as angelic procreating machines which took care of the offspring and their husbands. Well, at the time men didn’t know any better nor did the woman. Boys were raised into making themselves macho men, and girls were raised to believe that they had to be gentle creatures to nurture and obey their husbands and raise children. As a matter of fact, I don’t think it should have been any different for that time and age. Because I believe if the feminist action started any earlier, by now our men would have become woman except with male genitals. Although I am a fellow female, I believe woman are over doing and over powering men to such an extent that they have turned men into complete sissies. Besides adding un-needed burden to their shoulders. Please don’t misunderstand, I do believe in equal opportunities, but there is a biological reason to why there are two genders existing in this world. For instance, the biological make up of a man produces more testosterone, than in woman, thus makes the man masculine by nature. Feminist action has giving woman enough recognition for their equal capabilities, but why can’t woman understand that there are certain things that should be left for a man to do, and at the same time certain things woman should be doing. It doesn’t mean that we are weaker and not ... Free Essays on â€Å"Between A Rock And A Soft Place† Free Essays on â€Å"Between A Rock And A Soft Place† Although we live in the twenty-first century, has the debate about stereotyping men and women come to an end? In the essay â€Å"Between a Rock and a Soft Place† the author categorizes genders, male and female. More so the author tries to describe the hardship that men had to go through and may even still being going through, as well as woman during the feminist action movement. Before I read this essay, I never stopped for a moment to think about the difficulties men had to go through while woman were trying to establish equality. Looking back during the Victorian times, men had to be masculine bread winners and woman were looked upon as angelic procreating machines which took care of the offspring and their husbands. Well, at the time men didn’t know any better nor did the woman. Boys were raised into making themselves macho men, and girls were raised to believe that they had to be gentle creatures to nurture and obey their husbands and raise children. As a matter of fact, I don’t think it should have been any different for that time and age. Because I believe if the feminist action started any earlier, by now our men would have become woman except with male genitals. Although I am a fellow female, I believe woman are over doing and over powering men to such an extent that they have turned men into complete sissies. Besides adding un-needed burden to their shoulders. Please don’t misunderstand, I do believe in equal opportunities, but there is a biological reason to why there are two genders existing in this world. For instance, the biological make up of a man produces more testosterone, than in woman, thus makes the man masculine by nature. Feminist action has giving woman enough recognition for their equal capabilities, but why can’t woman understand that there are certain things that should be left for a man to do, and at the same time certain things woman should be doing. It doesn’t mean that we are weaker and not ...

Brandt Wallace essays

Brandt Wallace essays Is language, or the actual act of speaking, solely created by the organs of speech? It is possible that some scholars might agree that communication is not totally vocal, yet how many of these same scholars would agree that language is not restricted to the vocalized speech that is so common in everyday life? This paper will argue that music, specifically instrumental jazz, can be characterized as an alternative language method. In order to gather information to write this paper, research was conducted at a downtown bar by observing a four piece jazz band and its audience. On first observing with the notion of "jazz as language" in mind, one very important question arose-what types of things does language convey? Frankly, the answer to this question could continue into book length, but there are several key correlations that the research revealed between the functions of jazz and verbal speaking as language types. The most obvious similarity is that jazz, like verbal speaking, is used to explain ideas and stories in great detail and emotion. Jazz expresses these ideas and stories to the audience through two distinct entities, group conversation and personal interpretation. On explaining these entities, one must understand the order in which they are given to the audience. The majority of the pieces that were performed used a common theme or melody, some songs having multiple melodies. In each song, this melody was expressed in one of two ways. In some songs, the band would start with the melody and then enter a "solo period," where each musician would solo. Before concluding the piece, the band would tie the piece together by playing the melody again. In other songs, the band would switch between melody and solo until each musician had soloed. The melody will be referred to as the "conversation." The solo is like an individual's personal thoughts on the conversation. In the jazz melody, or con...

Starbucks is the world's premier coffee roaster and retailer Essay

Starbucks is the world's premier coffee roaster and retailer - Essay Example Aside that, Starbucks is a major corporate entity that seeks to maintain a strong grip through vertical integration. Starbucks maintains a strong hold on the coffee-related products and goods in America and around the world. Starbucks has acquired several processing plants and manufacturing entities that supply other corporate bodies with coffee and snack products which helps to boost the brand image. Stakeholders are the major entities who affect and are affected by the activities of an organisation (Freeman, 2004). In the case of Starbucks, the main stakeholders are employees, customers, the community, coffee producers and shareholders. In the mission statement of Starbucks, it seeks to satisfy the needs and aspirations of all these groups of stakeholders. The mission of Starbucks promises to provide a great work environment for the employees of Starbucks where diversity and excellence are at the core of their vision. They also seek to provide absolute customer satisfaction through excellent products. Also, Starbucks seeks to give back to the community and provide good arrangements and agreements with the coffee producers in different parts of the world. On the side of the shareholders, Starbucks seeks to provide the highest possible profits year-in-year-out for them. Starbucks' core strategy is 'to build a company with a soul'. This means it desires to set up a socially responsive organisation that seeks to provide the best results for all classes of stakeholders. It focuses on common values, common purpose and respect of people as well as shared success to create a bond between employees, suppliers, shareholders and management. Starbucks has different types of outlets found in several forms and systems thorough which they serve world class premium coffee. The growth of the Starbucks brand is an important element of the strategy. So Starbucks continues to provide high quality services and create a conducive atmosphere for coffee lovers. It embarked on an exp ansion drive in the 1990s by selling in top restaurants and hotels. It also entered joint ventures and strategic alliances with food manufacturers and CD manufacturers to create a unique brand that could be used to sell products around the world. Starbucks also expanded into other markets through strategic acquisition drives. They continue to spread their coffee brands through licensing and international expansion. However, Starbucks is going through some strategic challenges. The focus on the US markets seem to be proving less profitable due to the recent financial crises. Starbucks is therefore focusing on expanding to other foreign markets. They also seek to diversify and continue the vertical integration drive which seeks to acquire different business concerns related to the coffee industry. External Analysis External analyses refers to the points or situations where an organisation's activities interacts with the elements in the wider society; naming governmental, international , macroeconomic and socio-cultural and technological trends relevant (Scott, 2009). Political The years 2007 – 2009 were tough times for the United States in general. The War in Iraq and the global financial crises created a strong impact on the nation as a whole. The US Congress passed 3 stimulus bills in the period (The New York Times, 2012). These bills were meant to provide recovery to the financial system. It provided tax cuts as well as an unemployment fund to support

Death of a Salesman Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 6

Death of a Salesman - Essay Example Relatively associated to the life and dream of every American family, Death of a Salesman tells about the anxiety and insecurity of the Lomans–with Willy as the father, Linda as the wife and the mother to two sons: Biff and Happy. Already suffering from senility, Willy is still made to suffer more from his unappreciative boss, Howard Wagner. Willy has managed to survive, eventhough he erred at times while driving or even doing simple tasks. This is due to his concern for his financial security that remained him a salesman travelling long distances just to make a sale, and earn only a commission from it. Lomans are not mired in abject poverty–they were able to mortgage the house in a decent and highly densed neighborhood and were able to drive their own car–Willy Loman found it difficult to meet both ends. Linda is a plain housewife; Happy is living his own life; and Biff was not able to finish high school on reasons Willy has to be partly blamed. The struggle is nerve-racking to the extent that he is often disgusted and complaining at his own self and the people around him. Slowly, the plot brings us to reality, and it reveals the more elaborate struggle Willy has stepped onto. First, Willy’s late brother Ben has intevened exclusively only to Willy’s mind. This is either a flashback or some literary device which Miller had utilized to induce an intrinsic conflict in the main character. In the initial dialogue between Willy and Ben, they exchanged pleasantries and they shared memories about their parents and even their whereabouts. Willy is interested to the latter’s prevarications, â€Å"to walk into the jungle† (Miller 36). To Willy, the philosophy–apparently the same philosophy of the Loman’s stock–should be imbued to his two young sons. Further in the play, one notices the intricacies in the past. Ben, in the past, has

To what extent can improvements in productive flow and product quality Essay - 4

To what extent can improvements in productive flow and product quality lead to an increase in sales and profit - Essay Example product flow and quality, and determine how their association can be harnessed to promote sales as well as profits. Business organisations exist with a goal of maintaining continuous improvement and productivity; a goal that can only be achieved if high sales and profits are maintained. Enhanced sales and profits provide adequate opportunities and resources to the manufacturers that they apply for innovation and growth. Enhanced innovation enables manufacturers to provide superior and lean quality products that attract customers. Most companies strive to leverage operational improvements into strategies that transform the company (Williams, Haslam and Williams, 1992). Production flow defines the concept of mass production. It is the idea of producing large quantities that are manufactured through application of high standardised methods. Production flow is applied by many companies because it promotes the production process; it is easier and quicker. The introduction bit of the proce ss is cumbersome and difficult although it becomes easier once the production flow attains momentum. Owing to its emphasis on production of large quantities of commodities, production flow relies on the machinery for most of its roles. This implies that surmountable resources require to be allocated in the purchase, training and maintenance for the strategy to be efficient. Machines involved in this process should be selected and handled carefully to ensure that they are not vulnerable to wear and tear. This may lead to loss in terms of maintenance and replacement costs (Womack, Jones and Roos, 1990). According to Oulton (1987), mass production has its merits as well as demerits. Installation of the machinery required for production requires abundant financial resources. However, once the machinery has been installed, organisations save considerable financial resources, especially the money required in hiring and maintenance of human labour (Gilchrist, 1971). The work output is norm ally high. The accuracy levels are also high provided the machines are maintained in a superb working form. Machines are also capable of abiding to the set deadlines with no requirement for extensions. Abiding to the performance deadline is enhanced by the presence of assembly lines that allows continuous and consistent flow of manufactured products. This enhances output as well as the quality of the products produced in the long term, leading to increased sales and profits. Investing in production flow process benefits the manufacturer due to improved sales, leading to the increase in profits. Quality can be defined as the ability of a product or service to fulfil the client needs or expectations. Therefore, it can be measured depending on the level that the quality of a product satisfies the expectations of a consumer. High quality products have superior features that satisfy the consumer needs while the features of low quality products do not correspond to the needs of the consum er. For instance, the features that determine the quality of mechanical products include appearance, safety and reliability. Product quality improvement should consider the customer’s needs and expectations, extent of fulfilment of both national and international regulations and the competitiveness of the product (Williams, Haslam and Williams, 1993). Improving the product quality will not only satisfy the consumer needs; more customers will be attracted leading to increa To what extent can improvements in productive flow and product quality Essay - 1 To what extent can improvements in productive flow and product quality lead to an increase in sales and profit - Essay Example Additionally, there is product price, product quality, customer preference, and economic stability of a market. Product quality and productive flow are also factors that affect sales and profit. They have various ways through which they affect sales and profit (Shaharudin, Mansor, Hassan, Omar & Harun, 2011, p. 8163; Shetty & Buehler, 1991, p. 8). The extent, through which product quality and productive flow can increase sales and profit, can only be shown through explaining the effect of these two factors on sales and profit. How improving these factors can lead to increased sales and profit, will clearly be produced in the explanations given about their effects. The essay is, therefore, divided into two main sections: The effects of product quality on sales and profit, and the effect of productive flow on sales and profit. These will show the relationship between product quality and productive flow to sales and profit hence; help in understanding how improving the two factors can l ead to increased sales and profit. Effect of Product Quality on Sales and Profit The main element that brings value to a customer in the market offering is the product. A product is more than a tangible object. It includes performance quality, service features, brand name, design and packaging. The quality of a product is very important since it affects the product performance and so is connected to customer satisfaction and value (Shaharudin, Mansor, Hassan, Omar & Harun, 2011, p. 8164). Consumers of today seek high quality products. The only problem is different perceptions held by customers about quality. Any company interested in selling its products should conduct thorough market research, depending on the type of product they have, to determine what their consumers perceive as high quality. Consumers in the United States, for example, rank quality based on reliability of a product, durability, easy maintenance, ease of use, brand name and the price. This is specifically on mot or cycle products (Shaharudin, Mansor, Hassan, Omar & Harun, 2011, p. 8164). Improving the quality of a product, therefore, increases the sales of a product. Sales depend on customer satisfaction and value, and product quality is one way of satisfying the customer and offering something of value depending on the customer. The extent to which product quality affects sales is great. This is because, for goods to be sold, customers have to want, need or prefer them. Preference is most common where there are a variety of products with different features, prices, brand names, quality and so on. Product quality is a determining factor in preference for a product, so affects sales. Customer satisfaction and value is vast. There are different customers with different tastes, needs, and economic capability. All these determine the preference hence the intent to purchase a product (Shaharudin, Mansor, Hassan, Omar & Harun, 2011, p. 8164). Product quality is the totality of a product or servic e characteristics that give the product or service the ability to satisfy given needs. If a product fulfils a customer’s expectations, the customer becomes satisfied and begins to build loyalty. Loyalty is developed through trust and positive relationship with the customer. Customer loyalty retains customers and contributes to the number of sales made in a given period of time. This clearly indicates one of the various ways through which product qua

Watsons Theory of Caring Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Watsons Theory of Caring - Essay Example The fact is that when there is a sharp rise in the workload and expectations, nurses are prone to lose the caring practice they are supposed to preserve. Here, the knowledge in Jean Watson’s Caring Theory can be a useful asset to any practicing nurse. This work intends to look into the tenets of Jean Watson Caring Theory, and, at the same, I reflect on my own practice as a Registered Nurse at a long term acute facility. Dr. Jean Watson is a distinguished nursing professor form Virginia. With a PhD in educational psychology, she has received many national and international awards. The very basic elements of Jean Watson’s Caring Theory are three in numbers. According to Watson (1988), they are the carative factors, the transpersonal caring relationship, and the caring moment. The Carative Factors According to the work named ‘the theory of human caring: retrospective and prospective’ published in Nursing Science Quarterly in the year 1997 by Watson (1997), car ative factors should be considered as the guidelines towards the very basis of nursing. According to the scholar, the traditional medicine considers curative factors as the main function of nursing, and hence, she developed the term ‘carative’ factors to point out that the core of nursing is not in cure; but in care. As the scholar points out in the work, there are ten important aspects of carative factors. The very first element is humanistic and selfless system of value. It is followed by, and linked to, other aspects like faith, sensitivity to the feelings of others, showing a helping nature, showing positive feelings, showing problem-solving mentality, the tendency to teach and learn, creating an atmosphere of mental, physical, and spiritual well-being, and finally, ensuring proper assistance to human needs. The term altruism, in nursing, can be termed as taking such decisions that are in the best interest of the patient. Admittedly, with more and more modern techno logies at hand, nurses are made to take such ethical decisions that are a matter of life and death. Here, it becomes necessary for a nurse to take such decisions that respect the patient. Here, I am forced to look back into my own practice as a nurse and the instances where I got stuck in ethical dilemmas. Two years ago, I had a patient who was, in fact, a Jehovah’s Witness. It was rather necessary for him to receive blood products from others to sustain his life, but his religious beliefs did not allow him to do so. Being the person responsible to do the same, I was in a dilemma; either I could force the patient to accept the treatment, or accept his suggestion. Here, I had to report the same back to the Ethics Committee of the setting to reach a decision. There I understood the fact that in order to be altruistic, one needs to respect the cultural and personal beliefs of the patient. However, a thorough scrutiny proves that there are more important things at play here. To i llustrate, the family of a patient who is on life-sustaining treatments for no apparent benefit may be too confused and reluctant to take the decision to remove the same. In one such instance, I managed to convince the family of the patient that the ethics committee of the setting would help them to reach a decision that would be in the best interest of the patient. When the ethics committee came up with the decision to stop the life-sustaining treatment, the family was willing to cooperate as they were convinced that the decision was in their best interest. As one goes ahead, one can see that the term ‘carative’ was replaced by, or evolved into, another term ‘caritas’ as Watson modified her theory; and according to the scholar (as