Even though the first human ancestor was completely plant-based 66 million years ago, changes in climate drove humans to hunt occasionally for survival about a million years ago. Over the next centuries, the agricultural and industrial revolution made it possible for human mobility, capitalism and consumerism rose as the population did. As demand rose, people’s attitudes towards food and the way they ate food changed . . .

Worldwide an estimated 192.1 million non-human animals were used across the globe in 2015. Apart from using non-human animals for practice for education, various painful tests are conducted on them – for example they are subjected to varied degrees of physical and psychological distress – used for invasive categories of experimentation and stressful procedures without any pain relief medication . . .

Non-human animals have been used for various purposes by humans and the entertainment industry is no exception. This includes circuses, zoos and pseudo sanctuaries, marine parks and aquariums, advertisements, television shows, movies, animal sports like bullfighting, rodeo, horse racing, cock-fighting, bull racing, used as joyrides and canvases for art, hunting, fishing, using animals in functions, etc. . . .

Humans domesticated non-human animals and over the millennia continued using animals in labour despite various technological advances. Animals are made to overwork in harsh conditions and are subjected to various forms of aggressive actions to make them work. They are made to travel long distances carrying heavy loads or pulling heavy carriages . . .

Stroking a dog or cat causes the release of feel-good hormones which can be traced back to our ancient history with primates where grooming one another was a major part of primate societies, and deep down the vestiges of this need to groom something hairy has remained in the recesses of our minds which is satisfied by stroking a dog or cat. This could be one of the many reasons why having companion animals is alluring for most humans . . .

Humans are one of the 9 million species of animals that inhabit the earth and are meant to share this space with the other species. Over the past few millennia, the human species has evolved to an extent where the attitude of human supremacy has dominated and literally changed the Earth at an ineffable pace. This development has put other species vulnerable to human actions. . .

There was a time, not so long ago, when human beings and wildlife existed at very close quarters with one another. As evident by cultures across the world, human beings shared a very deep and strong relationship with nature. As mankind moved forward, we grew more distant from this connection. Today, we live in a world where our actions are severely in conflict with nature . . .

There is a huge gap between the extent of animal related causes and the understanding among the masses with respect to the gravity of the situation. It is hence prudent to bulk up efforts put into capacity building to tackle the scale and intensity of animal use and abuse across all areas. The process of capacity building enables strengthening the skills and instincts of people who are already sensitised to the importance of advocating for animals . . .