ue zoo 111-162 - international aid for korean...

RELATIONSHIP

OF HUMANS

WITH ANIMALS

Background InformationThe relationship between humans andanimals is a complex one. Humans haveused animals as a source of food, tools,and clothing for millennia, and yet, despitethis dominance, animals are a source ofinspiration for humans.

This section is divided into twosubsections, Uses of Animals and Caringfor Animals. Uses of Animals briefly reviews

the domestication of animals for human useand then looks at traditional and modernfarming practices. It also looks at the effectof farming practices on animals in thenatural environment. This subsection alsoreviews other ways in which humans useanimals and introduces organizations thatexist to protect animals against abuse orunnecessary exploitation by humans. The subsection ends with a look atvegetarianism and the reasons why somepeople choose not to eat meat.

The second subsection, Caring for Animals,looks at caring for three different groups ofanimals:

• wildlife in a wildlife preserve

• wildlife in a rehabilitation center

• fish, mammals, and crustaceans in anaquarium

For information on caring for pets,classroom animals, zoo animals, and farmanimals see the NAMC Lower ElementaryZoology Manual.

Uses of AnimalsHumans have a complex relationship withanimals and use them for a variety ofpurposes. There are working animals,companion animals, animals used forscientific research, and animals used forfood and byproducts.

The relationship with animals extends backto the earliest humans. As the studentsprobably know from their study of history,early humans obtained their food bygathering plants and hunting animals. Theseearly humans used animals not only for food,

147 © NAMC - North American Montessori Center9–12 Zoology

but also for clothing and to make shelters.Over time, they learned to make tools andweapons from bone and stone, which helpedthem to catch and process the animals intothe items they needed for survival.

As humans developed their skills, theystarted building simple dwellings, plantingand harvesting crops, and domesticatinganimals. They domesticated animals bycatching and raising the young ofherbivores like sheep or goats that theycould use for milk or meat. These smallherbivores were easy to manage andcontrol, and they were easier to feed andless dangerous than carnivores. Earlyfarmers kept the animals in herds and bredthem, providing farmers with a continuoussupply of animals.

Later, when humans realized they could useanimals for carrying people and objectsfrom one place to another, they begandomesticating larger animals. Thesebecame working animals. They carriedpeople and objects, and they pushed andpulled heavy farm equipment, such asploughs for tilling the land. In addition,humans found certain animals, such ascats, dogs, and birds, suitable as pets.These animals became part of people’severyday lives.

Farming

Farming practices evolved over time,advancing as technology advanced. By the 1920s, the farm tractor replacedanimals for performing many heavy farmduties. Numerous technological advancesfollowed the arrival of the gas-poweredtractor and made farming activities mucheasier. This meant farmers were able to

farm larger and larger areas of land andmore and more animals. The result, in manyparts of the world, is that modern, highlymechanized farms have replaced traditionalfamily farms.

Traditional family farms are farms where afamily manages the farm and carries outmost of the farming duties. The family growsseveral crops and farms a small number ofvarious animals. Together, these provide thefamily with most of their food needs. Thesurplus, what is left over, they sell.

Historically, farmers did not havemanufactured fertilizers and pesticides, andthey had to take good care of the land, sothey could use it for many years. They usedmanure from the farm animals as fertilizerand rotated their crops, meaning they didnot plant the same crop on a piece of landtwo seasons in a row. Rather, theyalternated two or more crops, so that thenutrients in the land were not depleted.

While modern farming practices havelargely replaced traditional farmingmethods, traditional farming still occurs in anumber of regions. In some cases, using


Farm tractor

traditional methods is a matter of choice,and in others it is a matter of necessity.

For the Amish, North American Mennonitecommunities that follow a simple lifestyleand reject modern technology, traditionalfarming is a way of life. These communitiesprovide an excellent example of traditionalfarming that is successful. For thesecommunities, traditional farming is alifestyle choice that is viewed as thehonorable way to treat the land. The Amishfarm a diversity of crops and animals, rotatetheir crops, use manure as fertilizer, and donot use modern farming machinery. Theygrow high quality produce primarily for theirown consumption, and then preserve (viacanning) and sell what food remains.

Traditional farms still exist in many of thepoorer countries of Africa and South EastAsia, but while these are traditional farms inthe sense that the farmers do not usemodern farming techniques, the majority ofthe farms barely support the familiesfarming them. These farmers are known assubsistence farmers. Farming, for them, is amatter of eating or starving, and traditional

farming is a necessity, rather than a choice,because they do not have access tomodern farming methods.

In contrast to traditional farming, modernfarming takes place on a very large scale,and generally, only one type of animal orcrop is farmed. Farm equipment ismechanical and farmers use electronics tocontrol some feeding systems. Fertilizers,pesticides, and irrigation systems helpcrops to grow fast and produce high yields.In many cases, family farms have beenreplaced by something called agribusiness.Agribusiness describes farms operated bybusiness rather than by farmers. It includesproducing, processing, and distributingfarm products on a large scale instead ofproducing the cash crops that traditionalfarms produce. This type of farming isoften referred to as factory farming.

Farming has a significant impact on thenatural environment, and therefore, onanimal habitat. The most obvious impact isthat clearing the natural vegetation to makespace for farmland destroys the naturalenvironment, and in turn destroys animalhabitat, forcing the animals to find otherareas to live. Most people, however, acceptthis habitat destruction because farmsproduce the food essential for humansurvival. The more contentious issues aremodern farming practices and their impacton the environment.

In much of the developed world, farminghas changed drastically over the pastcentury. New farming practices haveresulted in more food being produced perperson in the world than ever before. Inmany ways this is a very good thing, but ithas come at a heavy price to the


Horse-drawn farm equipment

environment, and there is ongoing debateabout how best to meet the world’s foodneeds without further damaging theenvironment.

Here are four modern farming issues thatrelate to animals:

• Pesticides used on a large scaleeffectively kill the insect pests attackingthe crops, but they also kill everythingelse near the crops, including birds thateat the poisoned insects. Not only dopesticides create an imbalance betweenspecies, but they also create a void — anarea where there are no insects — andthis means that other pests can moveinto the area when the toxicity of the firstpesticide wears off. This creates the needfor more and more pesticides and iscalled the pesticide treadmill.

• Synthetic fertilizers applied to farmlandsmake crops grow larger and faster.Billions of tons of fertilizer are usedannually in the US alone and much of thisis not taken up by the plants. Whatremains leaches through the soil orwashes into the natural water systems. Itpollutes rivers, lakes, and the sea,causing aquatic plants and algae to growtoo fast. This upsets the ecologicalbalance of the aquatic habitats, andwhen the algae die, microorganismsdecompose it and consume valuableoxygen in the water. This can have adisastrous effect on fish and on entirehabitats such as coral reefs.

• Animals in feedlots can cause a problemsimilar to fertilizer use. Unlike traditionalfarms, where the animals being raised formeat graze pasture, feedlots are confinedareas where animals are provided withfood and do not have large areas to roam.Feedlots contain far more animals peracre than do grazing pastures. Theseanimals produce large amounts ofmanure, which like other fertilizer, has ahigh concentration of nitrogen that canpollute natural water sources.

• Crop irrigation is an essential part offarming, but it needs to be handledresponsibly because it damages naturalwater sources. Many of the new high-yielding crops need large amounts ofwater. To meet the water needs of thesecrops, natural sources of water aredammed or water is drawn directly from natural sources. Both situationscause serious damage to animals andtheir habitats.


No one disputes the need to produce foodthrough farming, but there is a strong outcryfrom environmental groups for farming totake place in an environmentallyresponsible fashion. Unfortunately, theneeds of the environment often conflict withthe need for agribusiness to generateprofits for shareholders.

Animal uses

Humans use animals for many purposesother than for food. Animal byproducts,which include animal skins, bones, and

secretions not used as food, have all beenvalued by people around the world forthousands of years. As these uses arecovered in detail in the NAMC LowerElementary Zoology Manual, the followinglist is a summary of the main uses humanshave for animals:

• clothing: fur, wool, and leather for shoes,handbags, and saddles

• jewelry: pearls from oysters and theabalone shell for earrings and pendants


The following example shows part of a self-testing sheet teachers can create for students to review farming. The sheet can be created using the template in the Templates for Teacherssection of this manual.

Self-testing review sheet: Farming

Student name: ___________________________ Date: ___________

1. Cover the right-hand column before you start.

2. Complete each of the lists or sentences in the left-hand column by writing the missing wordsin the spaces provided.

3. Uncover the right-hand column to check your answers.

By the 1920s the farm _______ replaced animals for performing tractormany heavy farm duties.

______________________ _______________ ____________ are Traditional farms where a family manages the farm and carries out most family of the farming duties. farms

Traditional farming involves farming a _______________ of products. variety (or number)

____________________ communities in North America choose to Amish farm using traditional methods and produce quality farm products. (or Mennonite)

Modern farming generally takes place on a _____________ scale large,and farms only __________________ type of animal or crop. one

_____________________ describes farms operated by business Agribusinessrather than by farmers.

• fertilizer: fishmeal, bones, and manure

• healing remedies: snake venoms form thebasis for some medications

Another use for animals is scientificresearch. This is a highly controversialsubject and one for which there appears tobe no immediate solution. New proceduresand medications are usually tested onanimals before they are used on humans.Many of these procedures and medicationsare not successful and many cause moreharm than good. Animal rights activistsargue that animals should not be used inthis way, and scientists argue that this is theonly way to ensure the safety of productsand procedures before using them onhumans. Research animals, they say, havecontributed to many dramatic medicaladvances, and this is, no doubt, true.Nonetheless, the research animals are kept captive and are subjected tounpleasant treatments, which many peoplefind unacceptable.

The debate about using animals forresearch is likely to continue, and while themedical profession may be able to justifyusing animals for research, many peoplebelieve the cosmetics companies cannot

justify testing their products on animals.One step that people who wear makeup orperfumes can take is to purchase onlythose brands that advertise they are nottested on animals.

The ethical issues that surround the use ofanimals by humans have given rise toanimal protection organizations. Theseorganizations range from agencies thatregulate how animals should be treated, toanimal welfare organizations, to animalrights organizations. They includegovernment agriculture agencies, theSociety for the Prevention of Cruelty toAnimals (SPCA), People for the EthicalTreatment of Animals (PETA), the NationalWildlife Federation, and many, many others.Some organizations campaign to protectspecific animals such as gorillas or whales,some protect groups of animals such asdomestic animals or wildlife, and otherscampaign against a particular activity suchas seal hunting or using animals in scientificresearch.

Vegetarianism

A large number of humans do not useanimal byproducts or eat meat, even thoughhumans are generally considered to beomnivores. People who choose not to eat


Summary of animal byproducts

Clothing Jewelry Fertilizer Healing Remedies

fur pearls fishmeal snake venom

wool abalone shell bone fish oil

leather ivory manure

feathers bone

animals and consume only vegetables, fruit,and legumes are referred to as vegetarians.

There are different types of vegetarians andthey are referred to by different names,depending on whether or not there are anyanimal products in the person’s diet.

• Lacto vegetarians avoid eggs and meat,but do eat dairy products.

• Lacto-ovo vegetarians avoid meat, buteat eggs and dairy products.

• Ovo vegetarians avoid meat and dairyproducts, but eat eggs.

• Vegans avoid eating all animal productsand generally avoid using animalbyproducts.

• Pesco-pollo vegetarian avoid red meat,but eat fish and chicken. They are alsocalled semi-vegetarians because theyeat some animals, but not others.

Vegetarians choose not to eat meat for avariety of reasons. These include:

• religious beliefs

• ethical beliefs

• low income

• environmental reasons

• health reasons

Most of the world’s vegetarians choose notto eat meat for religious reasons. Hinduism,Buddhism, and Sikhism are religions thatteach that all life is sacred and should notbe injured or harmed. As a result of thisteaching, followers of these religionsgenerally do not eat meat. Hindus, alone,account for 80 percent of India’s populationof over one billion people, and possibly, forabout 800 million vegetarians.


Did you know?

The terms that describe different typesof vegetarians are derived from Latinwords. Most of the terms wereconstructed by adding Latin prefixes tothe root word, vegetarian. Here aresome of the Latin derivations:

• lacto- is a prefix derived from theLatin word, lactis, meaning milk

• ovi- is a prefix derived from the Latinword, ovum, meaning egg

• pesce is the Latin word for fish

• pollo is the Latin word for chicken

Using these translations, a lacto-ovovegetarian, for example, is someonewho eats vegetables, milk, and eggs.

Indian fruit and vegetable market

For many people, ethical beliefs are closelytied to their religious beliefs, and so it isdifficult to say whether they are vegetariansfor religious or ethical reasons. There are,however, people who are not followers ofany particular religion, but who believe thatit is wrong to kill animals for any reason.

The cost of meat is an issue for somepeople and meat is expensive incomparison with vegetables. Animals raisedfor meat have to be fed and cared for untilthey are large enough to slaughter, andraising, feeding, and caring for animalscosts money. In poorer countries, where

people struggle to feed their families, meatis a luxury item. A family in a poor part ofAfrica, for example, that owns a femalegoat, would not use the goat for meatbecause, once the meat has been eaten,the goat is gone and has no more value.The goat has more value to the family if itstays alive and continues to supply themwith milk over a long period.

Some vegetarians choose not to eat meat,not because they have strong beliefs aboutanimals, but because they believe that theprocess of producing meat for people to eatdamages the environment. These people


The following example shows part of a self-testing sheet teachers can create for students to reviewvegetarianism. The sheet can be created using the template in the Templates for Teachers section ofthis manual.

Self-testing review sheet: Vegetarianism

Student name: ___________________________ Date: ___________

1. Cover the right-hand column before you start.

2. Complete each of the lists or sentences in the left-hand column by writing the missing wordsin the spaces provided.

3. Uncover the right-hand column to check your answers.

People who do not eat animal products are referred to as ________________. vegetarians

Lacto vegetarians avoid eggs and meat, but do eat ___________ __________. dairy products

Ovo vegetarians avoid meat and dairy products, but eat ___________. eggs

________________ avoid eating all animal products and generally avoid Vegansusing animal byproducts.

There are five main reasons why people choose not to eat ethical,animal products. One is religious beliefs. The other four are: economic___________________, _______________________, (low income),___________________, _______________________, environmental,

health

will not eat farmed meat, but may be willingto eat meat that has been hunted or caughtlegally in the natural environment.

The final group of vegetarians chooses notto eat meat for the simple reason that theybelieve they are healthier living on a diet offruits and vegetables.

Resources

There are many excellent resources abouthow people use animals and vegetarianism.Here are a few examples:

• Bellville, Cheryl. Farming TodayYesterday’s Way. Minneapolis, MN:Carolrhoda Books, 1994.

• Bowden, Rob. Sustainable World —Food and Farming. Chicago, IL:KidHaven Press, 2003.

• Calvert, Samantha. We’re Talking AboutVegetarianism. East Sussex, UK:Wayland, 1997.

• Kallen, Stuart A. Is Factory FarmingHarming America? Chicago, IL:Greenhaven Press, 2006.

• Perry, Philippa and Caroline Grimshaw.How to Be Animal Friendly. Minneapolis,MA: Element Children’s Books, 1999.

• Ryden, Hope. Out of the Wild: The Storyof Domesticated Animals. New York, NY:Lodestar Books, 1995.

• Thomson, R. Farming. London: England.Franklin Watts, 2004.

• Twinn, Michael and Arlette Lavie. WhoCares About Animal Rights? Wiltshire,England: Child’s Play International, 1992.


Investigating Farming with Animals

A C T I V I T Y 1

Purpose

To learn how animals are used in farming,and to understand the differences betweentraditional and modern farming practices.

Material

Whiteboard and marker.

Self-testing review sheet on farming.

Books, pictures, and movies about animalsand farming.

Zoology journals and pencils.

Presentation

• Most Montessori teachers present thisconcept in Years 4 and 5.

• Use the whiteboard to highlight itemsdiscussed comparing traditional andmodern farming practices.

• Announce to the students that in thisactivity they will have the opportunity toexplore aspects of farming with animals,including the differences betweentraditional and modern farming methods.

• Review with the students the story ofhumans as they evolved from hunter-gatherers to farmers. Include the reasonsanimals were farmed and how they wereused on farms.

• Define and discuss the term “traditionalfamily farm.”


• Discuss traditional farming in poorcountries and traditional farming amongMennonite communities.

• Explain how the gas-powered tractor andother technology changed the nature offarming by reducing the need for animalsto pull farm equipment and allowingfarming to take place on a large scale.

• Define and discuss the term“agribusiness.”

• Demonstrate the self-testing review sheetand encourage the students to completethe sheet.

• Demonstrate the resource materials.

• Ask the students to use the resourcematerials and the information on thewhiteboard or on the review sheet towrite two or three illustrated paragraphsin their journals on the differencesbetween traditional family farming andmodern farming.

Extensions

• Visit a traditional family farm.

• Compare a small US family farm with one in Africa.


Exploring Farming Issues Related to Animal Habitat

A C T I V I T Y 2

Purpose

To learn how modern farmingpractices can affect animals in thenatural environment.

Material


Books, pictures, and movies aboutanimals and farming.


Presentation

• Most Montessori teachersintroduce this concept in Year 6.

• Announce to the students that inthis activity they will have theopportunity to explore and debatethe ways in which modernfarming practices can affect animals inthe wild.

• Review the differences betweentraditional and modern farming practices.

• Discuss some of the issues surroundingmodern farming practices. To facilitatethe discussion, create a chart on thewhiteboard. Write the heading “ModernFarming.” Beneath it, create two columnswith the headings “Positive effects” and“Negative effects.”

• Discuss with the students how modernfarming practices have increased foodproduction in the world. Under the

subheading “Positive effects,” write“more food.” Explain that while this is apositive effect, the negative side ofmodern farming practices is that theydamage the environment.

• Describe how some modern farmingpractices affect animals in the naturalenvironment, using the followingexamples: pesticides, manufacturedfertilizers, feedlots, and irrigation. Listthese items under the subheading,“Negative effects.”

• Invite the students to debate the positiveand negative effects of modern farmingpractices. They may wish to add to the


lists on the board and to draw from theirbackground knowledge on worldpopulation increases for the debate.(Note: The list of positive effects willprobably be short, but it is possible toargue that the increase in foodproduction more than justifies a numberof the negative effects.)

• Demonstrate the resource materials andencourage the students to explore them.

• Ask the students to use their journals towrite an essay where they choose aposition, and argue either for or againstmodern farming practices. Ask them tobegin with a thesis statement, followedby several paragraphs supporting theirthesis, and end with a conclusion.

Extension

• Investigate one issue related to modernfarming practices, such as feedlots.


Exploring Animal Use and Protection

A C T I V I T Y 3

Purpose

To learn how animals are used and protected.

Material


Chart, Summary of animal byproducts.

Computers with Internet connection (onefor each group of students).


Presentation

• Most Montessori teachers present thisconcept in Years 5 and 6.

• Announce to the students that in thisactivity they will review how humans useanimals and will explore organizationsthat exist to ensure animals are notabused.

PART 1: USING ANIMALS• Discuss the uses of animals: working

animals, companion animals (pets),animals used for food and otherproducts, and animals used for scientific


research. List these on the whiteboard.

• Discuss each use individually, using thechart, Summary of animal byproducts, asa guide.

• Discuss with the students the ethicalissues surrounding animal use.Encourage the students to share theirviews about using animals for research,byproducts, food, or work.

• Ask the students to use their journals tolist the four main uses of animals andthen to write a paragraph about eachuse.

PART 2: PROTECTING ANIMALS• Explain that many organizations exist to

protect animals and to ensure that whenhumans use animals they do not abusethem. Discuss some of theseorganizations, both governmental andnon-governmental. Are there any animalwelfare or animal rights organizationsactive in the local area?

• Ask the students to work in groups oftwo or three and to do an Internet searchfor animal rights or animal welfareorganizations. Encourage them to createa list of organizations they find.

• Ask the students to visit the websites oftwo larger organizations that are activenationally and locally (e.g., the SPCA orPETA) and to find out how theseorganizations help animals.

• Ask the students to use their journals todocument information (as a bulleted list)about the organizations they researched.

Extension

• Research one local animal welfare oranimal rights organization and write aparagraph about the work of the group,how people can become involved withthe group, and how the group can becontacted.


Understanding Vegetarianism

A C T I V I T Y 4

Purpose

To learn about vegetarianism.

Material


Self-testing review sheet.

Books about vegetarianism and vegetarianrecipe books.


Presentation

• Most Montessori teachers present thisconcept in years 4 and 5.

• Explain to the students that in thisactivity they will learn aboutvegetarianism and why some peoplechoose to be vegetarians.

• Write the word, vegetarian, on thewhiteboard. Ask the students if they can describe what it means to be a vegetarian.

• Ask if any of the students and theirfamilies are vegetarians. If there arevegetarians in the group, ask if theywould like to tell the group what foodsthey eat.

• Discuss the different types of vegetarians(e.g., lacto-ovo vegetarians, pesco-pollovegetarians, vegans) and explain theterms. Write each term on thewhiteboard.

• List the reasons why some peoplechoose vegetarianism. Write the list(religious beliefs, ethical beliefs, lowincome, environmental reasons, healthreasons) on the whiteboard.

• Demonstrate the self-testing review sheetand encourage the students to completethe sheet.

• Demonstrate the resource materials.

• Ask the students to use the resourcematerials to find a vegetarian recipe thatappeals to them and to write andillustrate the recipe in their journals. Askthem to say what types of vegetarianswould eat this meal and then to write abulleted list stating what they would addor remove from the recipe to make itsuitable for other types of vegetarians.

Extensions

• Research other types of meat-restricteddiets such as raw food vegans andfruitarians.

• Prepare a vegetarian meal for the group.


ue zoo 111-162 - international aid for korean...

Documents