Introduction

The aim of the Animal Consciousness Foundation is to change the attitudes of humans towards other species.

We strongly support the work of other groups, such as PETA, which campaign heavily on specific animal abuse issues. However, we feel that the underlying problem that makes such abuse possible is not the attitudes of a few particularly ruthless individuals, but the indifference of the vast bulk of people.

For example, so long as consumers believe that the welfare of the animals whose bodies they eat is not their concern, it will not be the concern of the business people who are raising them. So long as it is considered socially acceptable to hunt deer for "fun", some people will continue to do so.

Changes in attitudes towards other races and women were not changed by attacking the most conservative members of society, nor by singling out those people who had most to gain by perpetuating the abuse. These people are the last ones to change, and are unlikely to be looking at ways to improve their behaviour.

People like this change because the tide of attitudes in society has changed. For example, it is no longer considered acceptable to use the word "nigger" in America. It may be that a person using this word specifically wants to be negative about black people; however, they cannot use it without being aware, on some level, of the issues involved. The key is to change the attitudes of the vast majority of people, so that a particular piece of behaviour becomes socially unacceptable.

At present, the majority of people in western societies are opposed to animal abuse; but at the same time, passively support that abuse. Most people are appalled by the wanton cruelty that occurs in many countries in the Far East; at the same time, they are largely indifferent to the cruelty which occurs, on a much greater scale, in their own countries.

Over the past generation, attitudes towards other races and women have changed completely. Increasingly, people expect to be treated on the basis of their individual qualities, rather than on their sex or their ethnic background. The obvious next step will be to treat members of other species in terms of their abilities and their capacity to suffer.

We believe that there is the potential for far-reaching change in the treatment of animals in western societies. There is a genuine understanding that animals can and do suffer at the hands of humans. Over the past century, and especially over the past twenty years, there has been enormous progress. What is needed is to build on this progress, to galvanise the understanding, and to turn it into a force for genuine change.

For further information, please contact the president directly at pkail@iname.com.   Thank you in advance for your help.