Animals Can Be

Fauna

Souls

Tellers

Comrades

Teachers

Nonhumans

Not things

Not property

Living things

God’s creation

God’s creatures

Not ingredients

Quiet creatures

Sentient beings

Not mere things

Footprints of God

Wild small hearts

Our responsibility

Sentient creatures

Our humble brethren

Such agreeable friends

Here with us, not for us

Not products for our use

Creatures great and small

Members of the mute creation

Thinking, feeling creatures

Not here for our entertainment

Precious beings in God's sight

Living things other than humans

Conscious beings - they can suffer

Multicellular eukaryotic organisms

Living creatures other than humans

The visible reflections of our souls

Of the kingdom animalia of living things

Our friends, and we don't eat our friends

Conscious, intelligent, emotional beings

Innocent sufferers in a hell of our making

The others with whom we inhabit this planet

Endangered species on an endangered planet

Born to live their own lives, not to serve us

Animate objects with feelings or personalities

Not ours to eat, wear, exploit or experiment on

As deserving of a place on this planet as we are

Pure, uncomplicated entities of creation from God

Living organisms characterized by voluntary movement

Sentient creatures equally as worthy of life as humans

Not ours to eat, wear, experiment on, or be entertained by

Sentient and sapient, and we should treat them with respect

Sentient beings that have their own inherent value and dignity

Not human property, or utilities, or resources, or commodities

The portrayal of our virtues and vices made manifest to our eyes

Fellow creatures that we must protect and love as we love ourselves

Co-inheritors of all the beauty and abundance of life on this planet

Not things, tools, machines, commodities, or resources here for our use

Multicellular, eukaryotic organisms in the biological kingdom Animalia

Such agreeable friends - they ask no questions, they pass no criticisms

Creatures that live and move but are not human, bird, fish, or insect

Sentient beings with the capacity to feel, both physically and emotionally

Not machines - they truly feel physical pain when it is inflicted upon them

Not mere resources for human consumption - they are splendid beings in their own right

Not ours to eat, wear, experiment on, use for entertainment or for any exploitative purpose

A particular kind of living organism, one that can move voluntarily and can find and digest food

An obligation put on us, a responsibility we have no right to neglect, nor to violate by cruelty

Living creatures such as a dog, lion, or rabbit, rather than a bird, fish, insect, or human being

Reliable, many full of love, true in their affections, predictable in their actions, grateful and loyal

Angels, earth-angels, pointing out for us the steadfast path of love, loyalty, optimism, faith, joy, hope

Sentient, intelligent, perceptive, funny and entertaining - we owe them a duty of care as we do to children

A test of our character, of our capacity for empathy and for decent, honorable conduct and faithful stewardship

Masters of observation, and so finely tuned to their environment that they can at once note even the most tenuous sensory influences

Not property or things but living organisms, subjects of a life, who are worthy of our compassion, respect, friendship, and support

Living organisms that feeds on organic matter, typically having specialized sense organs and nervous system and able to respond rapidly to stimuli

Not resources or property with whom we can do what we please - their lives matter very much, and they should be firmly entrenched in our moral community

Any members of the kingdom Animalia, comprising multicellular organisms that have a well-defined shape and usually limited growth, can move voluntarily, actively acquire food and digest it internally, and have sensory and nervous systems that allow them to respond rapidly to stimuli