The terms “animal rights” and “animal welfare” are not synonymous and should not be used interchangeably when advocating for animals. That is why many organizations coin themselves as either animal rights or animal welfare organizations based on their stance and preferred method for animal advocacy.

What Does Animal Welfare Mean?

Animal welfare is a fact-based movement that strives to provide the best quality of life to animals. This includes both how the animal is coping with its environment psychologically and the physical health of the animal and its environment. Aspects concerning animal welfare organizations include adequate living conditions, humane management and handling, disease prevention and treatment, and humane euthanasia practices when necessary.

Animal welfare is predominantly focused on improving the lives of animals without concerning itself with the function of that animal. Whether the animal in question is being used for tourism, food, or labor, welfare is focused on making that animal as comfortable and enriched as possible.

Animal welfare practices are often centered around science; therefore, the welfare practices instated are generally researched and published guidelines. Some examples of animals that benefit from the work of animal welfare researchers and organizations include:

• Livestock/food animals

• Wildlife in tourism and entertainment

• Work horses

• Service animals

Although these animals serve humans in one way or another, their quality of life is essential to animal welfare advocates. Organizations that focus on welfare do not take issue with animals serving a purpose to humans and instead try to ensure that all animals are healthy and thriving regardless of their role. This is why most animal welfare organizations do not claim themselves as “vegan,” as they don’t tell people not to eat meat but instead ensure that food animals are not suffering while alive.

What Does Animal Rights Mean?

Animal rights is a philosophy-based movement that strives to eradicate wildlife from all human use. Further, animal rights argue that all species should have rights just as humans do. And with those rights includes autonomy that animals being used for food, labor, and entertainment often are not afforded. Animal rights organizations usually identify as vegan and focus on taking animals out of tourism and off our plates.

The term “animal rights” often turns people off because of the tactics used to spread awareness by many animal rights organizations. Many of these organizations utilize aggressive, graphic, and extreme tactics to get people to change their consumer habits more efficiently. While this can be effective for specific audiences, it is much edgier in approach.

What’s the Difference Between Animal Rights and Animal Welfare?

The primary difference between animal rights and animal welfare is the scientific backing of the process. Animal rights is based on philosophy, while animal welfare is based on science. Animal welfare does not take a firm stance on ethics and does not condemn specific uses of animals. Instead of protesting close interactions with animals, animal welfare calls for improved treatment and well-being of those individuals.

Animal rights groups protest those same close interactions in an effort to implement laws and regulations to protect the species. While there can be faults in both approaches, both concepts focus on improving the lives of animals globally. Through animal rights and welfare efforts, stricter protocols have been implemented to protect animals from unnecessary suffering.