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The digitalisation and automation of life, the disconnection and isolation from nature, the increasing difficulty of building meaningful and long-lasting relationships, loneliness, the abandonment or impossibility of having children, the hunger for closeness, physical contact and real experiences, the growing state of alarm about climate catastrophe and the knowledge of the sixth mass extinction of species and the disappearance of biodiversity are the key reasons why we observe a rapidly and decisively changing human relationship with animals.
Until recently, man has been above nature, deciding on the existence and use of other species and treating nature as an infinite source of resources that can be exploited without limit.
Animals were seen as a workforce, an aid (chain dogs, hunting cats or herding or mating dogs), a resource from which raw materials such as meat, milk, leather, fur or antlers could be extracted or from which to make money, for example through breeding or pseudo-breeding, exploitation in circuses or water parks, the organisation of rides, lending for films, music videos or organising legal or illegal hunting.
At present, we are observing rapidly progressing changes in man's approach to nature (including animals) - thanks to the growing reflection on the degradation of nature, an increase in awareness and interest in ecology and animal rights, man is becoming an advocate of nature, standing up for its interests and defence, and is even beginning to understand that he is part of nature and, as one of the species subject to its laws, has no chance of survival without it.
In the first place, our attitude towards pets is changing
In Europe, the number of households in which animals become an indispensable part of the family is constantly growing. Currently, there are as many as 85 million of them, of which more than 17 million are located in Poland. The 2019 report of the European Federation of the Pet Industry (FEDIAF) also confirms what has been evident for a long time - Europeans love animals and cannot imagine life without them.
According to a 2015 GfK survey of tenants in 22 countries, dogs and cats are the animals we most often live with, including in Poland. We rank a high third in the European Union in terms of the number of dogs, 1 dog for every 5 Poles. A large part of Europe are rather cat lovers - in terms of popularity of cats Poland with the result of 1 per 6 Poles is not as high as in the case of dogs, because it took only the 11th place.
More and more often animals are treated as fully-fledged members of the household, referred to as a family member, companion or friend. In the past, a dog was simply bought or taken from a shelter - today, in the case of pedigree dogs, one looks for suitable parents, mates them and waits for the birth of the dog's offspring or adopts animals from a shelter or temporary home, undergoing a demanding procedure to check their suitability for the role of carer.
In the case of many people - whether living in relationships or on their own, pets take over the role of children or closest friends - for this reason they receive a lot of attention and care manifested in the search for and selection of appropriate food and treats, regular care and attention to appearance (clothing, jewellery, accessories), preventive veterinary care, attention to needs and relationship building through the use of advice from behaviorists or trainers, building passions such as common exercises like yoga or hiking in the mountains and appropriate equipment and arrangement of space (often very large and extensive scratching posts for cats, secured balconies, beds and cottages).
More and more people are also recognising the very positive impact that animals have on children's development and their psycho-physical well-being.
The change in attitudes towards pets is resulting in a change in attitudes towards animals in general - those living in the wild as well as those bred for human use.
The growing number of vegans and animal rights advocates is increasingly pointing out the hypocrisy of those declaring themselves as those who love animals, because the majority of pet owners still have nothing against the industrial breeding of animals or their exploitation for human fun and pleasure.
Meanwhile, Nobel Prize winner Olga Tokarczuk is calling for animal rights to be written into the constitution. Sylwia Spurek calls for a ban on meat advertising not only because excessive consumption of meat is detrimental to health, but also because breeding causes enormous suffering to the 70 billion animals bred each year (not counting fish). In May 2021, the Sejm's Petitions Committee considered a petition for a legislative initiative to ban the sale of live fish submitted by Małgorzata Prokop-Paczkowska, MP, from the Left. Pro-animal organisations want a ban on the long-distance transport of live animals, highlighting their suffering, mutilation and death from exhaustion, as well as numerous accidents. We are increasingly hearing of harsh sentences of several years' imprisonment being handed down for animal abuse.
Consumers are becoming aware of what mass animal breeding is like, how long chickens live and how they are slaughtered, how piglets are castrated and how dairy cows are inseminated. Nobody wants to live near factory farms either. Biedronka has announced that it will withdraw caged fresh eggs from its range on 31 December 2021, arguing that it is concerned about animal welfare.
We are becoming increasingly aware of how harmful industrially farmed meat is, and the number of vegans, vegetarians and people limiting their consumption of meat and animal products is growing. Many of them make these decisions for the sake of their health, but for many, especially young consumers, the most important arguments in this attitude are ethical - they do not want to contribute to the suffering of the animals they love.
In September 2020, the Sejm passed and the Senate approved an amendment to the Law on the Protection of Animals, the so-called "Five for Animals", which includes, among others, provisions on the prohibition of using animals for entertainment and show, ritual slaughter only for the needs of domestic religious associations and a ban on breeding animals for fur (with the exception of rabbit) and on keeping domestic animals tethered in a permanent manner. It has not yet been passed in the Sejm due to the pandemic, but many of the topics contained in the law are also dealt with in EU law and the direction of change is clear.
The issue of fur farming has become increasingly important to consumers over the years - from activists to boycotts of fur companies. The fashion industry is responding to consumer demands - data from the Fur Free Alliance shows that more than 1,500 brands and designers around the world have already stopped using natural fur. On the Free Cages Association website you can find many of them - from fashion houses such as Versace or Giorgio Armani through mass brands such as H&M, Bershka, Reserved or Mango to local designers such as NAOKO or VZOOR. More and more often you can buy vegan shoes - for example the cult Martens shoes or the Spanish brand Mumka, which is already available in Poland.
2020 brought bad news from the animal world
According to the Living Planet Report 2020, the vertebrate population has declined by an average of 68% since 1970. More than 35,700 animal and plant species on the International Red List are endangered. That is 30% of all the species registered there. The reason for the extinction is our activities - habitat destruction, overfishing, poaching, hunting and the climate crisis. Among the biggest losers in 2020 are European hamsters, lemurs, sturgeons, squid and Australian animals, especially koalas. Also on the endangered species list are giraffes or elephants - Africa's iconic animals.
This kind of information has led to a growing number of opponents of keeping any wild animals in captivity, boycotts of dolphinariums and aquatic parks where orcas and sea elephants are kept. More and more often we hear about sanctuaries where animals freed from captivity in circuses, taken from illegal breeding, smuggling or poaching can live out their days.
India has recognised dolphins as 'non-human' to underline the respect it has for these some of the most intelligent animals in the world. Books have been published en masse about the sensitivity and richness of the emotional life of animals, their intelligence, mutual care and concern and their ability to communicate interspecies, and the Internet is full of videos not just about kitties.
Changes in attitudes towards pets are enabling many industries to grow and are generating new professions such as dog behaviourist, dog walker and cat litter box specialist. Changes in attitudes towards farm animals are forcing changes in business approaches, such as the introduction of vegan footwear lines, the abandonment of natural leather and fur, and the introduction of vegan instead of meat or dairy-based offerings. In the perspective of the next few years, the hearts and loyalty of consumers (especially young consumers of the future) will be won by those who do not deny the upcoming changes, but respond to them in the best way.
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