A growing number of people think that animals are not to be exploited by people and they should have certain rights. Although, there are still some people, who believe that people have the rights to employ animals in order to satisfy their needs, for example, to use them for food or medical research.
Opinions differ on this issue. Most humans think that they are more important on this planet, so to survive they conduct experiments on animals. In my opinion, it is wrong. Animals have appeared on this planet just as any other living creature, so they should be treated equally. They also have feelings and they can feel the pain just like people. Almost all animal are capable of loving. Irrespective of being a bird or a mammal, when animals are loved by people, they can return this love in many ways. Thus, it is unfair to ignore their importance.
The only difference between animals and human beings is that they cannot speak and express their feelings through words. When domesticated and treated properly, animals are of great help to people. There were times when carriages were pulled by horses, sheep herded by dogs.
However, things have changed with the development of science and new technologies. Starting from the 20th century, animals are mostly regarded as the source of food and research. They are being tortured to save people from deathly diseases.
Luckily, there are such organizations as World Society for the Protection of Animals, which try to protect the animals around the globe. Their main mission is exposing cruelty and pioneering sustainable methods to avoid animal suffering.