With so many people owning pets, it is not surprising that animal welfare is of growing concern.

Abuse or cruelty can take many forms such as

• hunting e.g. foxes hunted by hounds
• bull fighting
• transportation for live meat export
• the killing process for meat
• experimentation for cosmetics or for medical research
• farming such as battery hens and pigs in cramped cages,
• training for entertainment e.g. bears, monkeys and elephants

If  habitat is destroyed, animals can be left starving or injured. Wild animals should live in the wild not in cages, but if their habitat is destroyed, animals can be left starving or injured and are sometimes taken as pets by people who don't have the knowledge or means to look after them. Sanctuaries provide care for many of these creatures.

This sun bear has been kept in a cage.

Baby orangutans like this are often orphaned when forest is cleared. They are cared for in sanctuaries until they are mature enough to survive in the wild.

Millions of hens live their whole lives in such cramped spaces that they cannot even preen themselves.