Introduction

What motivates moral protest? Why do some individuals rally to the defense of others? How can we explain why some people are willing to offer their time and give money to improve the lot of creatures who are forgotten, and “without a voice”? The study of animal rights activism, like the study of humanitarian activism, is a good way of examining what underlies all militant movements which claim to be based on altruism, solidarity and other ethical principles. It should be noted from the outset that the animal protection movement is highly varied and complex. According to the records of the Conseil national de la vie associative, in France each year since 1998 an average of 532 associations, falling into the category of “friends of the animals,” have been registered. This is equivalent to twice the corresponding figure for the period 1975 to 1990. Although these statistics would seem to indicate that the animal rights movement has been expanding over recent years, a detailed analysis of militant organizations leads us to be wary of jumping to conclusions regarding the causes which lie behind this growth in activism. Indeed, any comprehensive survey of activists involves encounters with an amazing variety of individuals from all social backgrounds. There are the volunteers, often women, who work in animal refuges, where they take care of abandoned cats or dogs. Then there are the campaigners who concern themselves with the plight of endangered wild animals – such as whales, gorillas, rhinoceroses and polar bears – whose natural habitats may be thousands of miles away. There are also philosophy students who, on graduation, decide to champion animal rights or antispeciesism. ¹ There are also the vegans ² who, at Sunday markets, approach passers-by in order to draw their attention to the suffering inflicted on poultry by foie gras producers. In so-called alternative or autonomous punk circles, anarchists scream their disgust at the systematic exploitation of animals. So the range of militant activities engaged in by animal rights campaigners is enormous: feeding and taking care of animals; writing manifestos or works of moral philosophy; distributing tracts; producing documentaries – some intended to shock, others choosing to inform the viewer, using a more measured scientific tone, of the plight of certain wild species, as well as the fate of animals butchered for their meat, or used in laboratory experiments; organizing petitions; staging demonstrations outside bullrings, circuses, animal testing laboratories, as well as outside the premises of restaurant chains who source meat produced in factory farms; lobbying the authorities to make regulations to protect animals; organizing commando operations to liberate animals being used for testing purposes by the pharmaceutical industry, or, in the case of minks, being farmed for their fur.