Animals in need: The problem of wild animal suffering and intervention in nature

Abstract

Animals living in the wild experience a great deal of harm, including starvation, dehydration, diseases, environmental and interspecies aggression, and psychological suffering. Although most people are not aware of the extent of this suffering, it prompts the question of whether humans ought to intervene to help these animals. Most people believe that nature should not be interfered with, but those who are against speciesism argue that the interests of animals living in the wild should also be considered when making moral decisions and that helping them is indeed a moral obligation. Even though this position has been challenged from different perspectives, some environmentalist arguments have been successfully rebutted by those who believe that individual well-being should be prioritized over the well-being of a species. – AI-generated abstract.