The Ethical Considerations of Animal Rescue
While the rescue of the bear cub is a least considered to be an act of benevolence and a heroic deed, it does also raise very important ethical questions. The truth is, it’s in the heart of such questions that there usually lies the problem of whether or not rescuing the wild animal is in the latter’s best interest. At other times, intervention may not be the answer. Wild animals may best be left to their own devises so that they can find their own way around and fend for themselves. Provided they are not at risk of dying soon.
Where an animal is at serious risk of being harmed or has obviously died, such as with the case of the rescued bear cub, intervention is essential. The ethics of animal rescue also involve the decision to return animals to the wild versus keeping them in captivity. For the bear cub, the goal of the rescue was always to rehabilitate and release it back into its natural environment. Keeping a wild animal in captivity is generally discouraged unless it is for conservation purposes, as it can disrupt the animal’s ability to survive in the wild.
Animal rescue missions also point to the much bigger issue of human impact on wildlife. Animals are often displaced or endangered as a result of human activities, including urbanization, clearing forests, and climate change. This rescue is a reminder that while it can be possible for humans to help animals, they should also try to reduce their impact on nature negatively. Proper consideration is first involved in rescue operations with their after-effect impact on the future of an animal’s well-being.
