Animals have been on this earth for decades and has become even closer to the human race than ever before ! Animals today show very similar characteristic as us humans today, i believe that animals have the sympathy to feel sorrow, joy, and fear. It is to my knowledge that animals do so have their own way of expressing the way they feel. It is logical that animals are not human but they do so carry very similar characteristics. “ Researchers are finding that many of our fellow creatures are more like us than we have ever imagined. They feel pain, suffer and experience stress, affection, excitement, and even love (Rifkin 33).” Jeremy Rifkin provides evidence backed by researchers who has studied animals that they are very similar to humans. Animals can feel emotions just like humans.

Today we have animals who are closer to us and are considered ‘pets’ such as dogs,cats, and other animals who do have emotions such monkey’s, elephants, and dolphins. For example, dog’s are called ‘man's best-friend’  for a reason, they are understandable and they are always there for you when you need them. They can feel emotions just as much as we can. In the article “Dog’s have the same emotions as a human 2 year-old child.” by Stanley Coren, a professor of psychology  at the University of British Columbia. He claims that dogs have the same exact brain structures that produces emotions in humans. Dogs have the same hormones, oxytocin, which in human makes us feel love and affection. In a way they are able to comfort us. Some people say that animals do not have a sense of their own deaths but i disagree. For example people will say dogs do not realize they are going to die if they run across the street with cars coming, therefore they don't realize what death is. I agree that dogs do not realize death but it is not because of them, as humans our childrens do not realize what death is but as they grow they are taught and they witness what death is, for dogs they do not realize what it is because they have not seen it happen to witness and to see it as an example that if they run across the street with cars they will be hit and killed. Therefore they may realize it if they were to have witness or learn from seeing an example of that happen. Animals and humans are very similar in ways.

Many opinions do so believes that we should not extend our empathy towards animals. For example in an editorial article by Bob Stevens he states “ In nature, animals naturally kill and eat each other. If a hawk does not care about the feelings of the rabbit that it eats, why should humans be any different? (Stevens 36). “I strongly disagree because the example of a hawk is showing its way of hunting for food like us humans. They obviously will not feel sorry when they are hunting for food to survive. I disagree with Bob Stevens because many animals are very different from one another, they have their own lifestyles and the way they get their own foods, one animal can not be told as an animal that represents the way we should feel towards all other animals.

Not only that but there are many more animals out there that are able to think and have emotions just like us. An example would be elephants from the article “It’s time to accept that elephants, like us, are empathetic beings.”  the statement made by Virginia Morell who wrote this on National Geographic articles says “Elephants help each other in distress, grieve for their dead, and feel the same emotions as each other—just like us.” Elephants show a understanding of death and are aware of what kind of situation they are in, it is reasonable that when elephants are hunted they are afraid and run, it is in fact instinct because they are aware of what situation they are encountered by.  When another elephant dies they stand over the dead elephant’s body because of grief and to give it a proper goodbye, they are able to feel sorrow and sadness of a death of their own species.  Just like humans, we feel sad for those pass away who are close to us. Animals not only experience sadness but they can go under stress and anger as for baby elephants waking up to see their dead parents who were hunted and killed. They are put into stress and sadness. Elephants will recognize their families who passed away when it comes to remains of bones and they will stand there for moments of silence and touch the remains of the bones. Therefore i believe that animals have the right mind structure to think and feel sympathy.

In Conclusion i believe that animals do have the right mind structures to have the same emotions such as humans and we should put it into consideration when it comes to animal abuse etc. Most animals give birth to newborns just like humans and i believe that many animals can feel emotions depending on their situation they are in. Animals not only feel one emotion but they can feel happiness, fear, and sadness. They should be treated fairly, and not with abuse, they should be able to live in an environment that will meet their health requirements just like all animals to be healthy. Animals are very similar to humans in their own ways that we may not recognize but some are very noticeable. Animals feel emotions,  recognize themselves, and are able to connect to humans. There is no doubt that animals are similar to humans in emotions.