When I started on the project of writing this article, it was not my intention to look for, nor to post “shocking” pictures. But, during my research on the subject of cruelty to animals, I saw a lot of photos depicting hideous acts of cruelty to animals, specially in laboratories, some of which I'm sure exceed the most bizarre of imaginations in terms of their diabolism; things that I, myself, didn't know of, and was appalled to find out about. They made me cry my eyes out. Many of the photos I viewed showed human hands conducting incredibly gruesome tortures on restrained, totally defenseless and innocent animals. But, as much as they've made my heart ache with sadness, they also made me reflect on more ways that I can try to help and make a difference. The more I “dug” for the truth, the more I realized the need to "take the gloves off", and expose what I had seen about cruelty to animals on this modest attempt to contribute to the lessening of their suffering. I concluded that it would be actually dishonest of me to write about cruelty to animals without telling and showing it as it is. I hope that in spite of it being difficult to look at, that you will, because only knowledge can promote positive change. Nothing good can come from us ignoring what has been happening to animals in terms of the horrors inflicted upon them, without enough humans interfering in their defense. I needed to show the truth, and it was with a heavy heart that I went about selecting the photos to illustrate the text, which was so difficult to do. So, I chose pictures that reveal the truth, but yet are not the most gruesome ones I had viewed.
Hopefully, you, the reader of this, will be moved to take some part (however small) in defending animal rights, whether in direct, or indirect ways. I find this to be quite possible, because, as a result of my own enlightenment through the process of researching for this essay, for example, I already took action on things I was ignorant about, myself: I am terminating an account I had with a bank because they have been guilty of providing financial aid to the Huntingdon Life Science lab (an epithet for animal cruelty); I also will no longer contribute to a couple of charities that I found out to be guilty of promoting cruel and unnecessary testing on animals.