Animal rights are far less developed than those of humans and are often significantly disregarded in many cultures and societies. Human's dominate over and exploit animals largely for nourishment, entertainment and in the undertaking of risk assessments.
Rising consumption of products and resources correlates with the rising exploitation of animals. The most widespread exploitation takes place in agriculture, where livestock is raised and slaughtered on industrial scales. Meat consumption doubled between 1950 and 2000, as methods and technology improved and millions of consumers climbed out of poverty and afforded themselves what is often regarded as a luxury by poorer peoples.
Increasingly urbanised and sub-urbanised consumers are also detached from the production processes undertaken far away in rural settings. Abuses and exploitation also takes place behind the closed doors of laboratories which test cosmetics on animals. In zoos and circuses, animals are put in the spotlight and expected to entertain paying spectators. While some institutions look after and resist exploiting animals, the consumption of certain forms of entertainment creates a market which commodifies creatures which could otherwise have been left free in the wild.