There is definitely speciesism
apparent within the chinchilla species. First of all, as mentioned in an
earlier post, some chinchillas are kept as companion animals, while other
chinchillas are farmed for their fur. These are two completely different uses
by humans for chinchillas, involving different diets, levels of care, and life
spans among other things. Additionally, this is a factor that would never even
be considered for dogs or cats. There are very few people who would be okay
with dogs or cats being farmed for their fur. With chinchillas, it is
considered acceptable by many people because the value of the coat in their
opinions justifies the farming of an animal that many consider a family pet.
The impact of the species as a whole is not great because the animals are being
farmed specifically for that purpose, however the chinchillas kept on the farms
do not experience the same quality of life as the animals that are kept as
pets. The illegal hunting of wild chinchillas has had a great impact on the
species as a whole because it has ultimately led to extinction. The fur is very
valuable because it is so limited, causing poachers to hunt the species as much
as possible.
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