DEAR READERS: We all have a fear of certain animals, a response that is partially innate and partially learned. Regrettably, our response to this fear, all too often, is to kill the creatures we dread, whether insects, snakes rodents or otherwise.

Such extermination, when widespread, disrupts the environment and can make us more prone to diseases and famine, as when we kill pollinators with insecticides. When we destroy bat roosts, we eliminate allies who control disease-transmitting insect populations. Snakes are welcome in many countries since they help control invasive rodents.

Finding the path of avoiding harm calls for an ethic of care based on respect and understanding, even for the most venomous and invasive. One example of convenience and market-promotion over caring and understanding is the use of electric bug-zappers outdoors: These kill many beneficial insects, in turn starving bats and other insectivores. Better options are citronella candles, a good bug-spray deterrent and mosquito netting.

We must all be vigilant with the spread of nonindigenous species and various diseases associated with climate change. The case of dengue fever reported recently in Florida's Miami-Dade County brings the total number of cases in Miami-Dade and Broward counties to 11 this year. And two cases of West Nile virus have been reported in the state's Escambia County. (Full story: Outbreak News Today, Aug. 15)

Chief Dan George of the Tsleil-Waututh Nation famously stated, "If you talk to the animals, they will talk to you, and you will know each other. If you do not talk to them, you will not know them. And what you do not know, you will fear."

Biological scientists, ethologists and ecologists, all of whom "talk" to animals via objective observation, have documented why we should take the path of least harm to other members of the animal kingdom. In biodiversity lies the regenerative potential of the Earth community upon which our own health depends.

Making the lives of animals raised for consumption more humane is all very well, provided we all eat less animal produce in general. The agricultural livestock industry is a major contributor to the climate and extinction crises, at significant cost to public health.

The various cultural and religious rules about which animals we can and cannot eat are not without merit, but need to be modernized, as do the traditions behind them, most of which have yet to honor the rights of every creature and the sanctity of all life in the natural world.

All animal caregivers have considerable responsibility for their animals' health and well-being, as well as to the environment. Too many cat owners are delinquent, allowing their cats to roam free, kill wildlife and become a potential threat to public health from diseases they can harbor and transmit to us.

DUMPING OF 'THROWAWAY ANIMALS' ESCALATES

Animal shelters rejoiced as people adopted pets at record rates during the COVID-19 pandemic. But shelters are now filling back up rapidly due to several factors, including financial challenges faced by owners and behavioral issues cropping up as owners return to their offices. Stephanie Filer of Shelter Animals Count suggests donating to shelters, fostering and/or adopting animals, and volunteering for animal-related causes to help mitigate the problem. (Full story: Vox, Aug. 16)

This is a sad reflection of how little some people care for the animals they adopt, an attitude that is a small step away from child abandonment and abuse. Lack of money is no excuse. Pet owners can take several steps to be prepared for the costs of their animals' care, including buying pet insurance, designating personal savings or seeking second opinions on recommended medical procedures and their costs. The American Veterinary Medical Association provides a list of accredited veterinary programs that may charge an adjusted rate for low-income pet owners. (Full story: NextAvenue.org, June 22)

(Send all mail to animaldocfox@gmail.com or to Dr. Michael Fox in care of Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106. The volume of mail received prohibits personal replies, but questions and comments of general interest will be discussed in future columns.

Visit Dr. Fox’s website at DrFoxOneHealth.com.)

DEAR READERS: Science-based, factual evidence does not change the mindset of the unreasonable. Many such people still deny our collective contributions to the climate and extinction crises and to related global humanitarian issues, including famine, plagues, pestilence, poverty, war, terrorism and the mass migrations of refugees.

Some religious traditions have caused more conflict and division than peace and unity, as have many current political regimes and ideologies, both capitalistic and militaristic. The media attention being given to the multiple indictments of former President Donald J. Trump is a distraction from Trump's deplorable record of anti-environmental actions when he was in office, which should be kept front and center. He essentially dismembered the Environmental Protection Agency and opened the door for the petrochemical, mining and other extractive and polluting industries, in total disregard of the harm to wildlife, Indigenous peoples and biodiversity.

There have been signs of positive change, however. Last summer, a federal judge "overturned a 2019 Trump administration move to gut the landmark Endangered Species Act, vacating that administration's changes and restoring protections for hundreds of species," as CNN reported at the time -- calling the decision "a win for environmental and conservation groups and climate advocates."

Still, consumer demands, economic uncertainties and an ever-increasing human population see civil society becoming less civil and more violent. The rule of law, social justice, animal rights and eco-environmental ethics are usually dismissed by governments and their dystopia-generating supporters. Our physical and mental health depend upon a healthy environment; the benefits from whatever contact with nature we can grasp have been well documented.

For an excellent review of these multiple benefits, see the 2020 article "Nurtured by Nature" by Kirsten Weir, posted by the American Psychological Association (apa.org/monitor/2020/04/nurtured-nature). For my own review of this subject, see Chapter 12 of my book "Animals and Nature First."

Destroying and polluting nature, as we continue to do, should be criminalized as an indirect crime against humanity. There is a glimmer of hope in a recent judicial decision.

On Aug. 14, District Court Judge Kathy Seeley ruled in favor of young environmental activists "who said state agencies were violating their constitutional right to a clean and healthful environment by allowing fossil fuel development without considering its effect on the climate," reported PBS.org.

Per Nature.com, "Attorney Julia Olson, who represented the group of young plaintiffs, calls it a 'truly historic' win that could pave the way for a court-ordered shift away from fossil fuels nationwide."

"We heard from many of our experts that it was such an empowering experience to be able to present the science in the court of law," said Olson.

While the ruling is likely to be overturned on appeal, the stage is being set for confrontation and change in the name of reducing the severity of, and enhancing our ability to adapt to, climate change.

The momentum of "green" politics is increasing, literally, with the greening of urban environments. A study published in The Lancet in January theorized that increasing tree cover in European cities to 30% could cool temperatures sufficiently to potentially prevent more than 2,600 premature deaths each summer. It could also help to mitigate air pollution, reduce noise pollution and improve mental health. Combining tree planting with other strategies, such as changing surface materials, could maximize the cooling benefits in cities.

AG FAIRS: ZOONOTIC DISEASE HOT SPOTS

As covered in more detail in one of my recent columns, agriculture shows and fairs are potential zoonotic disease hot spots, especially for swine flu. According to research from Ohio State University, at least one pig at 25% of agriculture fairs is carrying swine flu. In 2012 alone, the disease jumped from pigs to people during at least seven different Ohio fairs.

Some fairs have taken steps to prevent zoonotic disease transmission, but my advice is to just keep away from such exhibits.

DOGS LIVE LONGER WHEN GIVEN TIME WITH OTHER DOGS

Being able to socialize with other dogs is a key factor to longevity, according to an Arizona State University study by the Dog Aging Project, published in Evolution, Medicine & Public Health. The study analyzed data from more than 21,000 dogs and concluded that the companionship of other dogs was the factor most correlated to good health -- surpassing family finances, the age of their owners and the presence of children in the home. "Animals with stronger social relationships live longer, healthier lives," said Noah Snyder-Mackler, lead author of the study.

I would add a note of caution. Many dogs, including our rescued dog Kota, detest local dog parks, which are often filled with rough-playing, aggressive and poorly supervised dogs. A better option may be a doggie play group with just a few well-supervised dogs who are neither afraid nor aggressive. All dogs should be given up-to-date vaccinations (or at least titer-immunity determinations) before admittance, along with a wellness checkup and tests for external parasites.

(Send all mail to animaldocfox@gmail.com or to Dr. Michael Fox in care of Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106. The volume of mail received prohibits personal replies, but questions and comments of general interest will be discussed in future columns.

Visit Dr. Fox’s website at DrFoxOneHealth.com.)

DEAR DR. FOX: I appreciate you writing about animal welfare and animal rights issues. I have been involved in animal protection for the past 20 years, and I support several nonprofit organizations, local and national, that help animals. But despite all these efforts, I feel that little progress has been made, just like in human rights here in the U.S. and in many other countries. What is your opinion? -- R.E., Washington, D.C.

DEAR R.E.: The history of humans' relationships with animals encompasses enslavement, extermination, consumption, companionship and devotion.

Extermination has unforeseen consequences, as exemplified by malaria and dengue fever being spread by mosquitoes that have developed resistance to insecticides. These chemicals have caused collateral damage, killing off the natural predators of mosquitoes and making us ill in countless ways.

Consumption of animals, on the scale evident today, contributes to the climate and extinction crises and to a spectrum of human diseases, including some forms of cancer.

A more judicious use of safe vaccines, antibiotics and pesticides is called for, along with bioremediation (including soil and gut microbiome restoration) and biocontrol (as by introducing specific pathogens or predators to control crop pests and invasive species). This is surely the path of least harm to ourselves, to the environment and to natural biodiversity.

Our prejudice, fear and hatred toward certain animals -- and toward our own kind -- break the circle of life. It has been long held by some religious authorities that we have some God-given dominion over the Earth, and that animals were "created for man's use," to quote one former pope. But it is increasingly evident that it is enlightened self-interest to treat animals with compassion and to support animals' basic rights, including freedom from pain and fear, and to provide conditions that satisfy their physical, social and emotional needs.

In a truly civilized society of justice for all, living by the golden rule (of treating others as we would have them treat us) would be extended to all our animal relationships, including those we fear and those that are dangerous and/or vectors of disease. The physician's Hippocratic injunction, "First do no harm," is the same as the bioethical principle of ahimsa -- non-harming -- and should be applicable to all our relationships with other living organisms.

Having respect for all living beings would be an evolutionary step forward for humankind. I see some glimmers of hope since the veterinary profession, notably in the U.K., is calling for more concerted professional involvement in advocating for animal rights, and in the progressive One Health movement that links our own health and well-being with how well we treat animals and the environment.

ELON MUSK'S FUNDING OF ANIMAL BRAIN EXPERIMENTS

From the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine:

"Since 2017, Elon Musk's company Neuralink has subjected animals -- including monkeys, pigs, rats and sheep -- to invasive, often deadly, brain experiments. Through 2020, the company paid $1.4 million to the University of California, Davis, to use its facilities, where experimenters removed portions of monkeys' skulls to implant electrodes in the animals' brains as part of Neuralink's development of a 'brain-machine interface.' Only in 2022, following a public records lawsuit by the Physicians Committee, did the troubling details of these experiments begin to come to light. The company is still conducting experiments on animals at its facilities in California and Texas."

For details, see "Elon Musk's Cruel Brain Experiments" at pcrm.org.

In my opinion, Musk would do better spending his money in addressing the widespread empathy-deficit disorder.

FLEA ALERT: KEEP CATS INDOORS!

Three people in California's Los Angeles County died last year of flea-borne typhus, according to a report in the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, and 171 cases of typhus in the county were reported. Rising populations of cat fleas on pets and free-roaming animals or rising rodent populations in urban and suburban areas may be increasing typhus risk. Pet owners should use a veterinarian-approved flea control product, according to the report. (Full story: Los Angeles Times, Aug. 3)

Owned cats that are allowed to roam free are a main source of flea infestations. They pick up these ectoparasites outdoors and bring them into their homes. Fleas can also carry other diseases, including plague. So keep your cats indoors!

(Send all mail to animaldocfox@gmail.com or to Dr. Michael Fox in care of Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106. The volume of mail received prohibits personal replies, but questions and comments of general interest will be discussed in future columns.

Visit Dr. Fox’s website at DrFoxOneHealth.com.)