Abstract:
Homeless animal protectors are volunteers who rescue, care for and donate abandoned animals for human adoption. In the base of this kind of actions there seems to be processes that raise sensitivities to animal suffering along with moral issues. This paper aims to discuss interviews with protectors in Rio de Janeiro estate, Brazil, focusing on predispositions and conversions to the animal cause. These include a memory of pets in childhood as a relevant element in developing attention to animal suffering and an alignment to new values and identities in adulthood. In both cases, relations with one or more animals are important to the development of new sensitivities and/or concrete actions that gives visibility to animal as well as human agency.
Keywords:
animal protection; conversions; predispositions; sensibilities