Fear Has No Language
Animals feel terror just as we do, even if they cannot name it. Their bodies tremble, their hearts race, and their eyes plead in silence. The absence of words does not equal the absence of fear. It simply means their suffering goes unheard in a world that speaks only human.
To assume that a being who cannot say “I am afraid” is not afraid is both dangerous and deeply unjust. We have created systems that exploit their voicelessness, factories that process sentient beings as if they were objects, and laws that defend profit over pain. But fear is not a linguistic concept, it is a biological and emotional one. Animals scream without speaking. They resist, they flee, they mourn. Their fear is real, raw, and ever-present.
Our moral responsibility is not determined by how loudly a creature can protest, but by how clearly we can understand its suffering. Silence is not consent. Fear unspoken is still fear endured.
Will we finally listen?