How to Help When It Hurts? Think Systemic

To resolve a moral dilemma created by the rescue of carnivorous species from exploitative situations who

must rely on the flesh of other vulnerable species to survive, Cheryl Abbate applies the guardianship principle

in proposing hunting as a case-by-case means of reducing harm to the rescued animal as well as to those

animals who must die to supply food. This article counters that Abbate’s guardianship principle is

insufficiently applied given its objectification of deer communities. Tom Regan, alternatively, encouraged

guardians to think beyond individual dilemmas and adopt a measure of systemic reconstruction, that being

the abolition of speciesist institutions (The Case for Animal Rights; Empty Cages). In addition, politics of

non-vegan pets and vote-with-your-dollar veganism are addressed as relevant moral dilemmas that highlight

the limited utility of individual decision-making within a larger system of speciesism. It is argued that

guardians are obliged to work toward the abolition of speciesism, while guardians may, in the meantime,

support carnivorous refugees with animal agriculture byproducts given the reality of sellercontrolled

foodways.