Controversy as rights group says humans aren't superior to animals

Animal rights organisation Peta has called for the public to stop using animal names as derogative terms.

It says calling people names such as rat, chicken and snake perpetuates oppression and thinks it's unfair on animals when their names are used as human behaviours.

In a Twitter thread, Peta said: "Words can create a more inclusive world, or perpetuate oppression. Calling someone an animal as an insult reinforces the myth that humans are superior to other animals & justified in violating them.

"Stand up for justice by rejecting supremacist language.

"Anti-animal slurs degrade animals by applying negative human traits to certain species. Perpetuating the idea that animals are sly, dirty, or heartless desensitises the public and normalises violence against other animals.

"Speciesist language isn't just harmful, but it is also inaccurate. Pigs, for instance, are intelligent, lead complex social lives, and show empathy for other pigs in distress. Snakes are clever, have family relationships, and prefer to associate with their relatives.”

The post went viral on social media, with more than 19,000 people commenting on it and a further 21,000 people quote tweeting it.

There were many opponents to the idea, however some supported the notion that we shouldn't see animals as inferior.

One user wrote on Twitter: "My biggest pet peeve is when humans act as if other living beings are inferior to them. When really, humans are the only beings destroying the only environment that will support our existence, so we are likely not as intelligent as we would like to think."

Another added: "If humans didn't have such a superiority complex and was content to live with nature/animals instead of conquering/enslaving it, we would avoid most problems facing us today."