Text 2 — Zoopolis — A Political View of Human–Animal Relations (approx. 250 words)
Many debates about animals focus on welfare (reducing suffering) or abolition (ending all use). Zoopolis proposes a different lens: treat animals as members of our political community, with statuses shaped by how they live alongside us. Instead of a single rule for every species, the model matches rights and duties to distinct relationships.
For domestic animals—such as dogs, cows, and horses—Zoopolis argues for co-citizenship inside our mixed communities. Co-citizens are owed care, safety, and meaningful choice in daily life, while humans accept duties of provision and limits on exploitation. Because animals cannot vote, their interests require representation through guardians, professional standards, and public accountability.
For wild animals, the book suggests treating them as sovereign communities. In practice, that means non-interference and respect for territory, alongside carefully justified assistance when humans have created harms or when disasters strike. The presumption is that wild groups should be free to self-govern.
A third group is liminal animals—pigeons, foxes, and other species that share our urban spaces without being fully domesticated. Zoopolis calls them denizens: long-term residents who hold residency rights (such as protection from cruelty and access to safe passage) but not the full bundle of citizenship duties and entitlements.
Crucially, the framework rejects the idea that urbanisation, convenience, or development gives humans any right to kill animals. Under Zoopolis, all animals hold a fundamental right to live among us—as co-citizens, sovereigns, or denizens—and public policy should prioritise non-lethal coexistence through animal charters, smarter waste management, and urban design that reduces conflict. In short, Zoopolis reframes ethics as civic design: fewer clashes, clearer responsibilities, and more liveable towns—for humans and animals alike.
Questions 5–9 — Summary CompletionWrite NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the text for each answer. Spelling counts.According to the article, Zoopolis treats animals as members of a political community and groups them by their relationship to humans. Domestic animals are considered (5) ________, wild animals are regarded as (6) ________, and urban “in-between” species are treated as (7) ________. The model links each group to tailored protections: for domestic animals, a right to care and (8) ________, and for wild animals, a presumption of (9) ________ together with respect for territory.
