Hindu and Buddhist societies abandoned animal sacrifice and embraced vegetarianism from the 3rd century BCE. One of the most important sanctions of the Jain, Hindu and Buddhist faiths is the concept of ahimsa, or refraining from the destruction of life. According to Buddhist belief, humans do not deserve preferential treatment over other living beings. The Dharmic interpretation of this doctrine prohibits the killing of any living being. Ancient Tamil works such as the Tolkāppiyam and Tirukkural contain passages that extend the idea of non-violence to all living beings.
In Islam, animal rights were recognized early by the Sharia. This recognition is based on both the Qur’an and the Hadith. In the Qur’an, there are many references to animals, detailing that they have souls, form communities, communicate with God and worship Him in their own way. Muhammad forbade his followers to harm any animal and asked them to respect the rights of animals.
According to Christianity, all animals, from the smallest to the largest, are cared for and loved. According to the Bible, “All these animals waited for the Lord, that the Lord might give them food at the hour. The Lord gives them, they receive; The Lord opens his hand, and they are filled with good things”. It further says God “gave food to the animals, and made the crows cry.” Ref. Animal rights – Wikipedia
