The phrase "animal rightists" refers to people who believe that animals should have rights and be treated with kindness and respect, similar to how humans are treated. They advocate for the protection and welfare of animals. Full definition
Recognizing that the concerns of animal rightists pertain for the most part to animals subjected to human captivity, Birch and Cobb demonstrate that these concerns can be combined with those of the land ethicist into a single environmental ethic. (religion-online.org)
This is the situation which should be addressed if animal welfare is to be genuinely improved, not the simplistic and prejudiced attack on one particular method, fuelled by loaded public opinion polls, blinkered animal rightist claims and cheap, ill - informed headlines. (politics.co.uk)
From what has been said so far, it should be clear that land ethicists and animal rightists differ. (religion-online.org)