Animal rights is the idea that animals have rights as well as Humans. In its less extreme form, that just means treating animals kindly and avoiding unnecessary animal suffering. In more extreme forms animal rights gives animals and humans equivalent rights. Liberals tend to support animal rights for the most part but some conservatives support animal rights. Animals having rights completely equivalent to humans isn't necessary and is not right, but they also don't deserve to be treated like they were back then, when no one had any regard for an animal's life or feelings.