Final answer:
The statement about 'poor defenseless animals' is an emotional appeal through the use of a pity fallacy, which targets the audience's emotions rather than providing a logical argument. The correct option is (A).
Step-by-step explanation:
The rhetoric presented in the statement is an emotional appeal that specifically targets the audience's feelings of pity towards the animals, suggesting that a donation can remedy the situation.
This type of rhetoric is an example of an emotional fallacy because it relies on eliciting an emotional response rather than presenting a logical argument to persuade the audience. The correct answer to which emotional fallacy the statement represents is A. Pity.
Emotional appeals can be powerful but are often not relevant to the logical foundation of an argument. An emotional fallacy can divert the audience's attention from the merits of the argument or the evidence provided, leading them to make a decision based on feelings rather than facts or reason.
The fallacy outlined in the question is particularly associated with appeals to emotion that rely on feelings of compassion or sorrow, which is why it falls under the category of a pity fallacy.