For some states such as Virginia and North Carolina it was an export industry; they sold slaves to places where the price was higher, such as Alabama and Arkansas. Slave breeders favored woman slaves who could have large numbers of children. As with other livestock, breeders tried to improve the health and productivity of slaves. Breeders were approved in slave states because slaves were considered to be less than human, thus had no human rights. They were livestock, like horses or dogs. 