There is an old Cruelty to Animals Act, but we seldom see this law being implemented
KARACHI: Every other day a video of an animal being mistreated goes viral on the social media. Animal cruelty and mistreatment is rampant nationwide. Many people in today’s society are unaware that animals are abused, neglected, and killed each day. Our world is full of cruelty and violence, but while people are able to protect themselves, to ask for help, and know their rights, animals albeit living beings cannot.
Further, animals are not to be experimented on to make products safe for us. Those who keep them as pets or own them as pack animals must know what humane treatment is. As a result animals that have lost their homes die, because they cannot live on the streets, or they are euthanised or culled. Animals need protection against such brutal treatment.
Millions of pets have never been treated well by their owners. There are a lot of cases when, for example, birds are locked in small uncomfortable cages as a piece of interior decor. Animals have to live in horrid conditions of limited moves, mud and even hunger. It is hard to imagine how many animals are abused by people.
In Karachi, almost every year dogs are culled. Moreover, donkeys are being tortured every day or beaten nearly to death. Also, animals in circuses are beaten, kicked, or cruelly confined in order to train them to be obedient and perform tricks.
I request the people of Pakistan to be kind to animals and not to kill innocent animals. Even if each one of us pledges to perform an act of kindness towards a stray animal every day, the society’s attitude too will change. There is an old Cruelty to Animals Act, but we seldom see this law being implemented.
Maruf Haider
Published in The Express Tribune, May 18th, 2019.
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