"stop animal cruelty!" by melgupta, Creative Commons

Misal Sajid Khan

Every imaginable type of animal cruelty appears to be rampant in Pakistan.

From poisoning to killing in trophy hunting and shooting and inuring for amusement, the list of human atrocities against animals is pretty long. We are treating innocent animals very harshly because they cannot do anything to protect themselves.

Roosters are made to fight for amusement in cockfights, which causes injuries to them. Dogfights are a common sight, despite legal restrictions.

Treating animal cruelty as fun

The humans for their momentary amusement unleash dogs to fight each other. They often kill the losing animal or left its injuries untreated.

Dogs are poisoned and shot in routine. During elections, dogs and donkeys are treated very harshly. Animals even do not know what elections are about.

Many heartless people keep pets only for showoff and do not care about their food and health.

On the other hands, donkeys carry such heavy loads that they even manage to walk with great difficulty but do not get proper food.

Their owners don’t even care about the changing weather. Donkeys are used as machines.

Permits to kill Pakistan’s national animal, Markhors are auctioned in trophy hunting. Poachers kill markhors while animal horns are used to adorn walls.

Mice are also treated very harshly. People make videos of cutting their limbs, hanging them from fans for some social media clicks after catching the poor rodent.

It is just crazy to think people hanging cats, beating donkeys, shooting donkeys just for fun. It is beyond me how someone can treat such gruesome acts as funny.

Cruelty is not funny.

In zoos, animals are caged for life in tiny enclosures despite knowing very well that wild animals could not be domesticated.

Zoos often lack proper systems. There is no proper food and veterinarians for animals are around. The management is often bad and whenever an animal dies, the news is covered up.

Treating innocent animals violently will not make one cool, but kindness will.

Role of Media in highlighting animal cruelty

Animals are part of our world and its ecosystem. They are not here for us; rather, here for their own sake.

Media as fourth pillar of the state should highlight the issue of animal cruelty. Pakistani media is not doing enough to highlight this issue. Pakistani laws protect animals from cruelty, but few know about animal rights.  There is lack of education as well as society treats this issue casually.

This is urgent to stop animal cruelty and start educating people around us about this issue. Animal cruelty is harmful for future generations and obviously our children will also inherit this from us.

The author is a student of Journalism at University of Peshawar.