They Have Rights Too
In 2011, a mother of seven, Sharon McDonough, was sentenced to two
years in prison for child and animal abuse. She had hosted what her son called “a
concentration camp for animals.” She would kidnap neighborhood cats and dogs
and force her kids to hold them down as she taped the animals’ mouths and noses
shut before watching them slowly die. Forty-two dog carcasses were found in her
backyard. In a letter addressed to prosecutors, her adult son who reported the
incident wrote: “I fear for my well-being, my sisters, and my six-month-old child.
She has already destroyed us to a certain point.” Can you imagine being in the
place of one of her children who were forced to hold down a screaming dog and
watch as its life slowly fades away? Can you imagine being in the place of one of
the animals who were restrained and suffocated to death? Animal cruelty includes
many kinds of mistreatment, from temporarily failing to provide essential care to
the malicious killing or repeated torturing of an animal. Humans tend to view
themselves as higher or superior to animals, and while that may be true to some
extent, that does not mean we can intentionally harm them for no reason at all. It
is inherently wrong to inflict suffering on any living animal just as it is wrong to
inflict suffering on other humans. This brings up the question, “Why do people
abuse animals in the first place?”
One reason animal cruelty occurs is for people to feel powerful or superior.
People who feel powerless or unnoticed frequently commit animal cruelty acts
such as torturing, maiming, and suffocating. The motive could be to feel in control
or dominant, to shock and intimidate others, or to demonstrate a rejection of
society’s rules; all of which are selfish and pointless. Some who are cruel to
animals copy acts that they have seen online or elsewhere. Others see abusing an
animal as a way to threaten or get revenge against someone who cares deeply for
it. Still, there are pet owners who are simply uneducated or just do not care
enough for their pets and fail to provide enough food, water, shelter, or veterinary
care. While neglecting an animal may not seem as bad as physically harming it,
neglect can actually cause an animal to suffer over a long period of time as its
health slowly deteriorates. These are just some of the reasons why people abuse
animals.
Animal cruelty may not seem like a big problem to a lot, but it is far more
extreme and common than most think. One survey of school-aged children in the
United States found that 30 percent admitted to committing some form of animal
cruelty. Dogfighting and cockfighting are still rampant in many parts of the world,
and most of us probably know someone who was or is involved in it. Roosters in
fighting pits suffer from punctured lungs, broken bones, and pierced eyes. An
average dogfight lasts for one to two hours and only ends when one of the dogs
cannot continue. The harsh and gruesome treatment that these animals go
through not only in the pit but also outside makes it hard to believe that these are
still popular practices. Animal breeders often operate under poor conditions and
fail to meet the physiological, social, and behavioral needs of the animals. Most of
these places only seek to make money from their animals instead of genuinely
caring for them. Aside from keeping their animals locked in cages with little space
to move around and without others to interact with, they may also fail to give
proper veterinary care, pass on genes that cause health problems for the animals,
and contribute to the overpopulation crisis. There is a myriad of other stories of
animal cruelty like the one I shared at the start, and these are just the ones that
were reported. How much more stories and events are there that go under the
radar?
It might seem difficult to solve this problem as a whole with all these
different cases of animal cruelty, but as with other crimes, there are still things we
can do to help alleviate the problem in our own small way. One thing we can do is
report cases of animal cruelty to authorities. We should not only be on the
lookout for the act itself but also for signs that an animal is experiencing abuse
such as an extremely malnourished pet dog or a cat with injuries that look like it
was inflicted by a human. Adopting pets from shelters instead of breeders is also a
great way to protect the welfare of animals. Among the 100,000 animals that are
rescued by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, 30% of the
rescued animals have to be put down because they cannot be taken care of. Being
kind and respectful to the animals we encounter sets a good example to those
around us on how animals ought to be treated. We should also actively educate
others about this issue. Last but not the least, it is important that we try to
purchase products that do not harm animals. We should carefully choose where
we get our animal products from and learn how the producers treat the animals in
their care.
To summarize, animal cruelty occurs when humans view the well-being of
animals as less or unimportant compared to our own. It comes in many shapes
and forms, but all of them are horrifying and should be prevented. Simple actions
we can take to help these animals are to report acts of animal cruelty, adopt pets
from rescue shelters, encourage others to be compassionate with animals,
educate others, and purchase humane animal products. Animals are living,
breathing creatures. They can feel pain and sadness in a similar way we can. Such
a simple fact seems to be forgotten by many. Who are we to treat them as nothing
more than items and tools? Helping these animals who were robbed of their
freedom and safety contributes to the driving force that makes this world a
gentler, kinder, and more sustainable place to live not only for ourselves but for
the creatures that live alongside us.