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By Zara Dittu
Introduction
Introduction
Photography by Mustafa Jawed
Defining animal abuse is easy, but countering it, not so much. Animal cruelty refers to the infliction of harm on animals for purposes other than ones survival or self-defence. If we narrow it down, it is how humans cause suffering to an animal for their own specific gain. People have different views and opinions regarding the extent of what they consider abuse. Some may consider using animals or food also as malice, but most hold the view that the exploiting of animals for unnecessary things like fur from rabbits or ivory (tusks) from elephants. Another view of abuse is using animals for personal amusement like circuses or animal shows. The most common and well approached view is of the animal welfare position. According to this there is nothing intrinsically wrong with the usage of animals for human purposes like clothes, food or even research but everything should be done in a way that minimizes the pain and suffering the being goes through. Several animal rights theorists believe that the only way to ensure the protection of animals is to stop treating them like a commodity and end their status of being a property.
There are two types of animal abuse as mentioned in the abstract. The first is passive animal abuse which is defined by neglect of the animal and failure to take care of them. Dehydration, starvation, inadequate veterinary care, parasite infestations and an improper or no shelter at all in extreme weather conditions are categorized as passive cruelty. Many people mostly do not realize that abuse does not always mean hitting and that it may also refer to mistreatment, like in this case. So in conclusion, it is more about the lack of action rather than taking action itself. The second category is active animal abuse which is defined as the deliberate intention to harm the animal. It can cause severe injury or death. Examples include mutilation, beating, torture and even shooting (for purposes other than food). This is the kind of animal cruelty that more people are aware about especially compared with passive abuse. But what should be kept in mind is that in both cases the animal suffers just as much and no abuse is worse or better than the other.
Despite efforts being made by the Pakistan Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), animal abuse continues to increase because of a number of reasons. First and foremost is lack of awareness. Most of the population is not even aware of what passive abuse is. The biggest problem is that the mind sets of people don’t even regard this as a problem so how will the possibly try to make it better. There are hardly any donations for the animal cause because people have a phenomenal lack of empathy and sympathy for anyone other than the human race. Plus let’s not forget how hardly human rights are given so animals sure are a lost cause in everyone’s eyes. The second cause is poverty which mostly applies to passive abuse. Most of the population especially in rural areas or those who travel to the urban areas with their cattle can barely afford to feed themselves so how will their animals be prioritized? This is what leads to them being starved or dehydrated. The last but certainly not the least are lack of laws. Enforcers take bribes and turn a blind eye towards activities such as animal fighting even though it is banned. The truth is that there are primarily very few laws concerning animals in the country. Plus even if there were, it is well known how good Pakistan is at adapting laws and then not following them whatsoever.
Animal Abuse in Pakistan
Animal Abuse in Pakistan
It is safe to say that Pakistan does indeed follow some barbaric practices when it comes to animals and their treatment. Since the paper only referred to the reported incidences, it was difficult to find any proof of passive abuse even though we see it with our eyes every day. We see it in the cats that move around the cafeteria begging for food, we see it in the dogs being chased away and living as strays, we see it the donkeys and horses on the road, their bones showing through the skin laden with such heavy cargo and being urged on to overwork themselves with a whip. Unfortunately, nobody reports this in Pakistan because there are no laws for it. To go to the police about it will only make them laugh because as said before it should not be forgotten that we live in a country that barely follows humanitarian laws.
The active animal abuses given as examples show that whatever is happening is nowhere near declining. Despite efforts by a few organizations not much can be done till there is government input and funding because there are just not enough donations for the animal cause. Given the conditions of the state there is no hope of aid either. The only way to change things is by spreading awareness in whatever way one can. Providing workshops for proper pet care to at least reduce the passive animal abuse to some level and to ask for anti-animal cruelty laws. Supporting organizations would help if people agreed to do so but this is very rare. On further analysis of the issue it has been prove that until and unless the fundamental and primary problems of relative poverty and illiteracy is not solved, no one is going to want to bring about a change in society for our furry friend.
Conclusion
Conclusion
To conclude the essay, the hypothesis is correct that yes indeed animal abuse has continuously increased in Pakistan despite efforts to control it. It should be noted that these efforts might not be 100% especially compared to other countries like the United States of America. But considering the limited resources provided by the government and public in general, the efforts made by PAWS and WWF are still substantial and appreciable.
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