Animals too deserve to be loved

Having worked as an educator for 12 years at the Corradino Correctional Facility, there is little in life that still manages to shock me. However, one of the exceptions is the absolutely senseless brutality of some people (?) towards defenceless animals. As a great animal lover, even I, with my many years of daily experience of the bitter side of life, cannot but feel a sense of outrage that such atrocities still occur on a too regular basis in what is otherwise one of the most civilised countries in the world.

Enough has already been said about the need to make an example of those who commit such acts. I totally agree that we cannot be lenient if we want to register progress in the way animals are treated in Malta. On the other hand, our primary aim should always be justice, not revenge. Furthermore, the rehabilitation of offenders should come before punishment as mere retribution.

However, if we are to really make headway towards solving this problem, we have to go beyond the legal aspect of it. Indeed, if one analyses the problem, one immediately notices that there is a cultural aspect connected with it that rarely features in debates and discussions about animals.

Since time immemorial, animals have been regarded as being inferior to mankind. This has influenced the way we act in relation to them. Certain behaviour that would be regarded as criminal if perpetrated on a human being has always been considered as far less serious if the victim is an animal.

We are living in 2011 and I think that we should seriously revise our view of animals to no longer regard them as inferior forms of life but, rather, as different ones that also enrich creation. No form of life created by God is there to be destroyed or treated badly. What is different is not inferior, is not without rights.

There is a correlated traditional cultural aspect to this. We still sometimes hear the nonsensical argument that animals have no souls, implying that they are of infinitely lesser value than a human being. In fact, in some cultures in other parts of the world, they are indeed regarded as such. Surely, in a European Union member country such as Malta these ideas and concepts should be absolutely taboo. Being European implies progress and any progressive society cares for its animals and treats them well. As highly intelligent human beings, we have the duty to treasure and protect different forms of life such as animals.

The way we express ourselves, that is, the use of language, is also very important. We have to avoid using such language as “You would not do that even to an animal” or “That place is only fit for animals”. Yes, I know that sometimes one expresses oneself in this manner without really meaning any disrespect towards the rights of animals. However, when we use such language, we are subconsciously conditioning ourselves, and those who listen to us, to viewing animals as inferior rather than different.

Education is the key to solving the problem of cruelty to animals. A lot of good work is being done in schools to inculcate in our youngsters values such as that animals are there to be loved. I have high hopes for our future generations. However, I also believe that we should promote more and more educational campaigns among adults so that everybody will, one day, come to appreciate the beauty of animals and how stupid and senseless it is to treat them badly.

Those of us who have pets can vouch for the fact that an animal can become an inseparable companion whose physical presence is one of the satisfactions of one’s life. There is nothing I treasure more than the warm and affectionate welcome I always receive from my dog when I arrive home after a day’s work.

In fact, there are many Maltese who are exemplary in the way they treat animals. The government also seems to have finally woken up to the fact that a much more proactive approach is expected of it in the field of animal welfare and any such initiatives should be praised. No, the outlook is not totally negative but we also have to make sure that social problems are adequately tackled.

It is a fact that some of the perpetrators of horrific acts against animals are themselves the victims of society. People who have lived in a brutal environment for most of their life sometimes become immune to the pain of others, having suffered so much pain themselves. A defenceless animal is often the target on which they vent their frustration and anger at the cruelty of life, which is why we have to make sure that all our citizens live their life with dignity and respect.

Social progress is the best guarantee of animal welfare.