It is indeed very sad to open the newspaper and read about cases of atrocious cruelty to animals: a horse being mercilessly whipped, a dog is beaten and then abandoned in a quarry, an exotic reptile too is beaten and abandoned in a skip... the shameful list of atrocities goes on.

Why are some people so cruel to animals? What pleasure do such apologies for human beings derive from their actions? Is all this a failure of our educational system or is it rather a case of misconceived ideas and perceptions about animals?

These are some of the questions that perturb not only the animal lovers but also anybody who claims the right to be called a ‘human being’.

I do not want to be negative. I am very happy to note that the number of Maltese who treasure animals and are very kind to them is on the increase. However, there is still a minority who seem to believe that animals are there to be treated according to their whims.

You’re angry? No problem, take it out on your pet. You have an animal that has done something you do not approve of? A severe beating is the solution. You have an animal who has lived with you for many years but is now getting old and becoming a burden on you? No need to worry, abandon the old, loving and loyal creature somewhere where people won’t see you and that will be an end to your problem.

Incredibly, this is the way some people (‘monsters’ would be a more fitting word in this context) reason.

I take my hat off to the Animal Welfare officers who are doing sterling work in cases of cruelty to animals. The government is working hard in this field and the amendments to the Animal Welfare Act, which raised the penalties for animal cruelty and ill-treatment and also established the office of Commissioner for Animal Welfare, have been a step in the right direction.

There is no doubt that the government is strongly committed to eradicating animal cruelty from the Maltese islands. However, government efforts have to be supported by each and every citizen.

If you note a case of animal cruelty or ill-treatment, report it. Don’t be irresponsible and pretend not to have noticed. You may be saving an animal from years of suffering.

If you see some children being cruel to an animal, stop and correct them.

In the not-so-remote past, animals used to be treated like dirt in Malta

If you have an animal yourself, treat it lovingly and caringly.

I am sure that no effort is being spared to educate our younger generations to love animals and treasure them. However, I believe that the most urgent problem is to educate adults of a certain age who were brought up to believe that animals are an inferior part of creation and, as such, having no rights at all.

Let us be clear about one crucial point: in the not-so-remote past, animals used to be treated like dirt in Malta. This was because some really stupid and condemnable perceptions were commonplace. “Animals have no soul and therefore they are of no value at all”, some idiots used to say. Apparently, they had never heard of Saint Francis of Assisi.

Thank God, today ignorance and superstition are, little by little, being eradicated from our shores.

Unfortunately, however, one still finds the few whose mindset belongs to the past where animals are concerned. They look upon animals as having the role of just serving human beings and are expendable when they are no longer ‘useful’. It is important to target such persons when promotional and educational campaigns are planned and implemented.

The Church also has a very important role to play here because it needs to correct the mistaken perception, which is based by some individuals on pseudo-religious grounds, that animals are not a different form of life but an inferior one. Such stupid arguments can be demolished by putting just one simple question: “Can you imagine Christ ill-treating an animal?” Of course not. End of argument.

When you live for many years with an animal always close to you, you will begin to realise what a beautiful part of creation they are and how much they should be treasured. There are few things more beautiful and touching in life than the welcome a dog gives to its owner when he/she arrives home. Indeed, after some time, animals become part of the family.

I vividly remember every moment of the evening I had to take my dog to be put down as it was suffering from an incurable and rather painful malady. As the veterinarian administered the fatal injection to the dog, I held its paw in my hand and whispered in its ear to make it feel, in its very last moments, that somebody that loved it was close by and caring about it.

That is how close you become when you have lived with animals and learned to appreciate their beauty.

I appeal to everyone to treat animals with love and respect.