The Church’s environment commission yesterday shifted the debate on animal cruelty away from the recent spate of dog torture to the more common trend of keeping exotic animals as pets.
The commission condemned the recent headline-grabbing acts of cruelty – the latest being that of a puppy crucified to a door just two weeks ago – but argued that animal cruelty as a phenomenon was more widespread.
Lack of respect and animal cruelty came in many forms, ranging from the tiny, dark spaces where farm animals are kept to the “cruel and inhuman way in which they are slaughtered” and transported to the abattoir, the commission argued.
It pointed out that circus animals were often tortured to learn tricks while those used for races were beaten. Closer to the homes of many people, it also held up for scrutiny the practice of keeping wild animals as pets in cages and small aquariums.
“This is a form of cruelty and that’s why it’s important to think it over 100 times before buying a pet,” the commission said.
For each exotic animal bought by a pet shop, the commission argued, hundreds of others died during capture and transportation, which was often illegal, to increase profit. “When will we learn that money doesn’t give you the right to do what you want,” the commission queried.
It referred to the maltreatment of animals associated with the fashion and beauty industry where hundreds of animals were farmed and killed for their fur or skin and thousands of rabbits suffered “great torture” when used as testers for beauty products.
The commission said that the debates on the proper ethical treatment of animals “are developing and maturing over time and influence humans’ behaviour towards animals and laws on cruelty against animals”.
However, even though Maltese television stations were full of discussion programmes, “we have not yet had a serious public debate about the issue,” the commission noted.
Beyond denouncing the situation, however, the commission also made recommendations. It said that while condemning blatant animal cruelty, such as the ones seen recently, was needed, society could not stop at this. Instead, “an educational process is needed to help people develop the values of a responsible citizen with a great heart,” the commission said.
People’s behaviour towards animals depended on their upbringing, life circumstances, education but, above all, the presence of God in their lives, the commission said. It urged people to build a culture of respecting animals by reporting suspected cases of abuse to the authorities and to watch out for any signs of abuse such as very thin animals, with suspicious wounds, or even lack of adequate shelter from the elements.
People should also keep themselves informed about animal laws and items in the media related to animal rights. Animal owners should also give a good example to their children and people around them.
The commission urged people to carefully read product labels to ensure these were not tested on animals and to boycott companies that tortured animals. To be truly pro-active, they should inform the company of their decision.
Christians, including the clergy, should work towards improving respect towards animals by example and passing on the Church’s message, the commission said.