Animal Rights:The need of the hour [Archives:2003/682/Education]
By Ms. Amrita Satapathy
M. Phil, Utkal University
Bhubaneswar, Orissa, India
“We have enslaved the rest of the animal creation, have treated our distant cousins in fur and feathers so badly that beyond doubt, if they were able to formulate a religion, they would depict the devil in human form,” opines William Ralph Inge.
As a toddler, I remember bursting into tears and raising a hue and cry, whenever I saw a bullock cart passing by. The reason was that I could not stand the sight of a pair of bullocks being flogged pitilessly by the cart driver. Since after so many years, the horrific sight pains me, I have always been an animal lover. So much so that my father loved to buy me books on animals, instead of those on alphabets. During my childhood days, I was a frequent visitor to the State museum, to have a look at the stuffed animals and birds who seemed so life-like. I have always fantasized about becoming the Mother Teresa to all the stray and neglected cats, dogs and cows around the neighborhood. When I read James Herriot, to my ultimate delight, I found that we shared the same love and respect for animals. I also shared Frances Alexander’s thoughts embodied in the lines given below:
“All things bright and beautiful
All creatures great and small
All things wise and wonderful
The Lord God made them all”
My other favorite author being the lovable Jim Corbett, from whom I have learned the lesson of respecting the jungle as the habitat for animals, not the zoo, or the crampy cages for the pets at home.
Animals, people, and environment
In early times man understood that he lives simply a part of the earth. He understood well that the human race was only a small part of Nature or Spirit or Mother. He respected Nature by killing only what he ate and needed (skins, horns). Man fulfilled his obligations to the spirit by learning not to ill-treat the animals. He thanked them for providing him with life, nourishment, and comfort.
In ancient days man recognized the power of animal rights. He wore skins, masks, mimicked and offered up prayers to specific animals. By painting pictures of animals on homes, caves, death chambers, the early man asked the Spirit to guide him to the animals he would eat. He did this in order to bless the spirit of the animal killed by him. Because, man is a predator in the part of Nature who honors the spirit of the prey.
Such acts enabled mankind to remain linked to the animal world and to accept the power offered in lessons, in life and in death. It reminded man that all animals were his sisters, brothers and cousins and most importantly, teachers as well as friends. It instilled in man the awareness that human beings too are animals with spirit.
The history of the training and domestication of animals dates back to the days of cave-men. Almost every one is interested in keeping or enjoying the company of animals. Thus there is evidence that people in the Indus valley civilization reared cows and dogs as pets. The zoo can be traced back to about 1150 BC. It was started, it is believed, by a Chinese emperor who kept a variety of deer, birds and fish. It was probably not open to the public, but was meant for the amusement of the emperor and his court. But that was long ago. In the present age, the definition and the function of the zoo have undergone a sea change. Zoos or “zoological gardens” have become torturous zones where animals are kept and exhibited in cruel captivity.
Why “animal rights”?
‘Why animal rights?’ is a question that is hanging above mankind’s head like the Damocles’ sword. Animals are being used and abused in all spheres of life- be it clothing and fashion, where thousands of small and exotic animals are poached, skinned or boiled alive, castrated, for leather, skin or fur; experiments and laboratories, which have turned into bloody arenas of sadist practices; education, which imparts lessons in cruelty in the form of dissection; economy, where products are tasted on otherwise innocent and harmless animals, which eventually result in their tragic and extremely painful death; not to forget the dozens of ritualistic killings that go on in the name of religion.
It is absolutely necessary to conserve, protect and respect animals. They have a life of their own and their existence is as much meaningful as that of human beings. One cannot keep a pet or an animal just for the sake of having one around the house. Pets are as much an integral part of a home as the family members. Animals do not exist solely for the benefit of their human counterparts. But in practice this seems to be the case. Thus, like human beings, animals also have a moral status. Moral consistency demands that animals should be treated legitimately and humanely. So, they have as much right on this earth as we humans. After all, one mustn’t forget that we are not the only carnivores on this planet; we are sharing it with another kingdom with its independent status and own set of laws. This certainly vindicates the ‘why’ and also of the existence of non-profitable governing bodies like the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA), PETA and ‘People for Animals’.
Mahatma Gandhi, Father of Indian nation, had once said that the progress of a nation can be measured by looking at the way it treats its animals. Violence and cruelty are activities, which return to haunt a society. The speed with which these activities have come to dominate our society is reflected in the brutal killings or other modes like butcher houses, poultry houses, deep-sea fishing, military testing, drug testing, etc. According to Einstein’s Pain Wave Theory, such acts rebound in the echo-system by increasing the chances of polluting the citizens mind, i.e. leading them to terrorism and separatism. It can also cause natural calamities like earthquakes.
Since the beginning of mankind, people have believed in the superhuman qualities of animals. This belief originates in animism. Rarely people honored animals for having a spiritual life or soul similar to their own. The animals’ superior strength, speed and fertility have always been respected. Animals have always been deified, and recognized as symbolizing such powers. Animal have been held sacred, because they are a vital part of man’s existence.
Man is dependent on the animal kingdom in more ways than one. But we have caused our animal neighbors far more trouble than they have done to us. Each day we invade thousand of acres of their territories – forests, swamps, lakes, ponds, seas, rivers, and destroy their habitats.
In the view of the SPCA and the Animal Welfare Act, any form of entertainment involving animals (circus, cock fights, roadside menageries, horse-shows or races) are illegitimate and liable to punishment in the form of heavy fines or long term imprisonment. One can very well see the extent of human degradation. We must unite to save, preserve and respect the animal world. It is a very fragile relationship that we share. Instead of cutting a sorry figure through mindless, inhuman acts, we must strive to turn this delicate bond into a Gordian knot and this can be done by reawakening our conscience – a total awareness. In a perfect world, animals are free to live their lives to the fullest – raising their young, enjoy their native environments and following their natural instincts. The great animal lover Jim Corbett believed that animals never attack until and unless they are disturbed or provoked. An ethical and pragmatic approach towards animals is essential, otherwise this generative link between the two worlds will snap. And then man can forget about living on this planet forever.
We will wait in vain for a Noah who may not come this time with his ark to save us from the ultimate disaster.
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