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Friday, 23 November 2001  
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Cruelty to animals

When I speak of cruelty to animals, I here mean only the draught bulls and the way they are molested by carters who have not the milk of human kindness to treat the animals with sympathy and kindness. Sometimes, the torment and torture these innocent animals have to endure from the vicious and cruel hands of the carters are most unbearable and horrifying, regardless of the great service these animals render under most trying conditions, specially by hauling heavy loads uphill, for the carters to make a living.

Recently, I saw a carter who seemed to be devoid of human feelings. Due to overloading of his single-bullock cart, the bull was unable to budge an inch forward on the incline. It stood motionless, panting and frothing from its mouth. The carter, regardless of the bull's inability to haul the load, began to give hard blows on to its nose causing bleeding. Unable to bear the suffering any more, the animal knelt down and refused to stand up, adding fury to the carter who was impatient.

Legally, it is an offence to treat animals cruelly. The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Ordinance, prohibits such action, but the law is seldom or never implemented, nor the culprits ever apprehended.

Sad to say that 78% of the island's population are Buddhists, and most of the carters too are Buddhists, but they do not possess the love towards animals, specially to those that render a yeoman service to man, to earn his daily bread, by drawing his cart.

The whole fault seems to be that when the carts are overloaded, the bulls do not have the sufficient strength to haul the goods chiefly on gravel roads and uphill terrain. It is not the law but the feelings that matter which only can save our draught bulls from merciless beating by the carters. Law is not everything, but public co-operation and awareness are also essential to prevent cruelty to animals.

On the other hand, in most cases, what usually happens is that when the bull becomes old and unserviceable, it is sold to be slaughtered for meat. Such is the end for the animal that has served man, when it was fit to work, finally to end in an abattoir to die a painful death, to fill the bellies of those craving for beef. The day may come when the rest of the animal creation may acquire the right to exist in peace, and not suffering under the hands of tyranny. Let us hope so.

ARYADASA RATNASINGHE , Mattegoda

 

 

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