Post #178

It is time to make compassion for animals a responsibility for the owner, whether it is a pet, working, or farm animal. Everyone owning them must have the moral responsibility supported by law to keep them from hunger, discomfort, and distress, as well as allow them to express their natural behavior. There is no religion, ideology, or philosophical thought that encourages people to be cruel to animals. In some religions, there are even phrases that express that a person who cares for an animal is soulful. I observe people harm animals and act cruel to them, and I always ask why. By my observation, people harm animals for four reasons. The first kind of people are cruel to animals without any reason; they don't have any argument. They are unbelievably mean to animals for just nothing. They don't like to see a dog making love, they don't want to see a sleeping cat, they are unhappy about ants going in a row. They feel good after disturbing them and inducing pain and injury. I personally hate such kinds of people. I hate to talk to them and move the animal away from them. The second kind of people are farmers, laborers, or pet owners who think animal feeling is not a big deal. Whenever they see a person who cares for animals, they argue that there are people suffering, that there are people who need help. They don't give ቁራሽ እንጀራ for people in need and are provoked by the person who has a soul that cares for all creatures. I learned how to deal with such kinds of things from Henok Siyum (ተጓዡ ጋዜጠኛ). In his interview with Dr. Endalegeta Kebede, he mentioned that he always talks about wild animals because he is called for that and it is all he knows about them. He feels bad about people's suffering and he tries his best to help them, but he knows more about elephants in Babile and he feels responsible to be a voice for them. (It's not word for word). I always mention him when I find a person who says, "Why so serious about animals?" The thing this kind of people don't know is that caring is not because someone is more important than the other or else. It is about the feeling; it is about being sentient! If any creature feels hungry and is owned by us, it is our responsibility to feed it. If an animal feels pain when it is bitten, then we don't have to do it! The third type of people that harm animals are some people that are involved in animal production, pet breeding, and traditional healers that use animal products as an ingredient. Don't get me wrong, I didn't say all, but some of them have a cruel handling and management system that leads the animal to be malnourished, distressed, and unable to express its natural behavior. It is just to get the maximum benefit from it. This kind of people may or may not have the knowledge about animal welfare. I personally believe problems are solved by having a strict law that governs and controls a responsible animal production system that understands and protects animals. Since beyond their contribution to human beings, animals have feelings and basic needs like humans, and hence, it is necessary to improve and alleviate animal welfare challenges that they face in different contexts. I am glad that the new Ethiopian Animal Health and Welfare Proclamation (No. 1376/2017) Article 25 clearly defines the responsibility of an animal owner and in (2) mentions "an animal husbandry practice that may cause pain or suffering or discomfort to animals is prohibited." (I will write more about this in Amharic soon) The last type of people are those who have compassion for animals but don't know how to do what is best for them. Do you know anthropomorphism? Anthropomorphism is the attribution of human characteristics, emotions, or intentions to non-human entities, such as animals, objects, or natural phenomena. Due to this phenomenon, some people make animals live differently from their nature, and some people are kind enough to rescue animals but don't know about diseases that affect them and how to protect them! This harm is caused not by cruelty but by a lack of knowledge.