Have a Nice Day, You Animal!
Today is World Animal Day and I’d like to wish all animals to have a nice one. That includes the humans who realize that we’re animals too and take that into account when determining how to treat the other species that we share this planet with. If more would do that, it would make a difference, but since being called an animal is still considered to be an insult, we still have a long way to go.
When you think of animals in the context of such a day, you are inclined to think of pets, strays and, maybe, farm animals. That’s all right, for now. They need some attention too, there are plenty of cases of cruelty and neglect… But you do need to ask yourself, in the context of the modern urban sprawl, where do strays end and wild animals begin. I think that when a wild animal enters a city, it’d be better to say that the city entered its territory than the other way around.
But let’s focus on pets first. Most people get pets in order to obtain something from them. Some go as far as exploiting them for financial benefits, others mistreat them, some on purpose, others just because they don’t know any better… I think that people should not get pets for what the pet can offer them, but for what they can offer the pet. Only get a pet if you are certain that you can offer it a better life and care for it properly, and adopt instead of buying. You’ll find that you get a lot if you don’t ask for anything, and will become a better person because of it.
Next come strays. They appear primarily when the “it’s just an animal” mentality meets the inability to care for a pet, which brings me back to the necessity of thinking long and hard before deciding to get one. However, sometimes this inability to care for your pet might be caused by unforeseen circumstances, at which point governments and animal rights organizations should step in. But, people being the way they are, sometimes governments actually cause strays to appear. I remember the news that pets were not allowed inside the shelters after hurricane Katrina hit, so people were forced to leave them behind to fend for themselves. We’re animals too, remember that. We should make sure that no more pets become strays and take the existing ones to decent shelters and then, as much as possible, offer them a new life through adoption.
Last but not least, farm animals. Yes, they are bred and raised for the benefit of humans, I don’t have a problem of that. What I do have a problem with is the way most of them are treated. People just exploit them in order to earn as much as possible while spending as little as possible, they don’t care that farm animals are also living beings. Get milk or wool or eggs from them, but make sure that you repay them for what they offer you by providing them with a good life. And when the time comes to sacrifice them for meat, make sure that it’s done in a humane manner and that everything gets used. Don’t kill more than you have to and then end up throwing away parts!
Saying it again, the world would be a better place if more people would realize that we are animals too. Treating the other animals better, and learning from them, would make us treat each other better as well.
This post is dedicated to all the non-human animals who have touched my life, and especially to Bubu, Pufi, Bijou and Blacky (if she’s still alive, or to her memory if she is not). They taught me a lot… And I miss them…
