Acts of Cruelty and Indifference of Human Beings towards Animals

I would like to start sharing my thoughts and feelings here on the subject I chose to write about by narrating a true story somewhat related to it, watched by me on a Television Channel sometime ago, that deepened my worries about an unfolding social trend.

It was a Crime Show, based on real life incidents. One of its episodes contained an act of shocking apathy displayed towards a hapless animal. It was done by a young lady in her twenties who committed the crime of poisoning her ex-lover. Before the woman poisoned her ex-lover she simply wanted to check whether the poison was strong enough or not. So she applied a bit of it on a stray-dog and the dog died within minutes. The investigating police officer dealing with the case was appalled by the level of grotesque cruelty and indifference of the young lady when she was narrating him the turn of events. The officer expressed his anguish and shock in as many words as he could.

Sadly enough, the above mentioned incident is no isolated one in current human society across the world. Such similar acts, or even worse, of unkindness towards ill-fated animals is happening everywhere around the world, on a daily basis. Most of these acts are committed by average common citizens of this planet, majority of whom haven’t done anything otherwise that can qualify as a notable crime. I see this damning trend of cruelty and indifference on the rise alarmingly.

Many people just don’t seem to care whether they trample a cat or dog under the wheels of their speeding vehicles or cause a grievous injury to a cow or bull by ramming their luxury cars into them. In case of lesser sized creatures like birds or squirrels, they don’t even look back. According to some commonly held perceptions, these kinds of brash demeanours are more prevalent in people belonging to the younger generation. But shockingly enough, I’ve seen many older people do this kind of stuff on a regular basis. So it is not just to mark out an age group as the worst offender. All of these simply makes me wonder – are acts of cruelty towards animals in general more or less acceptable to the present society at large across the world?

I still vividly remember a television show I watched long time ago, during my teenage days. The show host was a renowned animal-lover and social activist. She narrated a shocking incident of an extreme form of human bestiality in a college campus, during one of the episodes, which shocked and hurt me profoundly. I find it difficult to believe even today, when I think of it. The incident happened like this: “One boy had brought a live chicken within a college campus to have some fun with his friends. As the chicken somehow slipped through his hands, he and all of his friends gave a chase to catch it. After chasing for a while the group of boys were able to catch the petrified animal. But in the playful scuffle that broke out among the group to take full ownership of the chicken, the chicken was ripped-apart! In the end as the boys dispersed, various body parts of the gruesomely killed animal were found in the possession of different individuals. Some had one leg; some had part of its belly in their hands, while one boy had the chicken-head in his possession and obviously their apparels stained in the hapless dead-animal’s blood. Still there was an overwhelming ambience of raucous laughter in the group!”

The aforementioned incident was a form of extreme violent cruelty and abhorrent indifference exhibited towards a hapless animal by a group of grown-up boys. Sadly small children aren't free of these malaises as well. They have been commonly seen doing acts of cruelty towards animals either knowingly or unknowingly. Some examples of such cruelty would be like: tying a large amount of firecrackers around the tail of a dog or donkey and setting it on fire, throwing a kitten from the rooftop, killing a bird with a catapult and such similar escapades.

There are many such examples that might shock some people, but most importantly it doesn't shock most parents of these kids. I remember being cruel towards animals as a child myself. Nobody sat with me and explained that it is wrong, backed by solid reasoning. I only learned as I learnt one fine day that it hurts animals as it hurts us, when they are hit. Those forgettable acts pain me till this day. How many parents, teachers, other elder family members, relatives or neighbours of Kids teach them to be nice and kind to animals in a proper manner, through an open discussion? Not many I guess, else things won’t have come to such a pass. Is it not time we start paying attention towards enriching the humane qualities of a child from the very beginning?

What I stated so far is only a few instances of cruelty of average ordinary human beings towards various animals. If I were to start talking about the brutal cruelty of some of the multinational corporations or small companies towards some poor unfortunate animals, then I’d have to write a separate long article for that. The kind of cruelty that some of the multinational corporations or small companies’ exhibit towards such lesser living beings actually show what really happens when a group of people, primarily driven by utter greed, have their way and those at stake aren't able to voice their anguish!

Laboratory testing is one such way of giving lot of pain to several animals like rabbits, guinea pigs, monkeys, etc., which are done by these unscrupulous companies to test and try out their beauty and skin care products. The products are tested on the eyes and skin of the animals causing them excruciating discomfort, which they resist while being clamped or fettered and get badly injured or even die in the process. Animals are killed regularly or poached in hordes to make luxury leather products or other perfumes and attires. Circuses beat up animals, starve them and lock them up in cramped cages for days to force them in performing on stage. Factory farming is one method where chickens are stashed in hordes in cramped cages, as if they are inanimate objects and are simply used as egg-laying machines to fill the fat-belly of big companies and then send one day to the slaughter houses to fill the bellies of common people.

There are innumerable instances of various forms of cruelty towards several species of animals, carried out by human beings across the world, many of which will put the definition of grotesque to utter shame! I have only stated a few of those. The animal rights activists across the world are working tirelessly to make the world a better place of living for animals and their relentless efforts bear fruit at certain times, but unless the common inhabitants of this planet feels the urge from within to act in a more humane fashion towards their fellow living beings – even in a small way – there isn't much hope. And also it must be mentioned that cruelty is a habit; you start with the animals and end up with human beings. So who knows tomorrow you or me could be the targets of such folks – who started their killing spree with a dog or cat!