Animal rights have invariably been a diminutive topic in Pakistan and while many establishments take an initiative to better the perception of stray animals or wildlife amongst our people, Pakistan continuously fails us. The predicament of remaining humane is lost and has left me is awe. Animal rights and violence is grossly overlooked even though barbaric acts towards animals are making their way on social media platforms on a daily basis and we get to witness this perception live as well. Emaciated dogs and cats missing limbs due to careless drivers, donkeys being used for manual labour in the scorching heat while not receiving any water or food and being abandoned when they are not of use anymore, monkeys tied to chains used for entertainment at every red light. These are just a few of the cases we have come across in Pakistan.
We have witnessed news of a dog being dressed in jeans and a t-shirt, hung on a rope while a few individuals beat him with sticks. We have come across stories of puppies’ ears being cut off by kids as they lack awareness and knowledge on how to treat a puppy with love and care. There have been stories of cats who have had acid and boiling water thrown on their bodies. There have been countless incidents where animals such as dogs and donkeys have been used as a prop for political violence with the phrases “Go Nawaz Go” and PTI posters plastered on to their bodies while they are being pelted with stones, shoes and sticks. We have seen stories of dogs and donkeys being shot surface the internet. And let’s not forget the mass killing of stray dogs that took place in Karachi, a place I don’t even want to call home anymore due to this inhumane violence. This is just a brief list of the never-ending incidents that occur on a daily basis.
This sinister violence has been taking place in Pakistan for years now, however, animal rights have been ignored to the core. There is a lack of facilities, hospitals and vets to treat animals and there are no laws set in place for their protection in a country they call home as well. The Ayesha Chundrigar Foundation is a platform solely dedicated to help injured, neglected and marginalized companions that we share our community with, however the bleak reality is that their natural habitat and people have failed them endlessly. ACF has made tremendous efforts to instill a better image of animals into our society. They receive countless cases of maltreatment, shootings, killings, hit and runs, abandonment and so on, and do their absolute best to aid those voiceless creatures in dire need of help. They continue their mission and goal of eradicating any injustice served to animals in Pakistan.
I came across a post on ACF’s page which highlighted an individual getting hurt due to a lion cub. They raised an important point, “Why would you buy a wild animal that belongs in the jungle, to domesticate and declaw them to make them shadows of who they are meant to be?” The post continued with all the other incidents they have dealt with all in the span of one day.
“Just in the last few hours, we got a message about a lion cub who’s owners broke his hind legs within a day of buying him. Why would you buy a wild animal that belongs in the jungle, to domesticate and declaw them to make them shadows of who they are meant to be?
Just today, we were tagged in a post about a elephant being hanged, we were sent pictures and videos of a tiny baby donkey whose body had been ripped apart who we need to help, a dog in Hyderabad who was tied from a telephone wire and strangled, another dog who has a rod protruding out of his backside because the vets did the surgery wrong and poor guy has been shifted from one tiny cage to another at various vets, and of course the bear from Islamabad zoo who is now locked in a tiny cage, going into sceptic shock because no one is medically treating him and he was dying of dehydration and starving at the zoo.
Not to mention, 3 messages about punch faced Persians that gave birth to 8 kittens each and the owner cannot find homes for them so want to pawn them off to the shelter rather than take responsibility and spay their cats which is the ethical, humane thing to do. There are no good homes.
Another donkey that we just rescued right now who was abandoned because he is severely dehydrated and probably collapsed in the heat and due to the searing pain of the huge fresh wound he has under his belly. (Picture attached)
And the 8 rescues we did today of cats, kittens and puppies that are all severely injured and unwell. Two hit and run cases of dogs and the constant messages asking us how to clean messes created by various people. This is just a usual day for us-the 2 people that run social media. None of this includes taking care of the 500 plus animals we have, struggling for funding, working in the heat due to no electricity and feeling heavier and heavier under the weight of the world. And who is the common denominator in all this? Human beings. The compassion fatigue is becoming endless. If you want to help, then listen and follow through on action plans. Perhaps, research on things yourself and use critical thinking to come up with ideas. But please, stop doing things just to pacify your guilty conscience like not euthanising or neutering an animal, and actually keep the animal’s well-being in mind.
Without social media, without ACF for the past 6 years, we wonder what the state of animals has been this whole time. Nothing has improved. We just see the cruelty of man towards animals in a more glaring spotlight which says a lot about us as a nation. We are still trying our best in a country with zero animal rights and we need everyone to speak up on this matter and show your support.”
The value of a life is so significant, and the mantra of our society is that human beings come first because so many lives are lost. While human lives do matter and are so important, we need to also acknowledge the fact that we share the world we live in with other living beings as well, whether it is animals or the nature, they remain the weakest members of our community. Yes, OUR community. Why do their lives not matter just as much as a human life? How does one plan to eradicate sinful and malicious acts imposed on human beings if animals who do not bother a soul can’t be treated with kindness? We need to work on our compassion towards animals and work together to make Pakistan a sustainable environment for them in which they feel safe and loved and aren’t abused or tortured because we lack awareness.
