In a country where the value of human life is determined by the worldly connotation of worth as measured in terms of money, social status and power, to even wonder about attitude towards animals is not just inconsequential to most people, it is also a topic that is simply meant to exist on periphery. Good treatment of animals, cruelty to animals and animal rights are words that make sense in a developed country where the life of a human being is valued in addition to that of all livings beings that exist in terms of the various functions they perform in the life of human beings, and their existence in the wild. Animals must be treated with kindness, period.
In Pakistan, it is a subject as irrelevant as people dying of hunger and disease and war in far-flung countries. It is something that does not matter.
From mistreatment of donkeys that are used for heavy labour for as long as they are able, literally, to stand on their legs, to hitting stray dogs and cats, to mass killings of stray dogs without even considering a mechanism of catching, neutering, vaccinating and setting them free, ill treatment of animals is an awful reality of Pakistan, a country that preaches the Islamic teachings of empathy and kindness. Islam is categorical about the humane treatment of animals, from farm and wild animals that are a source of nourishment through the use of their milk and meat, or those of the canine family that are genetically equipped to provide companionship and security to their human masters. Yet millions of animals are mistreated in Pakistan, and beyond the noise of some splendid activists and owners and managers of animal shelters, there is no real tangible change in societal attitudes vis-à-vis animals and their rights.
Apart from outright mistreatment of animals there is another issue that does not get much attention and space in social discourses and media commentary. Theft of pet animals is an everyday occurrence but in a country of countless missing children and adults the apathy towards animals is understandable. That in no way makes it acceptable. Every second household that has pet dogs has a story of a dog going missing one day, and unfortunately, in most cases, never to be found again. Existence of an underground market for pure breed dogs – German Shepherd, Labrador, Doberman, Rottweiler – and kidnapping or stealing of dogs from the gate of a house are phenomena that beyond the noise made by the owner of the missing animal get boxed as ‘inconsequential’.
Earlier this week, news of the disappearance of a six-month-old golden Labrador from Sector CC, Phase IV, DHA, Lahore made it to some local channels and newspapers. What was noticeable about the report was the appeal made by the owner of the dog. What is ignored but is never inconsequential is the pain and loss of those who keep dogs and cats as pets, and treat and love them like their family members.
In an apathetic world, who cares how much grief losing of a pet animal may cause to an individual or a family? *