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Cruelty to Animals in our Society: A Brutal Custom
by Biol. Oscar S. Aranda Mena |
| At some time, all of us have been an actor, participant or witness of an act of animal cruelty. And this does not end the suffering we have caused intentionally or accidentally to another living being, but rather it is the beginning of a complex social conflict, that can destroy families and entire societies. Defining Cruelty Cruelty is defined as an act in which someone takes pleasure in witnessing or causing the suffering of any living being. However, there are many types of cruelty and mistreatment that are not commonly regarded as such, and that voluntarily or involuntarily occur in the daily life our companion animals, domesticated farm animals or wild animals. A dog chained up or enduring a tight collar it has out-grown, and/or without easy access to food or water is a form of abuse or neglect, and is a form of cruelty. The many forms of animal transport, overcrowding, and even the manner of slaughter used for livestock that feed us is often very cruel, but no few ever see this. The fact that we do not witness the abuse or cruelty does not free us entirely of guilt, because indifference is an accomplice to the crime when there is often something we can do to prevent it. Unfortunately, there are acts of cruelty that are accepted by our society and those who comment are often celebrated, as with the "traditional" bullfights, cockfights, dogfights, and the like, defended passionately as having roots in "culture and tradition".  Cruelty as Art and Sport Although many would argue that bullfighting is an art form, it is actually one of the most cowardly acts of abuse and extreme cruelty to an animal, that is simply following its instinct to fight for it own survival until the painful end, in a barbaric act without equal. Without going into detail, it must be said that the most worrying aspect of all, is to see how people in the audience appear to enjoy this type of sadistic activity, which seems to be embraced by certain societies. Human Psychology and Cruelty; More than what you See It is extremely interesting renowned psychologists around the world all seem to agree that animal cruelty and human violence go hand in hand, and that a high percentage of violent offenders have, in their childhood, a history of cruel mistreatment of animals. And criminologists point to cruelty to animals as an indicative characteristic to aid in identifying youths with the predisposition to future violent acts against other people. We now know that cruelty to animals is commonly committed by insecure people with low self-esteem, who seek to feel dominant. In general, people who have been or are suffering abuse by a family member and are often male teenagers or young adults with few friends and poor academic grades. Moreover, most individuals, who justify abuse and cruelty, claim it is a "divine right" that we have over other species on the planet due to our "superior" intelligence, when it is precisely this intelligence that should distinguish us from other creatures. Almost all children go through a stage of "innocent cruelty" where they hurt or kill small animals in the process exploring their world. However, most of them soon learn to be sensitive to the fact that animals can feel pain and suffer just like us and therefore avoid hurting them. Sadly, that very intelligence that privileges human beings is not always exploited adequately enough to be aware of the role we play on our planet and we have the corresponding responsibility of also being "rational". It is unfortunate, here in Puerto Vallarta, that most of the people involved in defending animal welfare are from other countries and they are the ones who are trying to raise awareness about the importance of respecting and preserving natural riches. We ourselves do not appear to have learned our most important lesson and an increasingly violent society is sweeping our country. We must not remain silent as we witness everyday abuse of animals, whether domestic or wild, large or small; because if we respect nature, we are really respecting ourselves. |
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