By Periwasha Maqsood - Pakistan
Abstract
‘If a man aspires towards a righteous life, his first act of abstinence is from injury to animals.’
I did not pen these words. Albert Einstein did. However, in Pakistan, empathy towards non-human beings is often dismissed from the moral framework of many and, thereby, is not usually a standard of righteousness. The recent surge in the reporting of appalling incidents of animal abuse highlights the lack of discussion and awareness around animal rights, including the reluctance of authorities to take steps to curb this violence.
This article offers both an overview of animal abuse in Pakistan and a proposal for reform. The author has considered animal welfare laws, official statistics, and news reports to enhance the common understanding of animal rights.
The Status Quo
Pakistan hosts a large number of stray, farming, and poultry animals but lacks the necessary framework to deal with them without violating international standards of animal care.
Of all creatures, dogs are the most vulnerable. More than 50,000 stray dogs are killed in Pakistan each year as a result of mass culling operations, which are carried out to control rabies, a disease that is almost always fatal. In 2009, an eradication campaign resulted in the deaths of 27,576 dogs (Cosgrove). The highest rate of extermination is found in Lahore, where 34,942 dogs were killed in 2005, and 20,000 dogs, on average, are killed every year. Later, in 2021, municipal authorities of Punjab approved the killing of 25,000 stray dogs within two months. Besides shooting, the culling operations are implemented by burying strychnine poison in areas where dogs tend to gather, which results in the additional killing of stray cats, pigs, camels, and horses. It is noteworthy that despite these inhumane attempts to control the dog population, more than 1 million dog bite cases and between two and five thousand rabies-related deaths are still reported annually.
Additionally, one cannot talk about animal abuse in Pakistan without mentioning the plight of donkeys. Donkeys and foals are used across rural areas for transportation and heaving hefty items. They are subjected to unhygienic circumstances with minimal fodder and challenging routines. Often, when they get sick, their owners leave them to die because a new donkey is cheaper than veterinary care. Further, the donkey’s instinct of self-preservation, resulting in their resistance to engaging in dangerous tasks, is not tolerated in Pakistan. Unfortunately, this disengagement almost always leads to brutal and severe beatings for not following orders. Moreover, the general population does not consider this behaviour brutal, merely donkey owners performing their jobs efficiently.
Just this year, too many stories of animal brutality have made headlines. In June, a donkey was severely beaten in Hyderabad until its bones were fractured, where it eventually died. Earlier, a man chopped off a donkey’s leg in a dispute with its cart driver, and around the same time, in the Sanghar village, a landowner amputated an eight-month-old camel’s leg (Cammie) to punish her for foraging on his field (Amin). Additionally, a disturbing video of a man hanging a dog with a rope went viral on social media. Given that this kind of abuse mostly occurs behind closed doors, these cases only reflect the tip of the iceberg in both scale and severity.
Disappointingly, animals cannot seem to escape the abuse of political leaders, who confine peacocks, lions, and turtles in cages during their rallies and protests. In 2014, protestors scrawled “Go Nawaz Go” on a wild boar and tied its limbs with cables before thrashing it to death with sticks. In 2013, the PMLN party brought a white tiger to one of its rallies, and the tiger died due to the high temperatures it was not used to (Ali). Donkeys, a symbol of humiliation, are also brought to rallies where they are spray painted and paraded.
Domestic Legislation
Pakistan’s legislation on animal rights, which dates as far back as the British colonial period, is “The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1890”. This bill has received mass criticism, npt just internationally but also from local activists for overlooking modern scientific understanding, development, cultural attitudes, and commercial practices. The cases of physical abuse and neglect mentioned are highly specific rather than widespread, with fines as low as fifty rupees, despite an average minimum wage of 10,000 rupees in 2013. National policy for rearing pigs, broiler and egg-laying chickens, dairy calves, and transport of animals is non-existent.
Additionally, the Animal Slaughter Control Acts of Punjab of 1963 and Karachi of 1950 regulate the slaughter of animals. These acts disallow inhumane slaughtering methods or the slaughter of ‘useful’ animals that can be, for instance, used for draught purposes. The main issue with these acts is that no licence is required, therefore everyone is free to participate in the slaughter, which can be dangerous when in the wrong hands.
When it comes to zoo animals, the 1890 Act and other wildlife preservation acts, although lay out general guidelines, do not address species-specific welfare needs in terms of housing, feeding, handling, and husbandry. The need for better policies within the wildlife system stems from their high vulnerability in human spaces.
Where laws exist, they only hold face value as they are rarely followed through. Chickens, for example, are openly trapped in dirty cages where they have no space to move an inch. Despite the regulations on wildlife adoption, politicians frequently bring wild animals with them to their rallies and protests. Stray cats and dogs are routinely found on streets with chopped tails.
Overall, Pakistan is a poor performer under the animal protection index (API) in “sanctioning cruelty.” It ranks as a moderate performer under the Voiceless Animal Cruelty Index (VACI), an overstatement from the author’s perspective.
Hope for the future
Pakistan is not entirely a deadlock for animals, with non-profit organisations such as Ayesha Chundrigar Foundation (ACF), a first-of-its-kind animal shelter based in Karachi. ACF gives a new life to injured and ill stray animals and plays a crucial role in cultivating awareness. ACF has rescued more than 30,000 animals and continues to make strides (Ayesha Chundrigar Foundation). In 2022, the founder recycled ocean waste to launch environmentally friendly pet products (The Dayspring).
Similarly, the Kennel Club of Pakistan hosts dog shows and an awareness campaign where people learn about different dog breeds and how to handle them properly (Cosgrove). Such shows encourage the adoption of dogs, which is necessary given that, according to Todd’s Welfare Society (Cosgrove), the number of street dogs adopted is close to zero due to the stigma associated with strays. The UK charity Dog Bus helps TWS find homes for Pakistani rescue dogs overseas.
Furthermore, the understanding that culling dogs is a cruel and futile attempt to control rabies is growing, and attempts to encourage non-lethal methods have begun. Besides sheltering, the use of CNVR — capture, neuter, vaccinate, release — methods have proven effective in other countries like Turkey - adopting a “Never Kill policy.” Since 2011, Bangladesh has replaced mass culling with large-scale vaccination programs. According to WHO reports, within the first three years of implementing the vaccination policy, human deaths due to rabies fell by 50% (Farooq).
Recently, the rise in ‘cancel culture’ on social media has played an active role in shaming horrible behaviour towards animals. Culprits are exposed and forced to face widespread ridicule. The fear of ostracisation is a vital deterrent in preventing animal abuse, which would, given weak policies, be rampant.
Conclusion
The author argues that any hope for improvement in this context relies on the possibility that the desensitised masses of Pakistan will come to recognize animals as sentient beings. History shows that, before committing acts of genocide, states often engage in campaigns of dehumanization to justify the systematic killing of innocent human beings, including children. These campaigns are effective because once people are stripped of their humanity, it is easier to project indoctrinated ideas as people are reduced to mere objects — not dissimilar to an inanimate object like a mobile phone, which can be discarded at will when it no longer serves a purpose. In the same way, when animals are denied recognition as sentient creatures capable of experiencing emotions; just like us, they are portrayed as undeserving of basic rights and protections.
So, a path forward can only begin with educating the masses about this reality.
Bibliography
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Very insightful