by Pauline Clementson

Created on: July 16, 2009   Last Updated: July 18, 2009

One thing I'm sure of, you will never stop animal cruelty until you change human nature.

Throughout history, people have always found ways of causing animals pain in one form or another, including unnecessary deaths.

The exploitation of wild animals for our amusement or the extinction of whole species through fear is still going on today. The fact that we can make money out of their dead bodies or their habitats is also a driving factor.

People seem to be slowly coming to the conclusion that hurting animals is wrong but we have a long way to go yet.

WSPA is making good inroads into the rescuing of abused animals world wide and showing the heart-rending images to us in hopes that we will change.

Many organisations have sprung up all over the world, trying to educate the public and protect the animals. These groups are doing a great job but as with most things, lack of funds makes it an up-hill battle.

Government agencies are now imposing hefty fines on proved cases in most of the developed countries, which has to hammer the message home to a high percentage of people. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to stop greed being the main motivator for a number of like-minded people, both with wild animals and domestic ones.

Let's take a look at the poultry industry:

1. Battery cages are still being used in several countries.

2. The chemicals needed to keep the birds 'healthy' are passed on to the consumer in the end product.

3. The bird's lives are dictated by artificial light.

How can a product processed in this way be as good for consumers as a bird that has been grown in sunlight and fed a natural diet? Even a bird is entitled to a happy and natural life.

We need to encourage the Egg and Frozen Chicken producers to think more on quality than quantity. The meat of a bird that has spent even a few hours per day in the sunlight and is free to walk around at will does taste better than one that is pumped full of chemicals and crowded into a shed and ruled by artificial light.

The bright orange yolk of an egg that is the product of a natural diet not only looks good but is tasty as well as healthy.

Now let's look at our domestic pets:

1. An animal that has been brought home when it is young and looks cute and cuddly is soon shown a different treatment as it grows out of favour by selfish and unthinking owners.

2. Some owners cannot be bothered or cannot afford to get their pet de-sexed so end up abandoning the off-spring or attempt to kill them inhumanely.

3. Some owners use their 'pet' in training it to fight other animals. The pain these poor dogs suffer is heartbreaking.

4. Cats with lit crackers tied to their tails are just one of the cruelties I have witnessed myself.

5. A Budgie with its wing feathers pulled out so it couldn't fly away is another.

6. Animals left to starve or are beaten is more common than most people would think.

Maybe if Councils made bye-laws that all domestic pets must be licensed, or better still, that all pet owners must be licensed might go some way to weed out the bad owners. Particularly if the cost of the license is hefty and regular veterinary checks are compulsory.

After all, its people that hurt animals, very seldom the other way round.

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