This is the story of Hero, a donkey that remains in critical condition after violent abuse
Every time I think our morality and apathy has hit rock bottom, I am proven wrong by another heinous incident that brutally violates norms of human decency and shreds any form of animal welfare
The more animal welfare is highlighted and the more awareness we all raise, the more people are in defiance or denial; going from bad to worse
On a personal level, I stop every donkey-wala in my neighbourhood, constantly educate my staff, friends and even strangers and get them to be kind to animals, whether it is a bird, a dog, a cat or a donkey
I even unwelcomingly start giving speeches to their family members or passers-by
But it seems all is lost
The situation got even worse a couple of nights ago when a gentleman named Abdullah posted a donkey abuse case on Facebook
Almost instantly, it went viral, being shared on various profiles, pages and groups
The post with the heartbreaking pictures of the beautiful beast of burden bleeding profusely from his nose, eyes and other areas, just sat there haunting all of us at 2:30am
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="600"] Photo: Facebook/ ACF Animal Rescue[/caption] All of us felt helpless
Not because we could not help him then and there, but because of the disbelief that someone would write a politician’s name on a donkey and proceed to violently abuse him over and over again
The disbelief that we as a nation could regress so badly in this one case
The shock consumed all of us that while we allegedly work towards a better Pakistan, behind the scenes, the situation is just dire
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="600"] Photo: Facebook/ ACF Animal Rescue[/caption] Following the brutal attack on Hero, some misguided people plastered a stray dog with another party’s flyers
This uncivilised behaviour is an indirect consequence of negative connotations associated with donkeys and dogs in our culture
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="487"] Photo: Screenshot[/caption] Sadly, this is not the first case I have heard of, seen or been involved with
It is just the first case that has gone viral
In the past, I have heard of and seen photos of dogs and wild boars being labelled with the name of some politician and beaten to a pulp
I never had the guts to further look into those pictures but I know for a fact that Hero’s case is not an isolated one
Apart from these “hate crimes” against animals that are used to settle scores, the plight of animals in Pakistan is all too real
Every single day, there are posts on social media, reports to the Ayesha Chundrigar Foundation (ACF) team, of animals being either poisoned, shot, discarded, abandoned or tortured by people on the streets
Dogs, cats, donkeys, horses, camels, pangolins and even birds, are treated savagely
At ACF, I have met dogs and cats who have had boiling water thrown on them, puppies and kittens who have been burnt with lighters and had their nails pulled out for fun
Dogs and cats hit by cars and forever left disabled, and shot with pellet guns – all for entertainment and/or because no one thinks twice
All of this is due to the simple fact that there are no consequences of animal abuse in our country
All because they cannot speak for and defend themselves
Be it the animals suffering in dirty cages at Empress Market, or beloved pets snatched from their homes to be sold off, from importing wild animals to sell to people as pets to caging beautiful beasts who were born to be free – the onus is on us
I keep hearing everyday, “Oh but people suffer too, why would anyone help animals?” There is a simple answer
Helping animals does not preclude helping humans in need
It is easier to be kind to animals than it is to people
Their needs are simple
Animals are pure, they are innocent, they don’t lie and cheat, they are not vindictive, they do not steal and they are just good in and out
If you cannot be empathetic and kind to an animal and respect their right to co-exist in this land of ours, how do you expect to pay heed to the struggles of human beings? It is also easier for people to help animals
Their needs are few and all they want is kindness and food
It is the basic starting point of humanity
“It takes nothing away from a human to be kind to an animal” – Joaquin Phoenix But this is Hero’s story
Hero was one of the lucky ones to have been rescued
At 2:30am, most of the ACF team, who works tirelessly all day, was asleep
After seeing Abdullah’s post, a senior ACF member posted all the details and location for the donkey on our rescue collaboration group and I reached out to Mr Muhammad Adeel from Innocent Pet Shelter (IPS) to appeal to him to somehow rescue this donkey on behalf of ACF and get him to safety
Within 10 minutes of receiving the information, Adeel raced his way to the donkey who was lying on the road just waiting to die
Laboured breathing, in agony and bleeding
His eyes lifeless and all hope lost
We hired a van by some miracle at 3:00am, and Adeel waited by the donkey and helped load him into the van, all the while coordinating with the ACF rescue officer and night shelter manager
And finally they were on their way to safety
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="448"] Photo: Screenshot[/caption] [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="449"] Photo: Screenshot[/caption] This particular teamwork and collaboration by two different shelters is a first for animal welfare in Pakistan
More often than not, small animal welfare groups sprouting in every corner of Pakistan have to compete with each other for limited resources rather than collaborate
For Hero, who was in critical need, ACF and IPS came together for a common goal: to save his life no matter what
This in itself was a huge win for animal welfare with the hope of more collaborations in the future to save even more lives
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="600"] Photo: Facebook/ ACF Animal Rescue[/caption] The ACF team members have carried out extensive research on donkeys, visited sanctuaries abroad and learned a mountain of information on these amazing animals
Donkeys internalise their pain; unlike other animals who will react out of fear or run when scared, donkeys freeze
Donkeys cry on the inside and their distress is hidden unless you really learn to recognise it
The donkey will keep going till his last ounce of strength because that is the beauty of this resilient creature
Yet they are one of the most mistreated animals in Pakistan
Hero is now at ACF, receiving the best possible care and being given lots of love, the best quality food and rehabilitation by seasoned professionals, so there is hope for Hero, though he remains in critical condition
https://www
com/ACFAnimalRescue/videos/2001651856534051/ How many more “Heros” are out there? How many more have to suffer the same fate? How many more will it take for people to speak up and spring into action? Not every abuse case is or can be viral, or gather as much media attention; in those cases, which is a lot, the animals suffer and die
It’s happening right under all our noses and unless we wake up and face the reality, many more Heros will suffer a fate even worse than death
People ask what they can do
It’s not difficult
If you see an animal in distress, call for help
Please stay with the animal until help arrives
All too often, people who report an animal in danger don’t give clear directions and rescue teams are left searching in futility
If you cannot stay, please give your number so the rescue teams can reach you from the field
If an injured animal is in imminent danger of being run over, place stones or bricks around it to prevent oncoming traffic from injuring it further or running it over
Puppies, kittens, goats and donkeys can be safely moved by yourself
Unless you have practice, avoid touching adult cats or dogs, who can hurt you because they are in distress
And easiest of all, put a bowl of fresh water out every day for birds and other animals
Stop others from hurting animals
Speak up
Be kind, it does not cost us anything but can save the lives of many animals
ACF Information: Timings: 10am - 6pm Rescue number: 0334 5665000 Reporting via Facebook: https://www
com/ACFAnimalRescue/ Do your bit to save civility, humanity, this country and its inhabitants, all of them
| Date: | 21-Jul-2018 | Reference: | View Original Link |
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