KINDNESS TO ANIMALS
Kindness and justice to animals is an essential part of human virtue. They deserved kindness because they are dumb and helpless and cannot plead their own cause. Cruelty to animal is often due to the thoughtlessness and lack of imagination.
Prevention of cruelty to animals must be considered as a very important need. Animals serve us in many ways. The animals which men have bred and trained for their own use and which are often faithful and hard-working servants have a claim upon our mercy and justice. We do not take effective steps for their well being. When domestic animals give Rs 600 worth of products and service to every Indian, we give back only two paise per animal per year.
Work animals and draught animals are often subjected to hard continuous labour. Often they are underfed. Beating, whipping and bruising draught animals are common. Even young animals are put to work. After exploiting them, they are cruelly killed in old-fashioned and unhygienic slaughter houses. It makes one shudder to think what tortures sheep and oxen have to undergo at the hands of cruel men in slaughter houses. Transportation of animals without food and water on foot is common. They are savagely killed in the presence of other animals. Snakes and squirrels are skinned alive. The frog’s legs are cut off, leaving the body to die slowly. Cruelty to wild animals and birds is also on the increase. As a result many of them are on the verge of extinction. How many happy birds are caught and kept in cages to please us their songs! People do not think about the feelings of those poor creatures. Hunting of wild animals for pleasure and money is also on the increase.
Cruelty to animals is much more wicked than cruelty to men because animals are helpless and dumb. Educating the public is an effective method to avoid such atrocities. The aim of education should be cultivate a spirit of compassion among the public towards our dumb benefactors.