On animal cruelty convicts and deserted streets

Shane Johnson writes the following letter in today's The Times:

"I am truly sickened at the number of cases involving animal cruelty in Malta, with dogs and cats being found strangled, others burnt with acid while yet others have their paws sawn off.

I am sure that it must take a particularly cruel individual to hurt these animals in this way and I am equally sure that if someone has so much hate inside him/her that he/she is capable of inflicting torture on an innocent animal, this person must surely be cruel enough to also hurt other humans.

The problem is that although we hear so many sickening stories, we rarely hear of the perpetrators being brought to justice. Possibly the police have enough on their hands without having to investigate crimes involving animals, but what is happening is that we are not sending the proper message to these monsters that animal cruelty, especially torture, is punishable by law and in other foreign countries criminals caught hurting animals have to serve time in jail. It is high time that we too start sending people who have tortured animals to jail, which will surely act as a deterrent to these cowards who feel good by inflicting pain on another animal.

Recently we have also heard of animals being stolen (sic) from Ir-Razzett tal-Hbiberija and were also told that a deer was bludgeoned to death. Some suspects have been detained by the police and there is reportedly strong evidence that might link the crime to these suspects. I would strongly suggest that should the suspects be proven guilty, they should serve an effective jail sentence and let this be the message that there is no place for barbarism in our country".

Of course, it's a good thing that many people are repulsed by the utter cruelty in torturing and killing dogs and cats just to get a kick out of it. Most people will surely claim that such animal cruelty is wrong because it is unnecessary. Most people, like Mr Johnson, see other people who torture non-human animals as "monsters", and expect that such people are brought to justice and face the consequences of their actions. While the issue is much more complex than a simple "jail all culprits" (some people who are cruel to non-human animals might themselves be victims of cruelty and/or neglect, and might themselves require psychological help), it is understandable that most people would expect court sentences to act as a sufficient deterrent.

However, some soul searching is in order here. If the torture and/or killing of a dog is seen to be cruel because unnecessary, what can we say about the killing of equally sentient animals whom most of us have tortured and killed to be eaten (to name but one example of unnecessary killing). It is definitely true that the torture and killing of dogs and cats is unnecessary, but is it not equally true that the torture and killing of "food" animals is also unnecessary, when healthier alternative sources of food are readily available? Is it suddenly fine to torture and kill non-human animals just because we choose to call them "food"?

Most of us Maltese and other Europeans see the killing of dogs for food in Asian countries as "inhumane", while non-vegans and non-vegetarians, strangely, see nothing wrong or inappropriate with killing other equally sentient animals for exactly the same reason - convenience and profit. Would torturing and killing dogs suddenly become ok if we decide to eat the dog after the killing? Would the tortured dog care that his body is not gone to waste after he is murdered? Of course not. What makes the pig, cow, chicken etc any different?

I find it particularly bizarre when I encounter people who literally break down in tears when they get to know of cases of cruelty to cats or dogs, when many of these same people think nothing about the animals they kill or have killed for them for dinner. Perhaps this is just a case of "out of sight, out of mind", but it is truly amazing how many people fail to make the connection between the animal carcass on their dinner plate, and the fact that the non-human animal they are about to eat was once as much a sentient animal as a dog or cat is. And what's perhaps more amazing is that most petophiles (people with a tendency to prefer the company of pets to humans) see vegans as weird!

Just think about this: If we were to jail all people who are directly or indirectly cruel to animals, people who needlessly torture and kill non-human animals just for pleasure, convenience or profit, where would this leave all the people in the animal exploitation and killing industry, and the people who pay the industry to do the "dirty work" for them? Where would this leave you, if you are one such person?

If a jail term were to be given to all the people who needlessly kill (directly or indirectly) non-human animals, our streets would be mostly deserted! Think about this every time you hear or read news of animal cruelty. Are you equally guilty of unnecessary animal torture and/or killing? How about making a commitment to stop being an active participant in the abuse and killing of animals? How about stopping being a "monster" to these animals? And the good news is that you do not need laws to stop your own "animal cruelty". All you need is a sufficient will and determination to do the right thing.