Some animals are more equal than others
Submitted by ANIMAL RIGHTS MALTA’S BLOG
I was pleasantly surprised upon reading a few comments to the article “Council condemns barbaric attack on dog” in The Times online (May 26), where a few comments from Pierre Agius went beyond the usual concern for only cats and dogs, and spoke of other non-human animals (and I include insects in “animals”) whom most humans habitually kill without even a thought.
The short article in question, reporting on a barbaric burning of a dog, informed us that:
“Unknown persons between Saturday and Sunday burned a dog in the area of Triq il-Qasbi, San Gwann, the locality’s local council said this afternoon.
In condemning the barbaric act, the council urged the police to investigate and arraign whoever was responsible. It also urged anybody having any information on what had taken place to come forward.
Mayor Rene Savona Ventura said he found the dog on Sunday evening. He said ‘it’ appeared to have been put in a bag and set on fire. The position of the dog’s mouth indicated ‘it’ had been alive (when set alight)“.
While I would like to unequivocally state that such an act is truly barbaric, and should be unreservedly condemned by all, I certainly appreciate that there is apparently a growing trend of Maltese citizens who think beyond just cats and dogs, and understand the fact that unnecessarily killing a dog is no different from killing a pig, a fish or an ant.
Among the several comments rightly condemning the murder of the dog, for instance, Pierre Agius wrote:
“My first reaction to this is of course to condemn the perpetrators without reservations and hope that one day such people will get caught and a good example made out of them.
However I cannot but smirk at all the people writing here and I ask them one by one, it is well and good condemning this act, heroic I say. (But) as soon as you finished writing your contribution, and noticed the cockroach walking along your hall, did you step on it and murder it? What about the colony of ants coming out of your walls, did you spray poison at them? The flies and mosquitoes, did you let them live? The little mouse out in your garden…did you make it pass through hell before it died in your rat mouse trap? The lizard living happily on your bedroom ceiling, did you squash it with your broom?
I don’t do any of the above and that is why I can really condemn the dog killing. Can you really condemn this act and then kill without reservations all those insects?”.
Of course, Mr Aguis is very correct. While many people are saddened and angered at the killing of non-human animals such as cats and dogs, they feel no regrets in unnecessarily killing other beings whom they label as “pests”, such as mice, ants and cockroaches. Here it is perhaps opportune to point out that if such creatures are not desired in our homes, there are actually humane ways of dealing with the “problem”.
The first thing to do is obviously to ensure that your home, especially the kitchen, is kept clean and that no food is left on kitchen tops or other places that are easily accessible to insects and other animals.
Other humane ways are installing humane insect or rodent repellents. In the case of rodents, for instance, one may find on the market apparatuses that emit sounds that are inaudible to humans but audible to mice and rats. The noise repels them, and so they leave from whence they came. So if one happens to have a store or garage where mice or rats usually make a visit, one might consider installing such an apparatus.
One could also consider using humane traps, where mice may be trapped without harming them, and then having them released elsewhere. Of course, one should check on the traps on regular intervals, and not leave the rats trapped for days, weeks or months.
An effective harmless and natural repellent for ants, for instance, is mint. The planting of some mint - either in pots on window sills, or in your front garden, will ensure that no ants enter your home. In any case, if a few make it inside, one can always gently pick them up and take them outside.
The point is that there are many ways of removing undesired animals (if that happens to be the case) from your home without harming them.
Going back to the news item and its comments, both for the fact that I did not know that Mr Agius had posted another comment which had not yet been published in The Times online, and also because I wanted to open the topic to include other animals, I wrote:
“Pierre Agius makes a valid observation, although I’m actually surprised that he mentioned animals whom most people see as ‘pests’ and not other animals one will usually find burned on the dinner plate.
And even though intelligence is irrelevant in moral matters such as the right to life, it should perhaps be pointed out that, for instance, animals such as pigs are actually more intelligent (in the human measure of intelligence) than dogs”.
The subsequent comments are food for thought for most “animal lovers”.
Pierre Agius, for instance, in reply to J Borg and myself, wrote:
“J Borg - Why can’t I compare insects to dogs? Are some (animals) more equal than others?…Of course I am trying to bring an analogy here and in no way condoning the horrible, inhuman act of killing or even hurting dogs. Why are cows ok to slaughter but dogs not? Why rabbits yes and cats no? Why do you kill a cockroach and at the same time condemn someone who kills a dog?
That is a dilemma to me (well not to me cause I don’t kill insects but to you). Is it ok to kill a dog and eat it as they do in some eastern countries? I am not saying that the above is correct I am just saying that many people who profess to love animals then murder insects / rodents etc… without any remorse whatsoever. Who says the dog is more equal than a rodent or an ant in our house? What right has a dog or a cat over a lizard?
To Kenneth. I mentioned insects for various reasons. Firstly out of space, The Times online limits you to 200 words. In my second contribution (which was as yet unpublished) I mentioned both cows and pigs I believe. But I wanted to drive a point here. Nowadays people have started to have some sort of moral dilemma about large fry but have no moral issues with squashing a roach.
A lady earlier on mentioned reasons of spreading disease. Sorry Miss. You and I spread disease as well whenever we cough and sneeze. Should I be stamped to death?
I repeat what I said in my second contribution…this is a moral dilemma to many people. Animals over insects? (lets not call them pests because that has different connotations to different people). Why kill grasshoppers like they are an international enemy? What right do I have over the world over and above the hopper? Intelligence? So Intelligence equals oppression and murder I suppose?”
Of course, Mr Agius makes some very valid points in his comments.
And incidentally, from the point of view of thousands and perhaps millions of other species, humans are the worst pests on the planet, destroying their habitat and polluting the environment. Let’s all quit being pests and try to live a life that spares as much as possible the lives of others, while caring for the planet we inhabit, for our sake and for the sake of all other creatures. Of course, I will concede that it is perhaps impossible to live life without killing anyone, (unintentionally stepping on an ant is one good example). However, it does not require much effort to at least stop intentionally and unnecessarily killing other animals. After all, killing a human in self-defence, or accidentally killing someone, is one thing. Getting hold of a gun and going on a killing spree is quite another!
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