Daily Times

Pakistan is not an animal-oriented country that is why rescuing animals and providing them with appropriate shelters add to the woes of animals’ rights.  Pakistan much like all developing countries relies on animals for laborious tasks. Equine animals, which include horses, donkeys, and mules, face the brunt of animal abuse in most of the cases. On the contrary, the working animals which are frequently used in races and other equine sports, are relatively better looked after by their masters.

Donkey and horses used in cart races are well fed and taken to the veterinary doctor regularly, as they are required to compete against each other. However, this does not include dogs and rooster, which are known for infamous fights resulting in deaths and injuries. All these acts are against animal nature, animals also need affection and rights they deserve.

The so-called “animal lovers” who generally belong to the elite section of the society, consider the pet as a status symbol. The more dogs one has, the richer he/she is. Moreover, most of them are very conscious of well-bred, pedigreed animals. However, if everyone only adopts a pedigree animal then who will look after all the strays that die or are killed every day on the streets.

Many municipal bodies eradicate stray animals by poisoning or shooting them, which is an inhumane and cruel act. If every one of us adopts one stray animal and looks after them well, it will not only decrease the number of strays but also increase our quality of life.

The government has to set up various mobile health clinics to assist the animals in need. Moreover, media has to play an important role to create awareness that humans and animals are interconnected in the web of life and addressing their rights and issues simultaneously is of utmost importance.