abuse till what extent?

The only defining difference between man and animal is man's ability to communicate with its fellow beings. While most animals display a far better level of intelligence and genius which is above humans, it still seems that they have not yet earned their place on our planet. Humans have considered it a universal fact by default that they are the masters of Planet Earth and if animals shall exist, it will be under their subjugation. From time immemorial animals have served humans in a myriad of ways. From tilling the land to protecting the crops, different animals played their role. Dog was even called man's best friend, which is true indeed.

    Us, humans have always been greedy and we still are. We have been exploiting animals ever since we started growing. Animals are being killed for skin, tusks, ivory, horns etc. While poachers hunt with an aim to sell and earn money, hunters kill animals just for the thrill of doing it. Hundreds of animals have been slaughtered for shooting scenes in films. Important species like Black Rhinoceros, Cheetah, Polar Bear etc. are critically endangered. 

   Apart from poaching, illegal hunting and use of animals in shooting for films, animals also face and tolerate a lot of abuse from humans as pets. Owners tend to beat and torture their pets and mostly these innocent animals have to bear the frustration of their owners. Pet animals are a good source to unwind and they act as fun companions but they are not for venting our anger. Until and unless we realize that we all have to share this planet and animals are a vital part of it too. According to a study those who have tendency to hurt or torture animals may do so with their fellow human beings too. So next time you see a person beating up an animal, stop and warn them.

     The reason for all this abuse is not just to assert the superiority, it is our inability to feel what animals feel. We associate with only our pain and suffering, but what of mute animals who cannot fight back or make demands like us. Wildlife sanctuaries, reserves and parks offer some respite but not complete relief.  Humans are already creating enough troubles for animals by cutting down forests and expanding cities. Little things like not feeding your pet on time, not providing proper medical care,confining pets are all considered as acts of harassment against animals. 

    We should give up the use of leather,ivory and all those materials which are obtained after killing animals. Elephants, grizzly bear, rhinoceros are large animals which may lose their calm but they never harm us without a reason. We must respect this understanding and not harm them for our selfish interests.

Dont abuse them just because they cannot speak back!

It is one thing to be a bystander to animal cruelty but it is an entirely different thing to stormily strike and wound a living creature under the pretense of your own twisted idea of playtime. Animal abuse has now after so many years become a rather hot topic among animal enthusiasts. I have often wondered that how does a man, who goes to work in the morning, has a family, become such a cruel tormentor of animals! These people are sociopaths; they are clinically not worthy enough to be a part of the society since they are incapable of any sort of empathy. Below is a true story written in the perspective of a person of such a kind..

After a long day at work Ravi (name changed) came home very irritated. He banged the door and felt like hitting someone. His boss had yelled at him in front of everybody and thrown his reports away calling those “bullshit!” How dare he? Who does he think he is? Ravi could not hit his boss since the job was the only source of income supporting his family of four so he got out of the office and kicked the car. When he went inside his house, his wife immediately reminded him of the party that they had to leave for in an hour. Ravi’s irritation grew and he felt like hitting his wife, but he then he remembered about one of his neighbor Mr. Sinha’s case of how he had slapped his wife and was sent to jail for 3 years on account of domestic violence, Ravi did not want to take that risk. As Ravi was pacing about his room, he accidently stepped on his dog and that poor thing yelped. Ravi then had an idea, what is better than hitting a thing that won’t be able to speak out? He kicked his dog in the stomach and the dog cried in pain, oh how wonderful did he feel...Ravi’s annoyance dissolved and he felt better, Thus an abuser had been born!

Human mind is a strange thing, my mother always forbade me from eating with my hand because once I lost my reticence of eating with my hands it would be very difficult to control myself in future, same goes in the above case too, once we lose the inhibition of doing something we know is morally wrong, the sense of guilt in us dies and then it becomes very difficult to control. This is the same reason why mothers forbid their children from stealing. To rekindle that sense of morality in us we need to first realize the wrong that we are doing. It is important to recognize that these creatures are also capable of pain, but let’s not lose hope because there are always two sided to a coin, the human population has always been divided into two on the basis of our opinions and choices, on one sided where exist such cruel and repulsive people…there are others ready to stand up for these “paws”; people who look at these creatures as living beings and save them from the wrath of others, hug them to sleep, feed them, take care of them.

-Divya pathak

PEOPLE FOR PAWS AT AYF 2015

The three days long “Amity Youth Fest” is the most sought after annual event at Amity University. This year it marked the official launch of People For Paws at the university. The PFP- Amity team came together to set up a stall at the H Block which seems to be the centre of attraction and most crowded place at all times. The stall was a result of a lot of perseverance by Namistah Arora and her Professors at the ASCO Dept. A great deal of creative work was put in by Sonakshi and Megha, who together designed a very attractive banner for the stall. Other team members included- Siddharth, Pooja, Naman, Minali, Megha, Sonakshi, Zarah, Pushpit, Shobhit, Jaibir and other new additions to the PFP- Amity family.

The main objectives during the fest were the promotion of the society, enroll volunteers, explain our work and success so far, collect funding  and give away dos and don’ts when dealing with animals.

Activities at the stall included digitally capturing a moment with desi pups, feeding some tuna to the most cuddle-able dogs of amity to drive away dog-phobia, selling of PFP customized Tees, and promoting the adoption of the amity pups.

The funds so collected were put to use for the vaccination and sterilization of the dogs of amity and outside. We also donated some amount to needful organizations and societies.

The stall attracted more visitors than expected. The event was a huge success and was deeply appreciated by animal lovers within the campus. We wish to be a part of the coming fests as well.