The recent cases of maltreatment by bludgeoning that resulted in the death of a (docile) golden retriever in Bicol is just a manifestation of the dismal state of animal welfare in the Philippines. Samples of animal cruelty to animals are abandonment, starving animals in barangay pounds– where the dogs and cats are just waiting to be slaughtered, and in some private homes leaving them locked up or tied on areas without roofs, water and care. This earns us a grade of zero in terms of animal care.
A story by Mon Ibrahim in Manila Bulletin entitled “Silent suffering: the state of animal welfare in the Philippines” served to remind me of my plans to write about this sorry condition of animal welfare, especially in city or barangay pounds.
I have witnessed so many forcible catching and transport of stray dogs and cats by barangay vehicles and they are treated like criminals from the start. Once delivered in the pounds, they are squeezed through a small enclosure where they are given scraps (with no nutrition at all since barangays don’t have budgets to feed them) and when they are given water in a dirty basin, they all drink from it regardless if one has a disease or is sick and they are bathed with one pass of the hose (no soaps).
There is hardly a vet that visits the stray– whose stay in the pound should not exceed three to five days before they are lined up for execution, in the cruelest way I can imagine.
I can’t help but shudder why humans are so cruel with strays when all of us are God’s creation.
I share Ibrahim’s observation that stray cats and dogs scramble for anything they can scavenge for food from trash along the streets. Most look debilitated with lots of skin scars and sores and they look sick and thirsty. I personally scrounge from my refrigerator to look for leftovers to give them and in return they try to pass through my village’s guarded gate.
“What we see reflects our society’s values and priorities in life and the extent of willingness to extend our humanity to all living beings. It could be plain apathy – a reflection of how our parents raised us or how civilized we are,” Ibrahim said, to which I agree.
Some local governments ban the gathering, selling and eating of dog meat, but this does not qualify us to be humane for so long as stray dog culling, a brutal common practice of LGUs, highlights the lack of a comprehensive stray management program. Rehabilitation and rehoming initiatives remain limited, Ibrahim noted.
Ibrahim, vice president of the UP System Information Technology Foundation, suggested a multi- faceted approach that includes: 1) public awareness about animal welfare and responsible pet ownership and 2) educational campaigns to shift cultural perceptions and encourage empathy towards animals.
“The right laws are in place, but we need stricter enforcement and harsher consequences for those who violate them, including LGU and barangay officials, who are supposed to take the lead. We must report cases of animal cruelty to the authorities. The gaps we see today result from inadequate law enforcement, with the concerned agencies seemingly turning blind eyes to the realities,” he said.
Supporting animal welfare organizations, through donations, volunteering and adopting animals in shelters plus community involvement are critical to a successful animal welfare program. We must also have periodic anti-rabies drives (which are done in barangay centers), spaying/neutering programs and adoption drives.
My heart sinks to its lowest level whenever I see or hear people suggesting that those feeding the strays must be made to answer for the cost of vaccinating those bitten by the strays. Then this would discourage people from feeding them, if they are made to handle such an expensive solution.
But not feeding the strays would increase their likelihood of getting rabies, the strays can also be fiercer if they are starved or thirsty so this would force them to run after people angrily. I even heard of some people saying they would feed the dogs with poisoned food. This really makes me very sad; I end up crying at such abysmal thoughts or intentions.
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