As an animal welfare volunteer and caregiver, I have a passion for the welfare of animals. It has always been out of my own compassion and conscience that I have tried to help animals that have crossed paths with me, and to help them without reservation is to lead by example.
I have
actively lobbied for changes to be made to the private bill concerning animal
welfare legislation through means such as writing my thoughts to the various
news forums. It is a first step in the right direction to finally see that the
government is increasing the penalties for cases of animal cruelty and neglect.
This newly tabled legislation will send a strong signal to pet owners to
practice responsible care for their pets and punish offenders with stiffer
penalties.
Animals
that do not have a home are often the target of animal abusers as these people
do not seem to have the ability to tolerate and try to co-exist with these
animals. This social issue has made me wonder whether society has lost the
ability to love, respect and be open. My argument would be that if the person
does not love animals, they do not need to hurt them but to just leave them
alone. Through this legislation, I hope that these abusers could be harshly
dealt with for harming these innocent and helpless animals. The question being
raised by me is that, “If society cannot even respect ,and love these sentient
beings, how can we learn to love and accept one another?”
Moreover,
the authorities need to work together with the various animal welfare groups to
come up with humane methods to decrease the stray population through
sterilisation and education outreach to help society understand the concept of
tolerating and respecting these animals. These animals do not ask for anything
out of the ordinary, they only require the basic needs to survive which is
food, water and love. Looking at the number of animal cruelty, and abandonment
cases pains me because it is a reflection of society, and of how people are
unable to be compassionate to provide for these animals the care that they
deserve with sincerity.
Also,
animals are being exploited through unethical breeding such as through puppy
mills and for entertainment purposes that their health is being compromised. I
have always inform people who want to get a pet to adopt and not to buy from pet
shops as many animals in shelters are looking for homes and they make great
pets. Most of the animals in pet shops are the subject of breeding and people
exploit these animals for the sake of monetary gains by in-breeding which will
affect the animals and their off-springs. Recently, the dolphins in Underwater
World Singapore have skin cancer and their health is neglected grossly as the organization
is too focused on the entertainment factor that they fail to provide for them. The
public need to realise that animal welfare is looking at the bigger picture of
weighing the consequences of our actions and finding ways to make the lives of
these animals better and not to destroy their lives any further.
Also
people need to understand that if we do not help these animals, who will? It is
disappointing that society is not open to speak up for animal rights and to actively
show others that the welfare of these animals is of great importance. However,
these challenges have enabled me to carry on fighting for animal rights and to
prove people that they can co-exist with animals.
“I am in favor of animal rights, as well as human rights,
which is the way of the whole human being.” - Abraham Lincoln
The stark reality is that people need to open their hearts to accept these animals. These steps will lead to a society that has the heart, and mindset for positive changes to be implemented in the area of animal welfare. Mahatma Gandhi once said that you can gauge a country by how well it treats its animals, this quote shows that Singapore still has a long way to go in realizing the importance of animal welfare and positive change that will benefit the animals.
By Darren Chan
