I agree with the Mahatma.
The people working at the zoo which is such a disgrace to Dubai obviously do what they can to reduce the suffering of its inmates.
But...
Photo: Karl Jeffs. Gulf News
Well done Gulf News for publicising the zoo problem every so often.
They do it again today, on a page which is about the problems our unusually high temperatures are causing, to people and animals. This July has been about four degrees above average.
The page is headed by hospital reports that 123 heat related medical cases were recorded in July. On July 14 alone, when the temperature in some places hit 52C, fifteen people needed treatment.
Following this story on the effect of heat on humans is a report about the animals, packed into their tiny concrete cages and not surprisingly also suffering from the conditions.
The keepers are doing what they can, supplying water, making pools for the animals to try to cool off in, spraying water, setting up fans.
What an appalling situation, that they have to do this.
For many years there's been the promise of a new zoo. According to statements made during the last year it should have opened by now.
However you look at it, moving the animals to a new zoo makes sense. There's animal welfare, there's releasing prime real estate in Jumeirah 1 for development, there's the money generating tourist attraction of a new zoological park, there's the removal of a blot on Dubai's reputation.
I simply can't understand how the situation is allowed to continue.
For my earlier posts on the new zoo promises which have all turned out to be untrue, click on the 'zoo' label.
Gulf News story is here.
*“The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.. I hold that, the more helpless a creature, the more entitled it is to protection by man from the cruelty of man"-- Mahatma Gandhi (1869 - 1948)
7 comments:
good post Seabee, the Mahatma's quote is a spot-on. I am wondering though, what a new zoo is going to do for these bereaved animals? (apart from better living conditions). They's still be in captivity.
True Jazz, but zoos are a fact of life and I can't see them ever being banned. And of course many of the animals were born in captivity so wouldn't survive if they were set free.
Treating them humanely should be the minimum requirement though.
It really is a sorry sight, the poor larbourers are vulnerable too.
Lets hope the powers that be will consider these issues at the earliest.
I just came across your blog. It's not its riches that should enable Dubai to create decent conditions for its animals, it's the mindset of its people which, sadly, is one of neglect. Poorer countries manage to treat their animals with respect..
Incidentally, I've never seen an Arab society giving a damn if 'lower' creatures suffer or not - apart from their prized horses and falcons, of course.
The actions I take personally is to boycott these countries as holiday destinations or even stopovers, I never fly with their airlines. If only more people would do this .. A recent visit to Morocco has put this country onto my blacklist as well. Its cities are full of malnourished, blind, injured cats and dogs..
FT you're absolutely right, it is the mindset of people which is the problem - and not only in Arab countries. Cruelty to animals, or simply lack of consideration for other living beings, happens everywhere.
ahem to this,,Jesus also clearly said to: give me mercy not sacrifice. Sacrifice that God also detested, yet we still insist even in todays current world, that animals must die for food, when clearly they suffer horribly on farms and then in slaughter houses. Ghandi understood as did jesus, and its about time humans stopped the cruelty!
Sorry this post comes so late in this thread, but I wanted to add my voice too ;)
I love that saying by Ghandi , as It helps illustrate Jesus Christs teaching and help bring them forward 2000 years. Jesus said, Give me mercy not sacrifice , when he was in the temple square. His entire life teachings were about compassion and mercy, and man has ignore those most simple teachings.
It is also a great possibility, that Jesus was a vegetarian too, as Ghandi was. This can be proven by the fact that history shows us that James the Just was a vegetarian as likely his entire family therefore was, so likely was Jesus, and some scholars also declare that Jesus last supper was not seder!
All this points to the simple truth that many religions hold dear as their tenants, which is:
" do not do unto others, what you would not wish done to yourself ", and we can take that one step further and note the Jewish people say that is the ' whole of the law; the rest is commentary ".
I live by my words, as I am a vegetarian myself, working towards veganism, because far too much agony is perpetrated on innocent animals whether for meat or milk, and it must end.
Henry Bailey Stevens also said, that we operate a church at one end of the block, and a slaughterhouse at the other; that we fill our minds with compassion yet our stomaches with tortured flesh, and that future generations have run amok with the lies it has taught itself, as in: " that men mut die for military objectives, and animals for food ".
Peace out.
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