| Cruelty prevention? The Times - Saturday 30th March, 1996. I am sick of the ALE and the SPCA killing animals that they are supposed to protect. I am sick of injured dogs used in dog fights being put down, while their owners are fined a sum of money they could easily make in another fight. I am sick of the ALE destroying dogs at Manoel Island Sanctuary just because they claim the dogs were sick and some had wounds. If this were the case, they should have been treated and not killed. I am sick of the SPCA killing cats and dogs just because they are unlucky enough to be left in the streets. I am sick of watching scenes of animals being actually thrown into trucks to be insensitively killed just because they happen to be bred illegally. After all it is their owner who is the offender, not the animals. The killing of animals is not cruelty prevention but cruelty in itself. Animals have feelings too. These animals who are victims of cold blooded and egoistic humanity, should be given support and protection, and not a death sentence. The world is theirs too. Whever is concerned, please, stop this senseless, insensitive slaughter. Of circuses The Times - Friday 12th April, 1996. Before taking children to the circus, I would like people to take into consideration the suffering animals feel in being snatched from their natural environment, in being continuously transported over long distances in cages, and in being forcibly trained to perform things they do not normally do by nature. A lifetime of suffering and captivity for an applause they certainly do not appreciate, and for man's profit. Are cows really vegetarian? The Times - Saturday 20th April, 1996. (written on behalf of the Vegetarian Society of Malta). Following the recent statement by Mr Charles Flores, that "the cows themselves are vegetarians and see where it has got them" (Mad cow disease), I would like Mr Flores to note that cows are not so vegetarian as one may believe. Most farm animals nowadays are given artificial food substances, regular injections, and yes, even meat. With a little thinking on one's part, one could easily guess the reason for this. This is how "Mad cow disease" has originated. The cows themselves were vegetarian, and see how man has got them. Mr Flores can seriously re-consider his vegetarian ruminations after all. In defence of animal rights/Isle of dogs indeed The Times - Thursday 25th April, 1996/The Malta Independent - Sunday 28th April, 1996. The news coverage of the animal rights protest of April 10, and the pictures provided by the ALE and SPCA could give the impression that the dogs killed at Manoel Island Sanctuary were neglected and sick. Even if this were the case, a society claiming it stands for "prevention of cruelty to animals" should never have killed them. I am informed that due to the servicing of the Animal Rescue Ambulance, unfortunately no one was at the sanctuary to witness the ransacking of the place. One should also note that the wounded dog so prominently shown on television could not even stand when it was brought to Animal Rescue by the AFM. Watching it standing is already a sign that it was healing. Now it will never heal as it is dead. Also, I am informed that the "rubbish" shown scattered around the sanctuary consisted of clothes donated to Animal Rescue for a fund-raising bazaar. We have an ALE unit which does not care for animals' lives. Everyone witnessed scenes on TV of farm animals being insensitively thrown into trucks to be killed. We have a government which shows indifference to the killing of the dogs by not giving out the name of the person ordering the raid, and we finally have this "mystery" person who ordered this death raid. Live birds confiscated by the ALE from trappers are kept caged until a court sentence is given, with the result that most of the birds die. In this case, the dogs were immediately shot and burned. A true case of law enforcers breaking the law. The government would do well to acknowledge the fact that a huge part of the electorate are animal lovers with a strong will for the introduction of animal rights in Malta. Animal welfare indeed! The Times - Monday 13th May, 1996. (written as PRO of Animal Rescue Malta). According to Environment Minister Francis Zammit Dimech, animal welfare is being taken care of by supporting the SPCA and by allocating a premises for Island Sanctuary. By now, Dr Zammit Dimech should have been informed that some of the dogs killed by the SPCA on March 14 were planned to be transferred to Island Sanctuary at Tas-Silg, had they not been killed by the SPCA and the ALE. Animal welfare indeed! Dr Zammit Dimech should investigate and take action immediately if he really has animal welfare at heart. Animal rights The Times - Thursday 16th May, 1996. After reading Mr Godwin Agius's letter of May 7, quoting the old and new testament in defence of meat eating, I would like to point out that both scriptures were written at an age when even basic human rights were denied, let alone animal rights. Though no one can deny the fact that many good lessons can be learned from the scriptures, one must not take each word literally. As regards to denying animals food to feed humans, Mr Agius must have misunderstood the whole concept. By stopping the overbreeding of animals so that we could eat meat, we could use the same land being overgrazed to grow food to feed millions of people. One would be shocked to read about the huge acres of forests being daily cut down by multinational meat corporations for cattle ranching, where after a relatively short period of grazing, the land becomes a useless and barren waste where no crop could grow. But of course, more forests could then be cut down and more land wasted, more natives and animals forced out, and leaving fewer trees to produce oxygen for the planet. This is the reasoning behind the statement that the land used to feed one animal could be used to feed 10 people. Vegetarians do not want to neither starve people nor animals, but we do believe in birth control. A dog killer's a killer The Malta Independent - Sunday 19th May, 1996. (written as PRO of Animal Rescue Malta). An item in the "Who cares...?" column (The Malta Independent, 5 May) implied that those who killed the dogs at Manoel Island Dog Sanctuary should not be called killers or murderers. As PRO of Animal Rescue Malta(5) and an animal rights campaigner, I am one of those who call the SPCA and the ALE these much deserved names. As far as I know, one who kills, be it human or animal, is called a killer, and my definition of a murderer is that of one who commits a premeditated killing for no justified reason. I personally would love to call the SPCA and ALE animal lovers, but unfortunately, their actions show that they are not. If one does not wish to be branded "killer" or "murderer", one should not kill in the first place. It is not the language used by some animal rights campaigners that leaves a lot to be desired, but the actions of those who are paid to protect animals and do the opposite. Cruelty to animals.../All kinds of cruelty The Times - Sunday 2nd June, 1996/The Malta Independent - Sunday 9th June, 1996. (written as PRO of Animal Rescue Malta). Following the European Union (EU) ban on British beef as a precaution against Mad Cow disease, a disease spread rapidly because of the British government's irresponsibility and refusal to take action in time, Britain has now indicated it would block EU programmes that would combat AIDS, assist Asian and Latin American refugees and protect the environment in the Third World. A clear indication that cruelty to animals leads to cruelty to human beings. Leap of Malta dogs The Malta Independent - Sunday 25th August, 1996. (written as PRO of Animal Rescue Malta). So the society for the "protection" and "care" of animals is once again organising a "leap dog show" for mongrels and cross breeds. I would have suggested to Animal Rescue to enter 11 dogs for this show had they not been killed by the same SPCA. These eleven dogs were not "cut above the rest" or "megastars in the making". Some may have been scruffy but all were healthy and they did not deserve to be killed. I would suggest two new categories for the show, namely "most inhumanely killed dog" and "best dog killer". I am sure Alfred Sant Fournier would make a good judge and appropriately give the reward to the most deserving. Mr Sant Fournier, these 11 dogs will haunt you forever! Eat me/Big is beautiful The Times - Sunday 4th August, 1996/The Malta Independent - Sunday 11th August, 1996. Going through Portes De Bombes on the way to Valletta, one may regularly see a parked van with a print of a pig saying "Big is beautiful - eat me". Has the meat industry run out of ideas? This type of advertising does not only offend vegetarians, but is also a direct insult to the intelligence of any human being. As if any living being likes to be eaten! In my opinion, the scribbling underneath the pig drawing should read "big is beautiful for cholesterol, heart disease and cancer - I've been forcibly taken away from mother at an early age, have led a life in degrading conditions, have been forcibly impregnated (raped) for mass production, and killed for man's profit. If you want this to go on, eat me". On sponsorships and fund raising The Times - Tuesday 6th August, 1996. Government departments and charity organisations should take special care when selecting sponsors and entertainers for fund-raising activities. Private companies or people who damage the environment or cause cruelty to humans or animals by word or by deed should not even be considered by organisations who really care for the planet and its inhabitants. The seriousness of any organisation may be judged by the kind of persons it is associated with. The end does not justify the means. Clean up the World/Clean up your act first The Times - Sunday 29th September, 1996/The Malta Independent - Sunday 6th October, 1996. The Environment Secretariat is once again holding the annual Clean up the World campaign - a positive thing were it not for the participation and sponsorship of a multinational company which regularly demeans the environment in an irreparable way by cutting down rainforest trees for grazing (the result being that the land is then wasted and unfit for vegetation). To add insult to injury, this is being done for a product that not only the world does not really need, but would healthwise, actually fare much better without. Even ignoring the animal rights issue or the third world poverty problem which is aggravated by land misuse, the wasting of rainforest land is enough reason for condemnation by any true environmentalist, knowing how much the earth needs the rainforest trees for oxygen production and combating of the greenhouse effect and also for preservation of wildlife dwelling within. Half the world's rainforest land has already been wasted, while the felling of trees continues, disregarding the health hazard being prepared for future generations. Anyone directly or indirectly involved in the destruction of these forests could never claim to be an environmentalist, let alone take part in environmental campaigns. I find it really Mc abre (sic) how one could claim one is committed to increasing environment awareness while at the same time seriously demeaning it. Let us not allow these people or companies to get cheap publicity by their involvement in such campaigns. Let us tell them to clean up their act first, and only then consider cleaning up the world. Environment Parliamentary Secretary, please take note. Local environmental organisations, please speak up, as Graffitti rightly did. Vegetarian movement growing rapidly The Times - Wednesday 13th November, 1996. Animals, like humans, have the right to live according to their own nature, free from suffering, abuse and exploitation. Animals feel pain, fear, hunger, thirst and loneliness as much as we do. Thus, slaughterhouse farming, vivisection (animal experimentation) and animal exploitation for entertainment, (as is done in circuses) could all be considered as abuse. Vegetarianism, on the otherhand, is a practical ideology successful in minimising suffering, promoting compassion, improving health standards, protecting the environment, preserving wildlife and promoting non-violence. It is also a real solution towards the end of Third World poverty. Many still believe that people have a right to kill animals for food as humans are mentally superior. Does mental superiority give humans the right to kill mentally disabled people, as was done in the Nazi era by Adolf Hitler? So this argument definitely does not hold water. Some also claim that as animals kill other animals for food, thus we are justified in doing the same. Man, being undeniably mentally superior and physically capable of following a vegetarian diet should know better. Healthwise, a vegetarian diet is far superior to a meat-based diet for humans. Some also excuse animal slaughter because farm animals are raised for that sole purpose. By that same reasoning, one could justify the breeding of a special human race for forced labour, prostitution and experimentation. Another common argument is that animals raised by humans for food would not have had a life if not by human intervention. This argument also falls as it is surely better not to be born at all than to be born into a life of misery and pain. Some also claim that animals raised for slaughter do not have enough intellect to realise this. Taking this disputable statement as fact, does this not also justify the killing of human infants who also have too little intellect to realise they are being killed? The killing of "non-intelligent" animals is cruel in the same way as the killing of foetuses by abortion. But while abortion is still illegal in the Maltese islands, the killing of animals is still condoned by the vast majority. Meat eating is also contributing to environmental depletion. Rainforests are regularly cut down for cattle ranching, the end product being a hamburger of questionable nutrient. Over-grazing leaves the land barren and useless, thus leading farmers to chop down more rain forest trees which all forms of life need to produce oxygen for the planet. As the multinational cattle ranchers move in, the rain forest inhabitants, animals and humans alike, are forced out. Half the world's rain forests have already been destroyed to provide land for meat production. Vegetarianism would also be the real solution to the poverty problem in the Third World. The world's cattle consume a quantity of feed equal to the needs of nearly double the human population of the planet. The earth's resources could thus cater for the whole world's needs but not for the world's greed. Forty per cent of the world's cereal harvest goes to feed livestock, and it takes 10 pounds of grain to produce just one pound of beef. By stopping the over-breeding of cattle for beef, human starvation could be just history. Thus anyone struggling for animal rights is at the same time struggling for human rights, the most fundamental right being the right to life. Fortunately, the vegetarian movement is growing rapidly. As Leonardo Da Vinci, a vegetarian himself, once stated, "the time will come when men such as I will look upon the murder of animals as they now look on the murder of men". The time has come today. Poor turkey!/Spare a thought for the turkey this Christmas/Cruelty-free Christmas The Times - Sunday 8th December, 1996/ The Malta Independent - Sunday 15th December, 1996/The Times - Monday 16th December, 1996. Christmas is a time of peace and goodwill...or is it? This is surely not shown through our treatment of the turkey. Here are some facts people ought to know before selecting their Christmas recipe. The turkeys' misery commences from their hatching, where most turkey chicks are crammed into long windowless sheds where they will spend the rest of their short, miserable lives. Soon after, they are debeaked by means of a red hot blade shearing through their sensitive beak and causing untold suffering. Breeding turkeys suffer repeated stress and indignity in being forcibly subjected to artificial insemination. Modern breeding techniques result in obese males which can hardly walk. Worn out male breeders weighing the same as a nine-year-old child are hung upside down in metal shackles for up to six minutes before slaughter. Most turkeys then have their throats slit, which many times fails to kill. Thus, many are thrown alive in scalding tanks. Turkeys have no choice, but we do! Why celebrate the feast of peace and goodwill with a blood bath? And so this is Christmas... What about the Manoel Island dogs?/What about the Manoel Island dogs?/Tougher laws against animal abuse The Sunday Times - Sunday 22nd December, 1996/The Times - Saturday 28th December, 1996/The Malta Independent - Sunday 29th December, 1996. (written as PRO of Animal Rescue Malta). While thanking the many people who have shown us support through letters to the press, newspaper articles, radio programmes and protests, I would like to inform the readers that the Ombudsman's report, which is now concluded, leaves no doubt that our claim that the raid and killing of the dogs at Manoel Island on March 14 was unjust and cruel, is true. In the Ombudsman's own words, "on the basis of the gathered facts, I am of the opinion that the complaint about the harsh action the authorities took, which led to the killing of healthy dogs, is justified". While wondering what those involved in this cold-blooded killing have to say now, I hope that no similar sad and shameful event will ever repeat itself. Perhaps stricter laws against animal abuse are long overdue, and I trust the present administration will consider our plea for tougher penalties for animal abusers. Thus, the Manoel Island dogs will not have died in vain. |
 |
| 1996 |