Mute Bearers

In today's competitive world, we all are running in a mad rat race of winning success, money, fame and what not. We don't even hesitate to forget our brothers, sisters and every other relation that comes into the way. But not only other humans, even animals are often made easy targets. They stay as mute and helpless servants that often bear cruelties of this modern world.

We in our daily lives can come across overloaded donkeys, bullock carts very easily if we stay in any rural area. Millions of animals are killed while experimenting on them with vaccines or cosmetic products. Mice, guinea pigs, monkeys and others are poisoned to death due to all these barbaric tests. Animals kept in poultry farms are kept in compact cages and congested areas that denies them from even moving properly. Animals like elephants, parrots and dogs are made to perform in circuses to please a handful of audience at the cost of their own happiness.

Many cultural practices across the globe continue to compromise with animal welfare in the name of tradition. During the festival of Ukweshwama in South Africa, a group of people torment and kill a terrified bull with their bare hands. They rip apart the bull’s tongue, put handfuls of dirt into its mouth, tear out its eyes, and mutilate its genitals. Bull fights continue to injure the animal in Spain. In 2004, government of Spain banned the goat throwing sport in which a live goat was thrown from the top of the church and was to be caught by men standing on the ground using a canvas sheet.

In India, we have a long list of such sports as well. The blood sport of cock fight on Sankranti festival in Andhra Pradesh involves bets of hundreds of crores of rupees while blades are tied to the legs of both the competitors which ends only after one of them dies. During the harvest festival in Assam, bulbuls are fed with toxic concoctions to make them aggressive and fight during which the birds sustain a lot of injuries. Dog fights on the outskirts of Delhi and Buffalo race in Karnataka continue to take place even after being banned, like many other sports. And we cannot forget the very famous Jallikattu that led to widespread outrage and protests. A terrified bull is released into the crowd and many participants try to grab the hump of the bull and get hold of the bag full of rewards tied to the horns of the bull. Lemon is squeezed into the bull's eyes, chilli rubbed in its genitals and tail bitten to make it aggressive for the sport. The sport had led to deaths of a large number of humans as well as participating bulls.

Animals are not for us to recklessly experiment on, wear, abuse or entertainment purposes. Tradition is not an excuse for cruelty. We should prevent making them from being unspoken spectators and bearers of our atrocities. They should not be made a pawn of our inhumane games.