On Animal Cruelty...

When I saw these pictures in Facebook, the first thing that popped out of my mind was my thesis in college.

The thrust of my thesis was animal welfare or Animal Liberation as expounded by Peter Singer. 

This incident happened in Baguio. In this place, it has been a tradition of eating dog meat. Because of the cold temperature in Baguio, many people eat dog meat. It is believed that eating dog meat can increase body temperature in order to overcome the cold temperature in their place. 

This is a clear example of animal cruelty. Imagine the pain and anxiety that this dog was suffering being inside a sack and suspended in a moving vehicle and also how difficult for it to breathe because its muzzle is tied with a rope. Seeing these pictures, one can infer that this dog is close to its doom. It would be butchered for food or pulutan in a drinking spree.

Don't think that they'll kill this dog without inflicting great pain. First, they will strike this poor creature with a paddle or a metal bat or tube usually on the head. Or, they can just pierce its neck and bleed to death. Or just hang it up and let it burn alive.

In this picture, in indicates a case of a clash  between tradition and animal welfare. It has been a practice of eating dog meat in order to fight the cold weather. On the other hand, animal welfare advocates say that it is animal cruelty. 

Animals experience pain too. Animals need our care too. Of course many will react that the needs of man should be satisfied first. But is it necessary to inflict great pain and suffering on these animals? No! 

-RWN