Animal
cruelty, also called animal abuse is the abuse toward or neglect of an animal.
Some details of animal cruelty involve deliberately pushing animals in circumstances
that harm, scare, and terrorize them, while others simply result from people
looking the other way. WWF says, “Biodiversity underpins the health of the
planet and features a direct impact on all our lives.” Reduced biodiversity
means millions of people face a future where food supplies are more vulnerable
to pests and diseases, and where freshwater is in irregular or short supply. If
biodiversity directly impacts our lives in such considerable ways, then it's
safe to say that, conservation efforts not only just benefit the environment,
but also benefit us.
This cruelty
towards animals is due to various reasons. For instance, 35% of people have an
indifferent attitude towards animal cruelty. 15% believe that animals are men’s
slaves. 50% believe that animals are exploited to fulfill various selfish
interests and greed. But it's a tough incontrovertible fact that animals are
treated cruelly. We see them being beaten when they can’t pull Quintilian of
the load. Then they are boiled alive for medicinal purposes. It has been
observed that dogs and cats are the most abused animals-“pit-bull” being the
most frequent victim. Thousands of greyhounds are killed every year just
because they lack racing potential or have been injured while racing.
Dog fighting
is prevalent and is a source of income in Asia. Puppy mills – the largest commercial
dog breeding operations in the world where the emphasis lies more on profit
than the health of dogs. Due to poor living conditions, many puppies are
plagued with heart or kidney disease. In America, every year approximately 2.11
million puppies are sold while approximately 3 million are killed in shelters
due to scarcity of adopted homes. Animal hoarding – most infamous forms of
animal cruelty, affects thousands of pet animals (dogs & cats) annually. It
happens when an individual even fails to provide the minimum standards of
nutrition, sanitation, shelter and veterinary care – resulting in animal
starvation, illness and death. Every year in the US, a quarter of a million
animals fall victim to hoarding. 
Lastly, genetic
manipulation and laboratory experiments on animals are funded by governments
itself. Approximately 90% of the broiler chickens have trouble walking due to
their genetic manipulation. Over 100 million animals, including dogs, mice,
rats, cats, monkeys, rabbits, birds, among others are killed in laboratories
for drug, chemical, food and cosmetic testing every year. Though Japan,
Australia, China, Spain and Egypt are ranked for being the cruellest nations in
their behavior towards animals, some recent instances of our country also shook
the heart of its citizens.
A recent
gruesome killing of a pregnant wild elephant using a pineapple stuffed with
firecrackers has triggered national outrage over how wild animals are being
treated in the state that calls itself God’s own country. Nearly 218 leopards
were killed in 2019 where most of them were poached or beaten to death by
villagers. Often tigers are also victim to villagers who beat these innocent
creatures to death. Eleven langurs brutally killed and dumped near a highway in
Rajasthan, 100 stray dogs culled and dumped in a forest area in Hyderabad, a
street dog left to die when workers poured hot tar on it while sleeping, a
pregnant goat being gang-raped by 8 men in Haryana shows the insensitivity and
brutality of human behavior towards animals. Bear bile farming is a cruel
farming system designed to extract bile from the gall bladder of living bears
for use in traditional Chinese medicine.
Most farmed
bears are kept permanently in cages, sometimes so small that they're unable to
show around or stand on all fours. Some bears are caged as cubs and never
released, with many caged for up to 30 years. Bear’s bile is extracted using
various invasive techniques, the most ‘humane’ of which is ‘free-dip’ method,
where bears undergo surgery to create a permanent open passage from their gall
bladder through their abdomen. Many zoos in China and Vietnam, force wildlife
in captivity to entertain crowds with unnatural, degrading and stressful
circus-style performances. The training methods used to force the animals to
perform are cruel and abusive, using punishment and fear. Trainers will do
whatever they can to break the animal’s spirits. Endangered tigers and lions routinely have
their teeth ripped out and are declawed to render them harmless. Infinite such
incidents are going on daily across the globe and organizations and countries
are working together to stop this brutality. 
OIPA, SPCA
International, HSI, Four Paws International, PETA, and many more international
organizations are working daily to secure the lives of maltreated animals.
Indian organizations too such as Animal Aid Unlimited, People for Animals
(PFA), Wildlife SOS India, etc. are also volunteering for the cause. It is our
responsibilities too, as humans to stop this suffering and stretch out our arms
to these lovely beasts. If not directly, we can donate to these trusts or
reject the products which come from the killing of these animals. We can also
care for the stray dogs and cats which roam in our neighborhood. We must spread
the word of kindness and benevolence and report any mishap immediately to the
responsible authorities. Do remember they too feel the same pain as us but is
unable to express like us.
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