‘We need law to safeguard animals’

PAWS — animals in need Paws wish list

SBy Chaitali B. Roy

ociety can easily be judged by the way it treats its most helpless inhabitants. The West has been working on the issue of animal welfare for more than a hundred years, but is yet to achieve perfection. Kuwait, on the other hand, has a long distance to traverse as far as animal rights are concerned. There is a big disconnect between human lives and the natural world in Kuwait and building an animalfriendly community in an environment where animals have little or no standing either from a social or legal point of view is difficult.

PAWS is an animal welfare organization which has been active in animal welfare in Kuwait for the past many years. “We rescue and shelter animals in distress,” informed Rola Abdul-Raouf Ahmad, President of PAWS. Rola is a warm large-hearted Kuwaiti who has dedicated her life to a calling that more often than not earns her brickbats but despite that there is no stopping her and she spends her time dashing from one corner of the country to another addressing distress calls from animal lovers who reach out to her when they encounter a suffering animal.

“Research shows children who abuse animals grow up to be abusers, so it is extremely important to teach compassion and kindness towards animals from a young age,” observes Manuela Hintermaier Ali, a strong supporter and active member of PAWS. “People should understand that animals are not toys,” adds Rola. “They are not disposable items; they have souls, and their needs and requirements are very similar to us. The more we teach children to be aware of their surroundings and life around them, the better our world is going to be,” she advises. But sadly animal activism in Kuwait is not an easy task. Besides addressing social, religious, and financial concerns, animal rescue groups are plagued by other issues that prevent them from discharging their duties effectively.

Supporters

PAWS, for instance, has had a rocky ride with roadblocks in the forms of rumours, threats, allegations and politics. “I started work as a volunteer more than ten years helping out with rescue work, food and donations,” shares Rola. From 2009 to 2013 PAWS saw a tough phase with interference from within and outside the group. Upset with the way things were going, Rola Ahmad took over. But despite the effort put in by her and other PAWS supporters, things did not improve.

“Our job is to be there for the animals, but we are not able to do so because of some really serious interference,” says an exasperated Manuela. “We have been struggling with rumours and false accusations, but kept quiet as we did not want to destroy people’s faith in animal shelters, but a recent Supreme Court ruling in our favour has emboldened us,” she continues. Both Rola and Manuela believe that animal activists should pool their energies and efforts for the betterment of animals. “We all want to help and save animals. We all want to shut down Friday Market which is a known haven for illegal animal trafficking, and we should work together to achieve these goals,” says Manuela.

From 2013 onwards, PAWS adopted a measured approach to gain more transparency

Children playing with pets. NEED white Tent material 700 metres to cover the outside dog runners and shelter areas. Wooden Beds (cost KD 5 each) Need donations of cement and tiles to build two mini-tiled pools

Cat food, kitty milk, cat litter, and cat toys, cat beds and cat trees.

Dog food, puppy food, dog beds, puppy toys. Puppies need loads of pads for peeing.

A wish list for workers ... tea, any food, kleenex, towels, soap, razors, things workers may need.

Someone to take care of Social Media

Old towels, old blankets, pillows for dogs and cats.

We have two monkeys which need fruits and vegetables.

A garden hose long enough to reach areas.

Big wide buckets or baby pools so we can fill with water so dogs can step in them to cool off.

Cleaning supplies ... clorox, dettol, brooms, brushes, sponges, dishsoap, small buckets for cleaning, big black trash bags. Newspaper to layout on floor. Carpets We have 7 workers ... maybe there is someone willing to pay a salary or two.

Our monthly rent is KD 600.

despite having several success stories to their credit, PAWS is careful while giving out their animals. “You cannot just dump the animal on anyone,” points out Rola. “One guy adopted a handsome Persian cat from one of these adoption centres after paying KD 40. Two hours later he went back with the cat which was by that time bleeding and had diarrhoea. He had adopted a sick cat, but the adoption centre refused to take him back. How could they refuse responsibility?” asks a furious Rola. “Our adoption document has a column that specifies that if you no longer wish to keep the animal, it becomes our responsibility, bring it back or contact us as soon as possible.”

PAWS runs the largest animal shelter in Kuwait where 600 animals, some of them disabled find shelter, food and care. “The shelter is clean and safe. The animals are fed, and they can be found happily jumping,” vouches Rola. The animals in the PAWS shelter are rescued. “People dump their pets for the flimsiest of reasons,” says an upset Rola. “I find animals roaming the streets because their owners don’t want them anymore.”

PAWS depends on individual donations, and the summers are particularly trying because people travel or spend on universities, and so have nothing to spare. “Apart from money matters, we are also struggling to address other troubling issues like dog fights,” adds Rola.

Dogfight

Further conversation leads to appalling and gruesome details of this cruel sport in the country. “There are two types of dogfights in Kuwait: ethical and non-ethical,” explains Rola. “The ethical dogfight ends with one dog submitting to the other whereas the non-ethical dogfight ends with one dog tearing the weaker one to death. And what is worse is these fights take place in a ring surrounded by a makeshift viewing gallery complete with popcorn and juice,” she continues. Recently PAWS faced the wrath of a dogfight leader whose dog they rescued and treated unknowingly. “Our shelter was attacked by a group of young men with guns and swords who demanded the return of the dog. It was the timely appearance of the police which led the attackers to escape,” said Rola. It is a scary, sad and unbelievable situation, and the reason the animal activists say is the absence of an animal protection law that prevents animal trafficking, and cruelty towards animals. “We desperately need an animal protection law. There is a lot of evil out there on the streets. We have emphasized many times that people who torture animals grow up to become serial killers. We need a law to safeguard animals,” urges Manuela.

Hannah Wilson a high school student in Australia once wrote, “Animals have dreams/ maybe the same as us/and yet we destroy them/their spirits we crush./ Some humans see animals/as inferior, not the same,/so they treat them/to suffering and pain./ The reasons they do this/Are many and few,/It only takes one to cry out against it/ Will this voice be you? “The community in Kuwait can play an active role in making the country more safe and humane for all living creatures by lending a helping hand and spreading the message of responsible pet ownership and animal protection. To donate or for more information on PAWS contact their instagram account @paws_kuwait