A WORLD Animal DAY
This World Animal Day, what does the public of Sri Lanka have to say about the state of animal welfare in the country? What changes would they like to see?
SHANAZ FOUZE
I think it’s imperative that we acknowledge that all lives of animals matter and are worthy of protection and kindness. I have great respect to those who individually and collectively come forward to push for law and policy reform related to animal welfare. Organisations such as Tails of Freedom, Embark and AWPA tirelessly work for this great cause despite the many restrictions and barriers. Everyone may not have the ability or willingness to fight for justice or challenge policy makers, but I believe that we can all be advocates, supporters and allies of the cause at even a very basic level. The movement for animal welfare should not be built to gain any form of leverage - it should be built on the basis of compassion and kindness.
MALEESHA GUNAWARDANA
As a country that’s known for its long history of compassion towards animals, we should not be ignoring the suffering of animals or allowing cruelty to take place. We do not have laws to adequately deter or punish those who abuse animals. Under century-old law, the maximum fine for someone who committed an offence of animal cruelty is just Rs. 100. I’ve seen an increase in the pet shop trade which is one of the cruellest forms of animal abuses – they are just locked in tiny, filthy cages all day and all of this gets swept under the rug because of the high demand for pedigree pets. At the very least, the proposed Animal Welfare Bill which has been supported and debated for many years, must be passed for better protection.
DINALI LOKUGAMAGE
The state of animal welfare in this country has only gotten worse and I think this country is doing it all wrong! There should be laws implemented to protect our street dogs, our elephants, they should close down zoos or change its operations. Our wildlife must be preserved and national parks need to be more strictly controlled. The government needs to take more action or allow someone else to take charge of these matters immediately.
FRANK JOESPH
I think animal welfare is not spoken enough of in this country. I personally think the government intervention in this is pretty inadequate, there is only so much the non-governmental organizations can do to ensure the protection of the animals and their wellbeing. During the pandemic and in review of this year, the priority given to improving animal welfare in the country has reduced quite drastically and I think it’s important we give this matter equal importance.
S. FERNANDO
I don’t quite understand the delay in the Parliament passing the Animal Welfare Bill, it has gone on for many years and if it was passed today, it would afford better protection to our animals given the increasing number of animal abuse and cruelty cases. We need better systems to protect our animals, both domesticated and the wildlife. Wildlife numbers are decreasing at an alarming speed and national reserves and parks are not adequately protected. Sri Lanka needs sustainable solutions to macro issues and we need to go beyond the Animal Welfare Bill. In recent years we have witnessed large scale deforestation, encroachment of land, building roads through protected UNESCO Heritage Sites, limiting or destroying ecosystems and spaces for wildlife to live or disturbing wildlife corridors. Without the right environmental protection, we won’t have adequate spaces for animals to live in the wild peacefully.
NADEESHA PAULIS
While animal welfare needs priority on a policy level, I think there are small but impactful actions we can take to improve it individually. First of all, pet owners need to take more ownership, sterilize our pets and not dump animals on the roads. Pets like dogs and cats should be regulated and registered so that their populations are under control and we don’t have so many street dogs and cats suffering. I also think its important that we reduce meat consumption and find better alternatives. Every animal is equal, they should not be classed off based on their benefit for us in our house or on our dinner plates. All animals love their life, and we as humans have to ensure their wellbeing so I think its high time to rethink animal husbandry; not just as a humanitarian effort but also from an environment point of view.
HARSHINI PERERA
As with many laws of the land, I find the laws currently in place regarding animal welfare to be archaic. Animal welfare activists fought for about 15 years to get an amended welfare bill passed and on a daily basis the images and stories about animal abuse, are harrowing and also sadly increasing in frequency. As a rescuer, I do what I can within my reach to help street animals who otherwise would die horrible deaths, I believe these laws were needed yesterday. Having proper animal welfare laws is prudent for the continuity of all sentient beings.