Animals
on My VSO Ethiopian Adventures (Ethiopia), 11/Apr/2011 10:57, 34 days ago
Most of you know that I am an ardent animal lover and to some of you I have already made reference to my concern for the treatment of animals in this country. I know that it is no different here to other‘less developed’ countries, but I still have difficulty with the logic that says it is poverty and its ensuing culture that dictate this, and wonder why, what I would describe as basic humanity, is apparently different in this respect, in different parts of the world.It would not surprise some of you to know that I am rapidly winning over many of the local dogs and I really wonder what the local population thinks when they see this ferenji talking in this strange language to animals that hold fear for them, and further more touching and stroking them. And horrors, she doesn’t mind if they jump up – I see them recoil physically. If a dog follows me into the compound, the guard automatically goes to pick up a stone with which to hit it. Some dogs I will never succeed with of course, they have been too damaged by humans, are far too feral and thus aggression or a rapid retreat is their only defence. I must not paint an unrealistic picture, for although they roam the streets, the dogs that are the most friendly, are normally those in the best condition which inevitably means they are cared for and fed by humans, and thus have developed what we might call a normal relationship with humans. However even these apparently cared for dogs have required my tender loving care with dettol and water to address their wounds from time to time.Dogs are real survivors and it seems are generally pretty self-sufficient. The goats come out on top every time and the donkeys, despite their heavy loads seem to look OK.However, it seems to me that it is the horses that suffer most and I have seen some awful sights. They are generally very frightened of humans and are frequently clearly mistreated, malnourished and overworked. Again, I must not exaggerate as there are plenty of horses that look really healthy and are clearly well cared for.However, these are work animals, so what happens when they can no longer be productive. On 3 occasions I have seen horses with bad deformities or injuries, that have simply been abandoned to suffer a long, slow death. On all 3 occasions I have tried to get food to them (long stories, not for now!), as that is really all I can do.Two evenings ago, I was walking back home from the market and almost fell over a horse lying on the ground. I recognised it from a week previously with a very swollen knee joint which appeared to have had some application of orange ointment. Clearly this did no good, the horse could no longer pull its loads and serve its master, and now was being abandoned on an open piece of waste ground. I swore to myself and got upset, went home and realised I had spinach and lettuce in the fridge. Back I went with my parcel and sat on the ground and fed the horse. He was painfully thin and I noticed its skin was marked with deep scars all over from past wounds. Don’t ask what the poor animal must have been through. He seemed very calm and I was able to stroke him and he ate the food. By this time I had attracted the inevitable audience. The people were quiet and just watched. I have no idea if they were sympathising with the horse, or possibly with me, forbeing so foolish! I walked away but said loudly, (because they wouldn’t understand a word) to get things off my chest, ‘you should all be bloody ashamed of yourselves’! This poor animal who has given a lifetime of service to human beings is now left to die. If it was fed in health, why can itnot continue to be looked after now?I got home, upset, found we had no water in the tank– more upset, that the loudspeaker on the nearby mosque had been restored – more upset!Our night guard was in the compound, and suddenly I saw him go with a broom into the thick foliage of the tall shrubs/trees in our little plot of garden, thrashing around for a few minutes. I wondered what was going on and then saw that he emerged with something in his hand. It was the little weaver bird’s nest that the birds had so industriously and energetically been working on for 3-4 weeks. I thought their little brains had been de-programmed as this nest was taking ages, but now finally it seemed finished and the birds had been flying around with great fervour and seeming emotion, hopefullyready to lay eggs, (again, long story, this was their second attempt and they were already paired).So, why had this old man suddenly decided to destroy this little home, this miracle of nature?? As he can not speak any English I may never know, but I expressed my anger to him in my language, he looked bewildered.All this in one day. I wonder about my own motives, is this all about self? Am I being self centred, do I expect that the way I look at things is the right and only way to see things. I will continue to try to understand these actions from the local point of view. Am I being self righteous, is this all ego driven. Am I just stupid and distorted in my attitude to animals? Other Brits would no doubt sympathise, so is this a cultural mindset and if so where does it come from, when did it start? I’m sure our ancestors would not have worried about a dog’s wounds, or a dying horse, or a destroyed bird’s nest? Is it linked to economic development? Why do I see it as simply a humanity issue?I remind myself about acceptance, yet something nags at me and says it is wrong, it shouldn’t be like this.By the way, if anyone would like a small and healthy puppy from Ethiopia, I know of 3 going at the moment. Well, come to think of it, I have only seen one over the last week– oh dear!