Torturing animals makes mockery of humanity's claim to superiority
Alan Ferguson, Special to The Province
Published: Tuesday, March 04, 2008
How embarrassing that with less than two years to go to the start of the Vancouver 2010 Olympics, the region should be garnering international headlines as an alleged hotbed of the medieval "sport" of cockfighting.
I don't believe for a moment the protestations of innocence voiced by some tenants of the Surrey farms raided by police and animal welfare workers last week.
The brutal tools of the cockfighting trade discovered on site, including the razor-sharp blades that are strapped to the birds' feet, make a mockery of claims the fowl were being bred as a "hobby." And, if it is true, as alleged, that some of the birds were intended for export to the Philippines, I suggest the relevant authorities might want to investigate this barbaric trade.
Another unsettling aspect of the story was that the SPCA itself apparently slaughtered hundreds of the unfortunate creatures.
"If we didn't destroy these birds, they would have died a horrible death," the SPCA's Eileen Drever said.
I guess that makes sense to her -- although I confess the logic of it escapes me.
As many as 37 people could eventually wind up in the courts over this unsavoury business, though I don't suppose whatever penalties are assessed will amount to much.
The saddest part is that people in this supposedly enlightened age still seek a cheap thrill in the bloody spectacle of a battle to the death of two living things.
The emotions engendered cannot be too far removed from those experienced by the full-throated crowds who roared their approval as Christians were ripped apart by wild beasts in ancient Roman amphitheatres.
Even man's relations with his supposed best friend, the dog, can be betrayed by unrestrained human bloodlust -- witness Atlanta Falcons' quarterback Michael Vick, now languishing in jail for his lead role in subjecting pit bulls to cruel torture for fun and profit.
It might be argued that pit bulls, like fighting cocks, are only doing what comes naturally.
But when humans, the most highly evolved of all animals, take a depraved delight in exploiting the instincts and habits of "lesser" species, the shame rests entirely with them.
Only in recent years have we come to understand that caging creatures in zoos for the idle amusement of the public at leisure is an offence against nature.
But we still have a long way to go before the animal kingdom is accorded the full respect it properly deserves.
Those who truly love animals know that they are in many ways a mirror image of ourselves, with feelings and emotions no less intense because they are incapable of human expression.
The days of the dancing bear and performing elephant are, mercifully, mostly behind us.
But it's incredibly sad that some people still take pleasure in tormenting their fellow creatures -- making a sick joke of their claim to a civilized status.