LETTERS: It's a malediction for certain animals to be born in this country. Their forests are cleared and habitats damaged, but re-homing never takes place. No one cares for the voiceless. All their chattering and gibbering are not given heed to.
These are just monkeys that I am talking about. It's a sad sight to see them scrambling up our houses in search for just one solid meal.
Yet, most of us screech when we see them instead of feeding them. Referring to Alliff Benjamin Suhaimi's online article on Sept 27, 2018, under "The Talks" by Thomas Philip, where is righteousness for animals under the Animal Welfare Act 2015?
He further stated that an animal welfare officer has all the power to investigate if an animal has been ill treated. Which perks up my curiosity even more on where is this voice for the voiceless?
What always comes to the eyes and ears is the effort taken by non-governmental organisations and mere civilians to stop the cruelty, help rescued dogs recuperate and spend money to bring them out of the kill shelter. The fortunate ones are able to see the world again. The less fortunate are left to die.
My question here is, who decides if they should live or die? Isn't every life here seminal? Are we cultivating these in our children's mind, or are we propagating an exploitative future generation? If given a chance, dogs can do more miracles compared with humans.
But here, we have failed miserably in recognising animals as part of the ecosystem we live in. Yes, we are supposed to live in an ecosystem collectively, if I should stress on it. Pinching off a little from places like Turkey, Dubai and the Netherlands.
They blow our minds away with their ways of treating stray dogs. The Dubai Municipality runs an adoption centre for strays. They are captured, registered, vaccinated and put up for adoption.
And us here? We have neither respect nor tolerance for another life. Instead, we decimate these living beings selfishly. All they ask for is just to roam the streets freely and some food. Don't we have tolerance for such simplicity?
Moving in a little towards some religious belief on dogs and maybe a food for thought. If there are some who say that the gods despised them, then why would the gods even bother creating them? Stopping animal abuse in Malaysia should be in heightened consideration.
Give them a chance to live and be loved. Even if there are those with zero tolerance to animals, there are many others with love for them.
If we ourselves want to be heard, why not the animals?
As much as we have a place here, they do too. There is no point in continuously reiterating these points if the government is not steadfast in their support towards giving these animals a chance to live. As much as we have a place here, they do too.
Jaya Lakshmi Jaya Pragasam
Klang, Selangor
The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect those of the New Straits Times