While West has moved on with time, taking cruelty to animals seriously, improving zoo environment to match their natural habitat in the wild, thus helping breeding programme for endangered animals, like rhinos, gorillas, Asian lions and tigers and banning use of animals, especially wild animals in circus, a cheap but cruel way to entertain children, the rest of the world has not moved in time and in step with the West.
Such animals are still widely used and abused in circuses in many countries, namely Russia, China and some South American countries where animals like bears, chimpanzees, tigers, elephants and lions are trained to perform under harsh conditions, for the entertainment of paying public. Those who are regular visitors to Spain and have attended bull-fight, a blood-sport in the extreme, would know how cruel this sport is, where innocent bulls are used for cheap entertainment, in the name of tradition and then butchered, killed with a sharp sward. Yet Spain is EU member, supposed to be a gathering of civilized nations where human values are supreme! EU, dominated by France and Germany, is an inward looking opportunist union without principle or morals!
Recently Russia’s Nikulin Moscow circus was in the news for all the wrong reasons. It proudly exploits animals for entertainment of paying public, mainly children, where so often such animals are tightly held in chains, in great discomfort, for children to observe them from near, as well as stroke them in safety. How could it be acceptable to cage and torture these animals for cheap entertainment, using children as excuse!
When they are unable to perform, due to age or injury, they are put to sleep, as it is indeed costly to feed lions, tigers and especially elephants. This is how we the supreme life on the planet earth treats these God’s creatures somewhat down the evolutionary ladder, with utter and habituating contempt! How comforting that in our culture and religion, “All Creatures Great and Small” are treated with dignity, old cows unable to yield milk due to old age, are put to graze until death do us part! No wonder heterogeneous “Hare Krishna Movement” is greatly respected throughout the world, drawing millions of ordinary as well as intellectuals from all walks of life, from politicians to scientists, saints to humanists, giving up their valuable time to serve Lord Krishna, unique human being who attained the honour to be called Bhagwan (God) and revered by one and all! Let us be proud of our unique culture and tradition that oozes nobility, decency and goodwill to mankind!
Bhupendra M. Gandhi
By email
