Friday, April 1, 2016

Animal Population Control - Good, Or Bad?

Dear friends, neutering your pets & strays is so important. I know that there are two sides to the debate - one side being that it'sn ot our right to take away an animal's right to produce progeny, & that it is against nature & God's will. But before we even begin to think about the future, why not focus on the present? As it is, there are so many animals suffering from lack of care.

Imagine you have RM1000. Would it be better to spend that money on one cat for the rest of it's life (let's just say, ten years), giving it the best care & nutrition; or allow it to produce progeny, bearing in mind that the number of cats will increase exponentially (i.e one mother cat produces four kittens, four kittens produce sixteen kittens, sixteen kittens produce sixty four kittens), by the end of the first year itself you'd probably have a whole house full of cats! & how far will you be able to stretch RM1000 on so many cats??? Another question - what will you do with them cats - give them away, abandon them, allow them to roam free & let nature take it's course? In my opinion, we as humans have a certain degree of responsibility towards animals. So, knowing that there is a way to control the population, wouldn't it be so much better to do so, rather than to foresee the future & be passive about it?

I'm not saying that the other camp is wrong. Neutering is definitely against the law of nature. But it is the lesser of two evils.

Neutering not only prevents unnecessary suffering, it also allows the animals which are already here the chance to lead a better life. Anyone who knows anything about animal welfare & certain animal 'welfare' organizations would know that these places, just like everything else in the world, run on a budget. There are some which have no-kill policies, yet to maintain there 'no-kill' status, some of them outright decline to accept animals which are deemed too aggressive, do not have potential to be adopted, or are of ill health. Pretty smart ass, huh? Which means that the rejected animals would probably either end up back on the street, or at another animal 'welfare' organization which does not have a 'no-kill' policy...& guess what happens to them there? Again it all comes down to the budget issue: animals which do not get adopted out of an establishment sometimes have to be put down to create room for more to come in. Not a very nice thought - try Googling or YouTube-ing 'the truth about animal shelters'.

Take a look at the images & videos of animals which are about to be put down, & you can see the fear & sadness in their expressions. Take a look at the stray cat or dog rummaging the rubbish bin in the market, all skin & bones, skin raw & balding from disease; somebody hitting it with a stick for trying to find food to survive...take a look at all these & then tell me that I am wrong for promoting animal neutering.

& if you think that just 'relocating' strays to another place so that your area becomes stray-free...are you kidding me? Removing animals from one area does nothing but create a blank space for other strays to fill in! Like it or not, animals do not subscribe to the man-made rules of borders & limitations - they roam wherever the hell they want to! & in fact, neutering strays in your area actually works to control the population by not only eliminating the chance of over-population, but also in preventing the influx of more animals. Does that make sense?

& if you think you want your animal to remain 'natural', but to prevent him from impregnating a female or her from getting pregnant, you tie them up or lock them up when mating season comes around...well...next time you feel a bit frisky & your partner locks you up in the spare bedroom...don't complain.

The urge to procreate is a very basic, primal instinct, & what do animals know about abstinence? & it is a very strong urge too, designed to be so by nature so as to ensure the continuation of each species. Most animals get into fights for the sole purpose of procreation. Surely that must say something about the intensity of dem urges! So imagine what kind of emotions go through an animal when they are unable to satisfy those urges!

Animal over-population is a serious issue. It always has been, since the human race started getting more selfish - focusing more on our needs, our wants, our likes & dislikes.

In the race to advance as a nation, we forgot about the other creatures that inhibit our planet. Those which cannot 'work' to fend for themselves. & I say 'work' because it is an unnatural act. In nature, there is no paperwork to be done, there are no banks which charge you for taking loans, nobody dresses up to travel half an hour to an office! Animals do not put in any effort into life other than for living in the here & now, unlike us humans who have created so much madness for ourselves, sometimes even sacrificing the present moment because we are planning to spend our happiness somewhere in the future!

Fair enough if we as humans choose to be unnatural, but do other animals have to suffer as a consequence? Especially cats & dogs - sometimes we have no choice but to share our community with them - more often than not there will be one or two strays hanging around a neighbourhood. Please consider doing your part to help them. A little bit goes a long way.

Nowadays strays which are considered community pets, where a few people in the community feed them & care for their needs. It is a great alternative for people who can't adopt animals - Singapore is a good example of where the community pets system thrives. Check out their Cat Welfare Society.

So if you can't adopt, please consider caring for the strays in your neighbourhood. Another option would be to sponsor an animal or make a donation to your local animal welfare organization, but please be very careful & do your research before deciding which organization to donate to.

'I declare this Human...mine!'

There a hundreds of thousands of animals waiting to give & receive your love, & not only the young 'uns but the older ones too! Who knows, you may meet the love of your life at an animal shelter or at a random coffee shop - I did! :)

P/S: If you are thinking of neutering strays in your area, but can't afford to bear the cost, please check out Trap - Neuter - Release - Manage (TNRM) Malaysia. Of course, you may choose to donate to the cause too.

A few other Malaysian animal welfare organizations which I admire are:
Noah's Ark Natural Animal Sanctuary (NANAS)
Furry Friends Farm
Cat Beach


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