The idea of subjecting an animal to fear and pain in the name of sport and gambling is wearing thin on a society increasingly concerned about the treatment of our fellow species. It's time to consider the broader societal impact of industries that foster an acceptance of animal suffering.
ANIMALS AUSTRALIA: ‘Every day on racetracks around Australia exhausted horses are beaten with whips in a bid to make them run faster, or rather, to punish them for slowing down when fatigue kicks in. Horse behaviour expert, Dr Paul McGreevy calls whipping “the most visible form of violence to animals” in our society. But it turns out whips are not the only cruel device being used to torment horses in the pursuit of a competitive advantage. Melbourne-cup winning trainer, Darren Weir, was recently banned from the ‘sport’ for four years after choosing not to contest charges of animal cruelty and corruption. The cruelty charge related to the alleged use of ‘jiggers’ — a hand-held device that delivers an electric shock to a horse to motivate a better performance on the track.
Now, this is where we’ll drop the euphemisms. Jiggers are like tasers, and the idea behind them is truly appalling. They’re usually used in conjunction with a whip during training so when the whip comes out on the racetrack, the horse is intimidated into running faster because he is afraid he’s about to be shocked. Whether whips or ‘jiggers’ — the idea of subjecting an animal to fear and pain in the name of sport and gambling is wearing thin on a society increasingly concerned about the treatment of our fellow species… It’s time to consider the broader societal impact of industries that foster an acceptance of animal suffering.
The very same compassionate instincts that needed to be quelled in those tying terrified possums to lures on greyhound tracks, equally need to be quelled in those causing harm to animals in other industries. And once you start quelling those instincts — the instincts that make us uniquely and compassionately human — it is a very slippery slope… The Melbourne Cup should be the race that stops a nation — it should make us all stop and think about what kind of nation we want to be. If we all cast a vote instead of placing a bet then it’s highly likely we’d be taking some pretty big steps forward for animals in this country’. SOURCE…
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