Historian and author Yuval Noah Harari terms humanity's treatment of other species as 'the worst crime in history'. The march of human progress, he says, 'is strewn with dead animals'.
BHAVDEEP KANG: Celebrated author and historian Yuval Noah Harari terms humanity’s inhumane treatment of other species as “the worst crime in history”. The march of human progress, he says, “is strewn with dead animals”. In our attitude to the animal kingdom, Harari observes, there are two key scientific questions: can animals suffer at all, and do animals suffer in practice?
The majority of us do not believe that animals are sentient and thus, continue to enjoy, guilt-free, the produce of industrial farms. However, there is increasing evidence that many animals, notably elephants with their big brains, have some level of sentience and are therefore capable of self-awareness, empathy, grief and suffering. The jury is still out but the evidence is piling up and strengthening the position of animal rights activists like Harari…
In a 2018 order… India’s Uttarakhand High Court upheld animals’ “right to life” and declared the entire animal kingdom as a legal entity, rather than a chunk of property. As a jurisitic person, animals can be represented by a custodian… The order also dubbed all citizens of Uttarakhand as “persons in loco parentis”, thereby holding them responsible for the protection and welfare of animals… If these orders sound absurd, we have only to recall that not too long ago, humans were property…
The recognition of animals as legal entities was prompted by public interest litigations relating to transportation and abandonment of cattle and horses but applies to the animal kingdom as a whole. This has come as a shot in the arm for wildlife and animal activists who are struggling to ensure a fair shake for all species…
On the other hand, these rulings do not take into account the threat to human health and well-being posed by certain species, such as feral monkeys and dogs, disease-carrying pigeons, leopards, crop-destroying nilgai and stray cattle. From time to time, state governments in India allow culling of certain species, like wild boar, nilgai or monkeys. Animal rights activists have protested, but the counter-argument is that over-population by one species is never a good idea, ecologically speaking…
For the moment, human rights are confined to a single species (us), thus enabling flagrant abuse of animals. Few of us have escaped the sight of chickens destined for slaughter packed tightly into wire cages or emaciated horses pulling heavy loads. Starved and dehydrated animals are routinely slaughtered in “wet markets” across the world (where epidemics such as COVID-19 have originated)…
The horrific incident in Kerala, the everyday brutality of the wet markets and the persecution of urbanised animals underlines the need for implementing animal protection laws. Otherwise, children will grow up normalising cruelty to farm animals, strays and wildlife, instead of cultivating a sense of respect and empathy for “Haathi Mere Saathi”. SOURCE…
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