The West Africa Centre for the Protection of Animal Welfare (WACPAW) is urging the public to play an active role in putting an end to inhumane practices meted out to animals. The charity organization, based in Ghana, focuses on improving the welfare of both pet and farm animals and the protection of the environment.
At a stakeholder engagement held in Bolgatanga in the Upper East Region, the Executive Director of the West Africa Centre for the Protection of Animal Welfare, Abdul-Rahman Safian, said animals are friends to humans; however, the cruelty inflicted upon them is becoming a growing concern, hence the need to sensitize the public about it.
“When you go to our markets, you will see how animals are handled. When you put 2 to 4 dogs in a small basket, you are denying them the freedom to even stand or lie down freely. Putting them in that situation is a serious cruelty. If you put a chain on the neck of a dog and drag it, what you are doing is instilling a lot of pain in the dog.”
As a result of the cruelty to animals, Mr. Safian stated that people who sell animals, such as dogs, often have dog bites simply “because they injure the dogs and, in defense, the dogs bite them.”
The Executive Director of the West Africa Centre for the Protection of Animal Welfare lamented that animal cruelty is a serious issue in Ghana and the whole world, and that is why his outfit is trying to, if not eliminate it, reduce it to the barest minimum.
Among the participants in the engagement were butchers, livestock owners, veterinary officers, farmers, teachers, and opinion leaders.
A participant, Timothy Timbil, Secretary of the Bolgatanga Butchers Association, admitted that butchers are guilty of animal cruelty and pledged to work closely with his colleagues to end it.
An Educationist, Mercy Yamtott Adongo, called on the Ghana Education Service to integrate the teaching of animal care into various subjects so that when the children grow into adults, they would appreciate the need to care for animals to end animal cruelty.
Another participant, a teacher, Daniel Asebila Agengre, entreated the public to stop purchasing animals that were cruelly treated.
“One thing we need to do is to discourage the public from purchasing animals that are ill-treated, fractured. Sometimes, you will be buying a fowl and water will be dropping off the mouth, and that is as a result of choking. So, if we can detect this and consciously refuse to purchase such animals, it will send a strong signal to ourselves as farmers and the populace for us to treat animals well.”
Source: A1Radioonline.com | 101.1Mhz | Joshua Asaah | Bolgatanga | Ghana
