The Northwood Omniscient
Alex Attacks: Animal AbuseFriday, December 10, 2010 By Alex lloyd
Sadness, pain, abandonment, loneliness, suffering. Thousands of animals in America are exposed to these harsh conditions. Their daily lives revolve around struggling to survive. Abused, neglected and abandoned animals need humanity to save them. Without us, their struggles are futile. Recently I visited the Goathouse Animal Refuge, where I met a truly remarkable woman, owner Siglinda Scarpa. She earns as much money as she can selling homemade pottery so that she can provide and care for the 200+ cats, four dogs, goats and multiple bird species that have been abandoned and neglected that she rescues and harbors there. I had never been more dumbfounded before in my life. The place is amazing, and the animals are all cared for so well. I liked it so much when I visited that now I happily volunteer there. I visited Siglinda’s shelter as part of my graduation project. My product for the project is taking photos of abused and neglected animals that have been rescued; my goal is to create enticing visuals that will expose the conditions and the harsh treatment of the animals in order to raise awareness and encourage change. The point of all this is to encourage people to change, but also to encourage people to stand up for the helpless, to be the voice for those that cannot speak for themselves. Animals are just as much a part of our lives as human beings are. Why must we have respect for our fellow man, but not the animals that help us survive and are so much a part of our existence? Animals are exposed to the worst conditions imaginable; they deal with the worst side of human beings. Humans abuse, fight, breed, neglect, abandon and kill animals daily. True, animals usually benefit from mankind and are treated lavishly, but the reality is that thousands are exposed to unfair treatment and pain. This is not fair. Mankind cannot continue to interact with animals in a damaging way; innocent animals deserve a better chance than that. Animals are not able to defend themselves; they are caged, hurt and even killed because they can’t stand up and tell humans to cut it out. I realize that not everyone abuses their animals—pet owners, animal lovers, normal human beings who just wouldn’t hurt another vulnerable life form are everywhere. As people who care and realize what is happening, we need to act. We need to start a war against animal abuse and neglect; we need to help the helpless. Animals are defenseless; they need us to stand up and make a change for them. Animals are vital entities of our world, just as much as us human beings. All life forms need to interact fairly; the conditions of these abused and neglected animals are a reflection of the frigid, cruel nature of human beings. How can we consciously hurt other living things so badly? Animal rescue organizations like Siglinda’s need help from the community so that they may bridge the barriers and help what most of the world does not see. Society needs to lend a helping hand to these organizations; we need to start reporting cases so they may be alleviated, encourage neighbors who are being careless to change their approach and especially make donations or adopt an animal. Without us, there is no hope for the poor, defenseless animals suffering all around us. |