Animal abuse has reached epidemic proportions in Barbados, two animal welfare activists have declared.
They told Barbados TODAY that after a heightened period of reported cases during the COVID-19 pandemic, they had noticed another rise in the past year.
President of the Be Their Voice organisation Lavern Beresford and founding chief executive officer of Ocean Acres Animal Sanctuary Karen Whittaker made a joint call on the government to enforce animal abuse laws.
“The cases are rising and the situation is getting worse. Compared to the increase of animal abuse cases we were seeing during COVID-19, we are seeing even more cases now. It has become an epidemic,” Beresford said. “We’ve begged our government, several times, and the authorities who have the power to make the changes to please intervene, and we’re just not getting the assistance that we need from those who actually have the power to do something to remedy the situation.
“So, one can argue that those in power who can make the change and enforce the law think that this behaviour is acceptable. So we will continue to see animals being starved, eaten, allowed to roam freely because there’s just no punishment for this type of behaviour.”
Whittaker suggested the rampant levels of abuse could be a negative spinoff effect of the rising violence.
She said: “It seems to me that the abuse in general has to do with all of the violent crime and the gunshots and the knives, just the general violence and unsociable behaviour. This violent behaviour seems to be trickling down to how we treat our animals. So it’s not just about the dogs and cats; these issues have to do with what is going on in our society at large and all you seem to hear about these days since COVID-19. I think it’s gotten worse. I don’t know why, I don’t know if it is by coincidence or whatever, but people are becoming more and more violent in society.”
The activists were commenting on the case of animal abuse highlighted on Wednesday by Barbados TODAY which reported that a St John farmer, who had sold animals to a St Thomas resident, had discovered the animals in appalling health.
The farmer sold eight pregnant sows on November 18 and some of the animals were not fed for several weeks. It was only after a recent visit to where the animals were being kept that it was discovered that some of them had died and were decaying in their pens, while others were severely malnourished.
Chief Veterinary Officer Dr Mark Trotman confirmed that the Ministry of Agriculture’s Veterinary Services department was investigating the matter.
The animal charity leaders said they were so disturbed by the story and the accompanying photo that they felt compelled to speak out.
Beresford said: “There are many, many situations like this, too numerous to even count, where animals are being neglected and abused daily in Barbados. And what this particular instance demonstrates is that it’s not only domesticated animals like dogs and cats, but a lot of them are livestock like pigs and sheep, cows and so on.
“We often see them tethered and they are down to just skin and bones. They don’t have basic requirements such as water and when we report it to the authorities, very little if anything at all is often done to resolve these issues. So I am waiting to see how this case develops and I really hope justice is served.”
Whittaker urged the government to roll out an intensive educational programme as cruelty towards animals was a psychological matter.
“We have to get this message out and I beg the government to get on board in terms of telling its people to behave better, to be kinder, to stop being cruel, to help remove the desensitisation to cruelty and abuse that we see on a daily basis,” she said.
Beresford added that visitors to the island were recognising the animal abuse epidemic and were using social media to highlight the problem. She said that if measures were not taken to curb the situation, it could have a drastic impact on tourism.
sheriabrathwaite@barbadostoday.bb
