Dear Editor,
Over the many years of reading Mr M Xiu Quan-Balgobind-Hackett’s opinions on a variety of themes, I have become a great admirer of his positions, many of which are a reflection of my own, especially those on religion and corporal punishment. In fact, I have collected every single letter he has ever written during the last decade or so.
For the first time, however, I must disagree, not with his logic, but with the direction in which his interpretation of the situation is taking him, relative to the issue of animals pulling heavy loads.
Of course, Mr M Xui Quan-Balgobind-Hackett in his letter recognized that other considerations have to be factored into the equation. He listed some (the lubrication level of the cart’s wheels, the health/nutritional status of the animal, etc.) It is my unshakeable opinion, born of practical and professional experience and empirical observation, that in the sub-culture within which practically all cart drivers operate, one can be sure that the carts and horses/donkeys are defective in some meaningful way.
Let me state clearly that recognizing a horse straining to pull a load is not difficult, irrespective of the animal’s muscle mass; straining is straining. Similarly, if a horse is ailing, one does not need to be a veterinarian to know that emaciation, lameness, saddle sores, etc. reflect malady. Don’t let us intellectualize the definition of cruelty. I recall reading of a judge who, hearing the intellectualized arguments pertaining to a case on pornography, said: when you see it you know it. Stop the analyzing which not only is paralyzing us from indicting the miscreants, but which also leads to a justification and perpetuation of cruelty to animals.
More importantly, however, is the presence of the law. The Regulations of those aspects dealing with laden weight and distribution of weight of dray carts associated with Cap.51:02 of the Motor Vehicles and Road Traffic Act, 197 (4) state the following clearly:
Type of Vehicle 2 wheels 2 wheels 4 wheels 4 wheels 4 wheels
Drawn by 1 animal 2 animals 1 animal 2 animals 3 animals
Description of Animal Maximum Weight
(a) Asses 1,200 lbs 1,600 lbs 1,500 lbs 3,000 4,800 lbs
(b) Mules 2,200 lbs 2,800 lbs 2,800 lbs 5,200 lbs 7,800 lbs
(c) Horses 1,800 lbs 2,200 lbs 2,200 lbs 4,400 lbs 6,600 lbs
(d) Oxen 1,600 lbs 2,000 lbs 2,000 lbs 4,000 lbs 6,000 lbs
Furthermore, the weights and measures for items frequently carried on carts have already been established in great detail. These include data on different types of woods, varying lengths of steel rods, cement/clay blocks of varying sizes, cases of drinks of varying sizes (both empty and full), petrol/kerosene (45 gallon drums), different sizes of sacks of rice/flour/sugar/rice bran/wheat bran/chicken feed, oil, paint, plywood of varying thickness, etc. In addition, these weights and measures are documented relative to a donkey-drawn cart or horse-drawn cart and also take into consideration whether the cart is 2 wheels or four wheels, etc.
Finally, I would encourage Mr Xiu Quan-Balgobind-Hackett to use his convincing pen and his lucid erudition to support the Guyana Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (GSPCA) and its Animal Clinic and Shelter.
Yours faithfully,
Dr Steve Surujbally
