Dear Editor,
Another gruesome tale involving the Pitbull breed has confronted the Guyanese public.
According to the Kaieteur News of November 25, the female owner was bitten by two of her own dogs while washing clothes in her yard. The article provides no other information about what may have triggered the attack, but from subsequent accounts, these dogs were raised to be very vicious. The Guyana Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (GSPCA) has repeatedly indicated that dogs of such a temperament are a danger to society on the whole and that those who raise them in this manner are irresponsible. Fortunately, neighbours intervened to rescue the female owner from the two dogs on the loose. If that were the end of this story, it would be a relatively happy one.
What happened next, the article continued, was that “neighbours, aided by police ranks, were forced to slaughter several pit bulls.” Editor, the footage of this carnage has been making the rounds on social media for the world to see. On this video, we see a group of men mercilessly beating and hacking these animals, which were still penned, to a painful death. It was a barbaric display—if one can bear to watch it—and a stark reminder of the plague of violence that grips our society. The GSPCA has consistently warned of the link between violence towards animals and violence towards fellow human beings. The website of PETA, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, a major animal welfare organization, notes that “violent acts toward animals have long been recognized as indicators of a dangerous psychopathy that does not confine itself to animal abuse.”
Editor, surely there was a more civilized way to deal with the remaining dogs in the pens than to descend into the primal chopping frenzy that ensued. This incident was animal cruelty at its very worst. It will surely cast Guyana in a very bad light, given the intolerance developed societies have for such atrocities on animals; and without question, the perpetrators of this animal cruelty must be charged accordingly.
With plenty of video evidence available, the GSPCA calls on the Guyana Police Force to enforce our country’s animal welfare laws and bring the offenders before our courts. Meanwhile, the GSPCA will reach out to those international animal welfare organizations with which it is affiliated so as to ensure this incident receives the attention it necessitates.
Yours faithfully,
Oliver Insanally
Dr Steve Surujbally
Jennifer Falconer-Majeed
Dr Nicholas Waldron
Dominique Ahmad
Shiromanie Isaacs
Robin Sivanand
Laleta Sivanand
The Executive Committee of
the GSPCA
