Dear Editor,
Thanks to Mr. Bernel L. H. Wickham, whose Letter to SN on January 30, 2021, joins the chorus of such letters that occasionally appear in the media on animals roaming our heavily trafficked roadways.
Most of us view this problem as bothersome to travelers, irritated by the inconvenience of slowing down, angered by the cost of vehicle repairs, or offended by “waste” on the streets. However, I don’t recall anyone expressing any concern for the welfare of the animals. Or is it that we don’t care about their starvation and injuries? The time has come for us to take a stand collectively against animal neglect and abuse.
I understand that the Guyana Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (GSPCA) is under-funded and that the few individuals who have tried to launch and maintain animal welfare programmes have struggled for public support, with some silently abandoning their lofty goals.
I am now going on record to state that I have expressed to Guyanese stakeholders an interest in starting a Centre for Animal Welfare. (I decline to say to whom.) Thus far, I have not received any positive feedback. I know that there is a fast growing trend in the U.S. for the universities to establish animal welfare programmes. The time is ripe for the GSPCA and the University of Guyana to work in collaboration to launch such a programme.
I am ready and willing to donate to such an endeavour as I can think of no legacy of mine more worthy than to show compassion for our suffering animals. I look forward to hearing from interested parties willing to work with our private animal welfare foundation to make this plan a reality.
Kindly be mindful of Mahatma Gandhi’s dictum: “The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way in which its animals are treated.”
Yours truly
Dolly Z. Hassan, Ph.D., Esq.
President, Dolly Hassan’s Center for Animal Welfare, Inc.
