Animals and culture: Some points to ponder
View(s):Culture is defined by some as the totality of socially transmitted behaviour patterns, arts, beliefs, institutions, and all other products of human work and thought. These patterns, traits, and products are considered the expression of a particular period, class, community, or population.
Animal welfare refers to the actions that ensure the wellbeing mainly of domestic animals. Animal welfare was a concern of some ancient civilisations but began to take a larger place in Western public policy in 19th century, as in Britain. Today it is a significant focus of interest in science, ethics, and animal welfare organisations.
According to the definition of culture, given above, many animals possess cultures too, they are ‘socially transmitted behaviour patterns’. Most ‘cultural’ associations with animals in the eastern world are based on religion. In the western world the associations are more symbolic.
In ancient times the Sri Lankan State protected animals, birds, and other living creatures of the land pursuant to a moving plea made by Arahath Mahinda who brought the message of Buddhism to Sri Lanka from India. However, while a reverence for life is deeply entrenched in society, this does not always translate to a reverence for welfare, which is frequently rationalised as the karmic fate of the animal. The paradox exists, therefore, that while most people will not kill animals, they would not go out of their way to improve the wellbeing of an animal, either. Examples include temple elephants being kept in chains for much of the time or made to walk long distances on burning hot paved roads; stray dogs being allowed to ‘live’ on roads and public areas with little or no care. Further, the state, which is constitutionally bound to protect and foster the Buddha Sasana, itself undertakes activities that are arguably inimical to the welfare of animals, e.g., through a fisheries corporation, a leather products corporation, a silk corporation etc.
Veterinary ethics
Mahatma Gandhi has said that “The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated”. Historical rock inscriptions and ancient chronicles e.g. Mahawamsa, reveal that state protection was granted to animals and the slaughter of cows was strictly prohibited. However cattle bones feature prominently in archaeological digs all over the country, including Anuradhapura.
Today Veterinarians are required to be more than good at their clinical work. They must have a sound understanding of their moral, ethical and legal obligations to the public, their peers and the animals that they treat. Animal laws are now growing as a legal discipline. This has enormous implications for the veterinary profession.
Sri Lanka’s Animal Welfare Bill is now before the Cabinet of Ministers before it becomes law.
Human – animal relationships and conflicts
The perception of human-wildlife conflicts is when wildlife act in a way that is detrimental to humans. However, when humans do something like shooting at or killing any form of wildlife, it is not considered a conflict. Poaching animals for their meat or certain parts of their body like skin, tusks, feathers etc is not seen by humans as causing a conflict. However should a leopard (Panthera pardus) kill a dog, a calf or a goat for its food, this act is seen as a conflict that humans have with leopards.
Human-wildlife conflicts are those that humans have with the larger animals. In Sri Lanka it is perceived as a conflict when elephants (Elephas maximus), deer (Axis axis), sambur (Cervus uncolor) and wild boar (Sus scrofa) come and destroy crops. When leopards take away livestock it is considered a conflict. Elephants destroy crops on a much larger scale compared to the others and create a greater perception of conflict. The number of humans killed by elephants each year, on an average, in Sri Lanka is 65. The number of humans killed by snakebite in Sri Lanka is around 120 (Anslem de Silva, pers comm). However it is man’s conflict with elephants that the media highlights regularly.
Animal sacrifices
During the time of Buddha, circa 500 BC, the Vedic religion of the Brahmin priesthood in India had become degenerate and suppressive and engaged in frequent animal sacrifices. The Buddha especially denounced the religious animal sacrifices so common during those days. Animal sacrifices continue in India, Sri Lanka and Nepal. However there is much agitation against such sacrificial practices especially of goats at Hindu festivals in Sri Lanka.
Feeding animals
Though the Fauna & Flora Protection Ordinance in Sri Lanka prohibits people from feeding wild animals there are a number of instances where wild animals are fed by humans. Feeding wild animals is done through sympathy, to gain merit and through thoughtlessness. If one thinks a little one will realise that if we feed wild animals and at sometime stop feeding them, they will continue to expect the food that they are used to.
We see wild elephants being fed at an electric fence at the Uda Walawe National Park by some of those passing along the road. This feeding has been going on for the last 12 years and no elephant has made an attempt to come through the fence. There are 32 identified elephants that come to the fence daily, are fed on fruits and leave after an hour or so. Then there are the elephants that come regularly to garbage pits that are on the outskirts of the cities of Polonnaruwa, Hambantota, Habarana, Dambulla and Kantalai, which are close to their habitats and feed on the garbage dumped irresponsibly by the local authorities. That is a form of indirect feeding.
In the holy city of Kataragama popcorn is bought by devotees who in turn feed them to the fish in the Menik Ganga (river) which runs through Kataragama. Some feel that this act would give them merit and others feel that it washes away their sins. Whatever it is the fish population increases but when the pilgrim season is over the now increased population of fish will have to move along the river in search of food and find it.
Animals for research
Proponents of animal research are varied and well funded. Their lobbying interest reflects concern for profit while throwing compassion and even human health to the wind. However due to widespread agitation against the indiscriminate use of animals for medical and other research, there is a growing realisation that this practice is harmful to animals. A significant reduction in the use of animals for research is now observed. The use of amphibians to teach anatomy in schools has now been abandoned altogether.