‘Stricter laws needed to combat animal abuse’
Manama : Animal rights activists in the Kingdom have called upon authorities to set up stricter laws against animal cruelty after a group of vandals organised a gruesome dogfight recently.
Two owners unleashed their pets on one another as a mob cheered them on at the Kingdom’s Zallaq Beach last week.
The video of the fight, posted on the animal rescue page – Bahrain Strays on Facebook created an uproar among animal lovers of the country, while bringing Bahrain’s issues of animal rights and safety to prominence once again.
The one-minute video showcases two men guiding a fight between two dogs within a cage as an excited audience watch the dogs get heavily injured.
“Dogfighting is an age-old issue for Bahrain. It is strange how some people can be so merciless. They consider it a ‘sport’ and earn money by harming these innocent animals,” said Fathiya Albastaki, founder of Bahrain Strays.
Fathiya who spoke to DT News explained that in order to be forced into dogfights, these dogs are kept in illegal farms and made to drink water mixed with blood. They are caged, starved and injected with steroids and gunpowder for a month before a scheduled fight.
“These practices train them to become attackers from the very beginning. Additionally, when the dog loses a fight, the owner tries to get rid of it by burning it alive or abandoning it, creating a great danger for the society,” she said.
Expressing her concerns and suggesting ways to deal with the issue, she added: “It is high-time that the country forms laws and penalties against these cruel people who at the moment have nothing to fear. It would also help if all registered societies took up greater responsibilities to stop such inhuman activities against animals.”
People who illegally breed these dogs in the Hamad Town, Zallaq and the outskirts of Bahrain are running a profitable business, earning over BD700 - 800 per dogfight.
“While there are some organisations and people in Bahrain who are doing their bit to protect these animals, there are still some who have no value for an animal’s life. It is important that children are taught about animals from an early age and encouraged to perform kind acts such as feeding and petting them,” Yaseen, another animal lover from the Kingdom said.
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