– linking animal cruelty to abuse and domestic violence

“Until one has loved an animal, a part of one’s soul remains unawakened.”
? Anatole France

THE British Guiana Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals was established in 1903 by a group of expatriate volunteers after witnessing the ill-treatment and suffering meted out to animals every day in the streets of Georgetown.

This was told to the Guyana Chronicle Pepperpot Magazine by Oliver Insanally, Honorary President of the Association, who went on to explain that at that time the association had no building to operate from and so their work was carried out from their individual homes. He said that by 1953 the situation changed, mainly through the efforts of Jean Wilson and assisted by her husband who was the architect of the first building to house the GSPCA’s Animal Clinic was erected.

After Independence in 1966, the Society’s name was changed to the Guyana Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (GSPCA). At this point, steadfast work to recruit volunteers by Mrs. Taylor, a stalwart member of the GSPCA paid off and in 1992 a group of individuals accepted the positions to serve as volunteers and eventually committee members.

SPAY AND NEUTER PROGRAMME
Insanally, in responding to the concerns about the continued cruelty to animals said, “There still remains much room for improvement in terms of how we treat our animals and this reflects on the kind of nation we are. All Guyanese would like to be part of a caring and compassionate society, so it is important that we demonstrate this in a very visible way when it comes to animal welfare. There are certainly still too many cases of animal abuse in our nation.”

He added that the GSPCA has been making some inroads, mainly through its spay and neuter programme. These procedures prevent unwanted animal pregnancies. By preventing such pregnancies, he said, the GSPCA can curb and reduce the number of stray animals on our roads.

He explained that for years the GSPCA has performed thousands of these procedures at no cost to the pets of owners who could not otherwise afford these. In this way, the GSPCA is making an impact in terms of reducing the number of stray animals on our roads.

RELATIONSHIP WITH CHILDREN
Studies have shown that younger children can learn the art of kindness and compassion through caring for another creature and putting its needs first; that the attachment to a pet is also incredibly important for developing empathy in older children; and that the period of greatest attachment to pets appears to be amongst nine and 10 years old.

Children under supervision handling dogs, cats and other pets can be a great way to teach children how to deal with nature’s little creatures without hurting them. A child who learns how to hold a pet and recognise when the pet wants to be put down is starting to learn how to consider the needs of another creature, studies have suggested.

Several studies have also presented that the way pets are treated in the family is incredibly important for teaching empathy. If pets are constantly caged, never walked and played with, children can actually learn to disregard the needs of others. By learning to understand how much pleasure the dog gets from playing fetch and that the cat doesn’t like to be chased, kids can start to understand that everyone has different needs, planting those first seeds of empathy in their learning brains.

Further, in terms of whether children who mistreat animals are more likely to become violent, authors of several studies have found that there is a correlation between childhood abuse of animals and other problematic behaviours. In addition, a literature review looked at several studies that examined the motivations of the young people when mistreating animals and it was clear that, although for some the behaviour was related to curiosity or was the result of peer pressure, for others the cruelty was an expression of past trauma.

Nevertheless, the authors caution that it is difficult to predict which individual will progress from violence against animals to violence against other people, so care should be taken as not to loosely make this determination.

URGING CARE, IMPLEMENTING LEGISLATION
In the meanwhile, Insanally said, “The Society is focusing more on promoting the compassionate treatment and care of our animals by creating more awareness of the issues of animal cruelty and the proper treatment of animals. The GSPCA is particularly interested in working with our young people as they are agents of change who can cause a shift in how we as a nation treat animals.”

He said that the GSPCA also wants to see Guyana’s animal welfare legislation more actively enforced. Guyana has updated animal welfare legislation, and as the GSPCA itself is not legally empowered to enforce these laws, the Society needs the co-operation of Guyana Police Force to do so.

Insanally said that the GSPCA believes that these two areas of focus (care and legislation) if properly operationalised, will make a significant impact on improving the welfare of animals in Guyana. However, the GSPCA needs foot soldiers in the fight to improve animal welfare and is looking for volunteers in its public awareness and education efforts.

Animals of all kinds enrich the lives of many people – whether they are dogs or cats, domesticated animals such as a horse, or even wild animals; they can be friendly creatures who inspire people’s imagination. By caring for pets and domesticated animals and respecting animals in the wild, it becomes even easy for people to show kindness to their fellow human beings.

Other members of the GSPCA’s executive committee are Jennifer Falconer-Majeed, Vice President; Secretary Shiromanie Isaacs; Dominique Ahmad – Treasurer; Stacey Gomes – Asst. Secretary/Treasurer; Committee members: Dr. Steve Surujbally, Dr. Nardeo Bassoodeo and Robin Sivanand.

Members of the public may express an interest in becoming volunteers of the GSPCA by way of email.