“The world is their home too.”
This was the theme of World Animal Welfare Day, October 4, 2024. I’d be willing to bet that most of our citizens have never heard of Animal Welfare Day. Few would know that it has been observed annually since 1925. The date was chosen to coincide with the feast day of the Roman Catholic patron saint of animals, St Francis of Assisi. If St Francis were alive today, he would be concerned about the terrible impact that climate change is having on the lives of animals.
St Francis was well ahead of his time. In the 13th century, he had a close connection with animals. He knew that they could experience pain, distress, affection, happiness, excitement, fear and anger. They learn and understand kindness and cruelty. Sadly, it wasn’t until the 18th century that philosophers and scientists began to understand (and admit) that animals have feelings. Today, in T&T, centuries later, many of us still don’t accept that animals are sentient – aware and capable of feeling. If we did, we would become serious about our treatment of pets, farm animals, wildlife and captive wild animals. We would create laws not just to forbid and severely punish cruelty, but also to place a duty of care (legal obligation to meet animal needs) on owners and anyone responsible for an animal’s welfare. Our laws would ensure consideration of animal sentience and welfare.
Every person in T&T depends in some way upon animals. Animals are essential to human survival and our lives are interlinked. Their flesh and milk provide (the non-vegans among us) nourishment. They protect us and give some peace of mind in our crime-ridden communities. They give unconditional love and companionship. We even depend on earthworms, millipedes, bees, butterflies, ladybirds, bats, spiders, snakes and owls – without them, plants wouldn’t be pollinated, soil would be of poorer quality, pests would take over and our crops would die. We need animals for our survival, and we have an obligation to look after their welfare, including protecting our shared environment – the ‘One Health’ approach. ‘One Health’ recognises that the health of humans, domestic and wild animals, plants, and the wider environment are all connected and co-dependent. When one suffers, we all do.
We have experienced - and continue to experience - the effects of climate change in T&T; intense dry seasons, lack of water, overwhelming heat and humidity, torrential rainstorms, destructive flooding, and unusually warm seas. Livestock suffer greatly in hot humid weather, and farmers face production losses. This month, we can expect heat indices (a combination of heat and humidity) of up to 44C°!
This new dry season heat bakes the hillsides, and carelessly started bushfires ravage wildlife and cause erosion of soil that washes away to block drains and rivers when the rain comes. Plastic bottles and old appliances thrown into drains and streams contribute to blocked and overflowing rivers, already clogged with soil from charred hillsides, making matters worse. People, pets, livestock and wildlife alike then suffer the consequences of floods.
Leptospirosis, a disease that affects both animals and people, is more common with rain and flooding and can be fatal. As rainy seasons and flooding episodes become more extreme, we should take action to minimise flooding and to protect ourselves and our animals from the after-effects of floods.
Social media posts from our Ministry of Agriculture give useful advice on preparation for flooding, protection of livestock from floods, managing livestock affected by flooding, and guidance on managing heat stress in livestock. Informative downloadable posters are available on their website. The Trinidad & Tobago Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (TTSPCA) and many veterinary practice websites and Facebook pages also have practical hot weather safety tips and disaster preparedness information for cat and dog owners.
Transporting animals is best done at cool times of day. Dangerous practices include transporting any animal in a closed trunk, leaving animals in cars in hot weather, transporting them in open trays in hot weather, transporting them in cramped, high-density conditions (especially poultry), walking dogs on roads too hot for your own bare feet, and chaining dogs in areas with no shade or no water. All these should be avoided.
We can all help to safeguard our pets, our livestock and our wildlife – and ourselves. We can change our behaviours and teach our children to dispose of garbage responsibly, and not to light fires in the dry season, so that we preserve the environment. We can encourage them to respect wildlife and care for pets, and not to participate in or tolerate animal cruelty or abuse.
St Francis would have known the Biblical proverb, “A righteous man cares for the life of his beast.” In the 21st century, do we care? Selfishness may be what it takes to motivate us, but by looking after our environment and our animals, we go a long way towards looking after ourselves.
This column was provided by EarthMedic and EarthNurse NGO to equip readers to face the climate and health crisis.
