Operations manager of the Trinidad & Tobago Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (TTSPCA), Sara Maynard, says she has noticed an increase in animal cruelty, especially deliberate attacks. She has called for the implementation of the suggested regulations and the enforcement of the existing law.
Her comment was in response to a video that surfaced on social media showing someone spraying a flammable substance on a kitten locked in a cage and setting it on fire.
In the 28-second video, the black kitten can be seen running around the cage and screaming in pain as the perpetrators laugh.
“Liar, liar, pants on fire ... Oh gosh, I go dead,” the person laughed.
Someone was also heard in the background calling for water.
“I was rendered speechless; it was horrific; it was absolutely horrific,” she exclaimed.
Maynard told Guardian Media that the TTSPCA had been investigating animal cruelty for years and had found that most of it tended to be cruelty through ignorance, as people didn’t understand the requirements of caring for the animal.
“As far as feeding and as far as kennelling, caging, tying, etc, they didn’t comprehend that,” she explained.
She said these were people they could work with.
Some of the more serious cases included starvation, mistreatment, or beating. She said, unfortunately, that it was not the first time she had seen someone deliberately set an animal on fire.
These “monsters,” Maynard said, should face the brunt of the law.
She said in 2019, there was an amendment to the Animals (Diseases and Importation) Act. Her NGO, along with others, was invited by the Agriculture Ministry to develop standards that would help with the development of the regulations for the amendments.
The purpose of the Animal (Diseases and Importation) Amendment Bill, 2019 is to protect and promote animal health and to prevent the introduction and spread of animal diseases within Trinidad and Tobago and from other countries; to facilitate and regulate trade in animals, carcasses, animal products, and animal-related items; to establish standards for animal welfare and for other connected purposes.
In 2019, then police commissioner Gary Griffith said he would assign “specific officers in each division” to accompany animal activists to the homes or businesses of pet owners or individuals who inflict pain or suffering on an animal.
He added that men who hanged a dog back in 2020 were dealt with.
Maynard said there was a lack of interest when it came to dealing with animal cruelty in T&T.
Anyone with information on those responsible for the heinous act can contact the TTSPCA at 622-1367.
