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IMPORTANCE OF ANIMAL WELFARE
By PEELA RAMAKRISHANA
OURS is a beautiful country full of hills, mountains, large rivers and several varieties of animals and birds. Everywhere we can find greenish cultivable lands producing food and fodder crops suitable for men and cattle.
In our sacred land were born sages and seers and incarnations of God. Our sacred land has given birth go great men like Bhagwan Buddha, Thiruthankar Mahaveer, Mahatma Gandhi, Ramana Maharshi, and Thiruvalluvar and every one of them being an embodiment of compassion. We are very fortunate as ours is the only country rich in natural resources and wherein such divine persons were born. They strove not only for the good of humanity but also for the betterment of the dumb creatures and we have come across numerous incidents of protecting voiceless beings.
A flying bird which was shot with a arrow was struggling with pain and grief. The Buddha ran near to her, applied the juice of leaves and bandaged and relieved the bird from its distress. This noble act of kindness is indeed exempary to all of us.
The Youth, male or female, are enlightened citizens of this country. They should cultivate kind sentiments. Not only should they refrain from doing to any animal, but should they also dissuade others from inflicting cruelty to any animal. Generally, the boys tie a string to tiny wings of flying insects and playfully leave them flying. They simply tie their wings and cannot have a free flight. Sometimes their wings are left broken. They also pelt stones upon sleeping. dogs. Again, they tie palmyra leaves and empty tins to the tails of donkeys. The animals run out of fear of the sounds produced and the boys take pleasure in it. The elders must check such mischievous acts involving cruelty and suffering to innocent animals.
I now mention the cruelties inflicted on animals by grown up persons. They hold the fowl by legs and carry them in a topsy-turvy position. Swords are tied to the cocks and they are made to fight with each other. They pierce the swords into the bodies of each other with the result of streams of blood flow. They take pleasure in the fowl the fights well and defeats the other in spite of the injuries and blood shed inflicted on it. There are ram fights and bull fights as well. The cruelty and death involved in the making of fancy articles are shocking beyond description. The bullocks are made to draw heavily loaded and overloaded carts. If the bullocks get exhausted and can move no further, the cartmen beat them fiercely. They twist their tails and even put on hot things in their eyes, like chilly-powder. If even the prudent persons resort to such atrocities to whom else can the helpless dumb animals complain of their sufferings ? Who would listen to their screams ? Who would wipe off their tears? It is the youth taht must rise to the occasion. If in their presence such cruel acts are committed, they must educate and dissuade them from doing such cruelties.
Once, while Abraham Lincoln was going by car, he saw a young of a pig stuck up in a canal and struggling to get out of it. It was screaming, but to no purpose as no passer-by would take notcie of it. But Abraham Lincoln could not move a step further on hearing its screams and was bent upon saving
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