By Ismaila Sonko
Lamin F. Fatty, animal’s advocator studying at the Gambia College has demanded for animal’s protection from their owners across the country. He raised this concern to The Voice newspaper recently in an interview on the welfare of animals especially farming animals.
“I am an animal’s welfare advocate and I have to show my dissatisfaction about the way we treat animals in this country, animals are not enjoying their fundamental freedom in their motherland,” he said.
Fatty, disclosed that animals have five freedoms that they should enjoy namely; Freedom from hunger and taste, Freedom from discomfort, Freedom from pain injury and disease, Freedom to express normal behavior and Freedom from fear and distress.
The animal advocator challenged shepherds, owners of animals, riders to stop ill-treatment of animals which include overloading, Example, overloading of donkey and indiscriminate beating of them.
According to him, the condition of the donkey cart should be put into the consideration when loading because some tires might be loose and if that happen the animals find it so difficult to drag the cart. Sometimes he continued the size of the cart might be very small so if you want to put something that can’t fit in on the cart, it can cause a accident.
He advised that when loading the cart the condition of the road should also be consider because some roads are very rough so when the cart is moving it will disturb the Animal.
Another major thing is the balance of the load this too is a major factor that can cause an accident because when the load is all at the backside it will weighed down the Animal.
Mr. Fatty, noted that the people should understand that Animals are sentient beings they feel when we care them properly the same goes when we maltreat them. And “we should also understand that we are animals but high class animals” while the farm animals are low class animals and “God gave us the wisdom to be able to handle this Animals despite their power so therefore we should take good care of them.”
He advised that animals should be treated accordingly when they sustain injures because there is a disease called Zoonotic it’s a disease that can transfer from animals to human being so if we don’t take care them people may be affected.
