Action for compassion
In the UK the coming years will be very difficult for animal welfare.
The so-called "credit crunch" and rising prices that affect us all are
already making it difficult for animal welfare groups. It is harder both
to raise funds and supporters seem to have less free time to give to
animal welfare activity.
On the political front there is a Government in waiting where the
benchmark for the treatment of animals is that killing them just for fun
is fine. An outrageous comment? Yes, but sadly it is borne out by the
facts. With a 26 point lead in the polls and less than 2 years to the
next election is there really any doubt as to who will win? At the
Cambridge Union Society on February 7th 2008 there was a debate on the
motion "This house believes that hunting animals for sport is an act of
intolerable cruelty". Not hunting animals for food, or for "pest
control", but for sport, just for fun. And animals that are hunted often
end up dead.
The motion was opposed by two men. Simon Hart a leading figure in the
bloodsports world and Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for the
Conservative Party, and incidentally the man who many regard as the "power behind the throne" for David Cameron. Secondly it was opposed by
Jim Barrington consultant to the All-Party Parliamentary Middle Way
group. If the "middle way" on bloodsports is that hunting and killing
animals for fun is fine just where might the hard core pro-hunt view lie?
Mercifully on this occasion the bloodsports view at Cambridge was
defeated, but they will be back, they always are.
In two years time or less the UK will have a Government for whom the first commandment regarding the treatment of animals will be that killing
them for sport is fine. With that ethos does anyone really believe that
they will care much for the welfare of animals killed for food or in the
research laboratory in some vain quest for a cure for human illness?
Within the duration of a Cameron led Government it is likely that we will
see King Charles ascend to the throne, with Queen Camilla beside him. Can
you see much benevolence towards animals from them? Wildlife in the UK
will become fair game for just about any excess. Our servile and feeble
media, in hock to the advertising power of the drug industry and big
business, and short of both the funds and the integrity to find out the
truth, will say nothing to help the helpless.
In my worst nightmare I can see lottery money being used in 2011 to fund
a whole revamp of the Waterloo Cup hare coursing experience. A big old
grandstand being built alongside the Withins (the coursing site near
Liverpool) to give the punters a better view of the pregnant hare
twisting and turning as she flees for her life. Otter hunting will
return. Our Queen was a subscriber to the Eastern Counties Otterhounds.
Would anyone bet against her son giving the honour of his patronage to a
west country pack nearer his home? Perhaps schools will have "hunt
service" or "kennel management" on the curriculum. Far fetched? Sadly
not. Think of the inroads made by angling in recent years into the school
environment. Look at the way the shooting lobby are now getting into
schools. After the horror of the Dunblane massacre and the gun crime
rampant on our streets one might have thought it wise to keep guns and
kids far apart but the opposite is encouraged. Even under our current
Government the police give shotgun certificates to primary school
children so what might happen under a Government wholly committed to
killing animals for fun?
This is the future for animals in the UK and I am ringing the alarm bells
now. The animal welfare view in the UK is strong in number but as of May
2008 we are not well coordinated, not focussed and not geared up for the
battles that lie ahead. Please, we need to sort this soon. Do you know
what the hunters say about animal welfarists? I have been told "You have
got a lot of supporters but your supporters couldn't be bothered to cross
the road to sign a petition!" That is not actually fair but we all need
to prove our real commitment now. Conversely hunt fans have shown time
and again that they would draft the petition, print it, assemble a team
to distribute it door to door, collect it and deliver it. They will do
all that just to regain or retain their right to kill animals for sport.
I am not asking for that level of commitment, (but it would be nice), all
I ask is that we raise our game now before it is too late. Can we all aim
to do one or more of the following:-
1. If your membership has lapsed for any animal welfare group, charity or
sanctuary please renew it. They really need your help now.
2. Please forward this e-mail to anyone and everyone you know who is
interested in helping protect those fellow creatures who share this
planet with us..
3. If you are not already a supporter of the Animal Cruelty
Investigation Group and on our e-mail contact list please just send us an email of support at: acig@btinternet.com. That small act will enable us
to gauge and ultimately deploy the real strength of the compassionate view. The hunting brigade in the UK alone are believed to have in excess
of 40,000 people in direct e-mail contact. This powerful army that
includes just about every man, woman and child who delights in hunting
allows them to exert extreme pressure on our media and politicians. They
are powerful now but if we could harness but a fraction of our total
numbers we would far exceed them.
4. Aim to do something extra now to help animals.Could you do yet more to
make your views heard? Write more letters to the media or to
politicians? Do more to help with the distributing of leaflets? Perhaps
you could help with the monitoring of hunts, in particular at this time
the mink hunts that pose such a threat to the return of the otter? Or the
exposure of cruelty elsewhere? Or help with the recruitment of the next
generation of animal welfare supporter?
5. Do whatever you can to secure the election of compassionate MPs to the
House of Commons. Are those who care so little for the welfare of animals
really likely to be much more benevolent towards vulnerable members of
our own species, the young or the old? We are battling a mind set here.
The bloodsports brigade are full of bullies and thugs. Yes, they get
their fun from tormenting animals but time and again they demonstrate
their utter contempt for their own species.
I may of course have judged it all wrong. The next election may see the
return of a Government committed to strengthening the Hunting Act.
Charles may step aside in favour of William. Compassion may rule and the
thugs and bullies will be suppressed. But even if my worst nightmares
never materialise it will do no harm for animal welfare people to be more
united and stronger than ever.
A final word for people who have been forwarded this e-mail and may never
have heard of myself or the ACIG. I have been working for animal welfare
in the UK since 1971. I set the ACIG up in 1989. Please, to get an idea
of the successes we have achieved take a look at our website at:
www.acigawis.co.uk
Thank you for taking the time to read this.
Kindest regards,
Mike Huskisson
Animal Cruelty Investigation Group
PO Box 8, Halesworth Suffolk IP19 0JL