If I were to be the President of Nigeria, I would ban owning pets in the country. If I even allowed it, I would make the process as complex as adopting a human baby can be. Before anyone can adopt a pet, they’ll be checked for mental health, financial status, and the prospective home of the dog. If one issue is missing or feeling funky, they’d lose the bid at once. Hell, there’d even be an Animal Protection Services coming to check up on the animals from time to time.
This would be a great move because it would ensure that the pets are going to people who actually need them and who want to give them a home and a good life. Anything else is basically stepping on the rights of the pet, and that won’t be accepted in my administration.
If there’s one thing I’ve come to know about my people, the majority of us don’t have a good culture when it comes to pets. Many people here own pets not for the companionship, but for other reasons. People raise dogs simply as security guards, and even worse, some get certain dogs for aesthetics. Some get dogs simply to take pictures with them and look cute on the gram.
There are some dogs that I’ve seen in Nigeria that are not supposed to be here at all. Dogs that are naturally designed for cold regions, you’ll find them sweating with us in this Lagos heat. People will give their dogs whatever to eat, without caring how it’ll affect them. Someone once commented that “I can’t be feeding my dog when even I am yet to eat.” As in ehn… if you couldn’t afford it, why did you get it in the first place? There’s no explanation that’ll be given that’ll make me understand the cruel way many people treat their pets.
Sadly, this isn’t restricted to individuals; full-blown government organizations are like that! The zoo should be a place where animals are properly cared for. Seeing as people pay good money to come see them, that money should be used for their upkeep and well-being. Yet, when you go visiting, the animals will look malnourished and lack energy. They look more like the prisoners that they are than anything else.
It’s just sad because we have budding resorts and zoos in Nigeria. But as per custom, money that should be used to care for these things end up being pocketed. So, they make bucks off the poor animals, but the animals get nothing in return. It’s simply cruel.
But then, if that wasn’t the case, and the zoos and resorts in Nigeria actually took better care of the animals in their care, then we would simply be dealing with the issue of ethics. There’s actually no other way to look at it. We’re simply taking advantage of the lesser animals for our entertainment. Nothing more, nothing less.
But then, that’s just life for you. Nature was designed in such a way that for balance to exist, animals have to try to eat each other. And that’s the rule of the jungle; don’t get eaten. Besides, the other animals are not just in danger from other animals; they’re also in danger from humans who will poach and kill them either for their meat or for their skin.
Humans are the main problem, and sanctions may not always be enough to deter them. So, in a way, keeping them in the zoo or resorts gives the authorities a better way to protect them. So, I guess it’s all a gray area. They’re doing the right thing, but while they’re at it, they’re making loads of cash as a result. Like I said, that’s all an ethics thing.
But in my slice of the world, animals need to be taken better care of. They need to be fed better and cared for better. If you can’t afford it, then don’t get one. It’s as simple as that. Anything else is just cruelty, and that’s not acceptable.
