If the following editorial sounds familiar, it should.
The Caymanian Compass ran a similar missive just one year
ago railing against the senseless poisonings of dogs in the Cayman Islands.
Over the holiday period someone(s) decided that the best way
to deal with bothersome dogs was to poison them. The weapon of choice:
Paraquat.
The seven cases – so far – of poisonings started before
Christmas with the last one discovered this past Sunday. And it’s happening
across Grand Cayman in West Bay, Pease Bay, Admiral’s Landing and East End.
It is unconscionable that here, in a Christian society,
members of our community can continually be so cruel. Deliberately killing a
dog by purposely giving them a poison that causes a slow, painful death is not
only inhumane, it’s criminal. The poisoning issue isn’t new; it’s been
happening for years and the widespread poisonings tell us that the problem
isn’t with just one offender and that there is some kind of subculture of
abhorrent behaviour at work.
These continual dog poisonings do not show the Cayman
Islands in a very good light to the international community.
Since none of the recent dog poisonings have led to arrests,
we really can’t count on justice being done. Instead, Cayman should concentrate
on changing, through education, people’s perceptions of the way animals are
treated. This effort, which should start with young children in school, could
include lessons on responsible pet ownership. Too many people here seem to
think the responsibilities of pet ownership end at feeding.
Pet owners need to be aware of where their dogs are at all
times and keep them on a leash when walking them. Owners that let their dogs
roam neighbourhoods are guilty of neglect and should be aware that others are
willing to use lethal doses of paraquat to get rid of the animals.
Paraquat hasn’t been sold at the Department of Agriculture
for a couple of years, so we have to assume that those who are using the poison
– which is a herbicide to kill vegetation – have it stockpiled for use beyond
its original intent.
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In my memory no one has every been charged for poisoning dogs. Unfortunate certainly. Given the different locations same person or different people.
Cayman has a LONG way to go in the learning the proper treatment of animals. I have lived there and I know how you treat them. Cows tied up to a two foot rope with no access to food or water. Horses tied up in filthy areas, next to cars zipping by. And the dogs…you people treat them very bad. Most of the expats are educated enough to know better, but the Caymanian people do not respect animals the same way we do in the States and in the UK. That is a fact. You can learn a lot about a country by how it treats those who are vulnerable and cannot speak for themselves. What say you Cayman? Shame, shame.
There’s no need to tar all Caymanians with the same brush because of the criminal behaviour of a few.
Most Caymanian families are as loving and caring for their pets as any other families from any other country…I know for sure mine is.
Our dogs and cats have been beloved members of our families all my life and heaven help anyone who touches them unkindly.
There have been recent cases of animal abuse in the UK that have led to criminal convictions and jail time…the worst one of a woman nuking her neighbours kitten in a microwave over some sort of domestic argument.
Cruel and unkind people exist in every country.
What people should be calling for is a more robust investigation and prosecution process for these crimes against animals.