Animal cruelty is human barbarity
THE responses from Karl Gosti and Matthew Byrne (Letters, March 31) to the opinions expressed by Mark O'Brien about cruelty to greyhounds are no surprise.
Look after the humans, ignore the abuse and suffering of any other species.
As to their queries on the horse industry, the hundreds of unwanted horses dying in fields around this country as their owners in the post-Celtic Tiger environment renege on their responsibilities to care for them is testament again of man's indifference to the suffering of animals.
The few rescuers involved with horses cannot cope with the sheer numbers being reported dead or dying due to lack of food and care. Should the horse racing industry take responsibility for these defenceless creatures? You bet they should, they make enough money from them.
If the greyhound industry is serious about the welfare of the dogs, perhaps they might demonstrate such concern by reducing the intensive breeding of greyhound pups.
We know there are about 8,000 adult greyhounds put down every year. Factor into that equation the thousands of young pups that, because they are not fast enough, don't live beyond a year. Greyhounds, which generate tens of millions for their owners and breeders, are viewed as disposable commodities. The fact that they are living, sentient creatures is of course incidental.
The German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer noted: "The assumption that animals are without rights and the illusion that our treatment of them has no moral significance is a positively outrageous example of Western crudity and barbarity. Universal compassion is the only guarantee of morality."
Tom Ryan
Bray, Co Wicklow
Irish Independent
