The Plight of Animals

There is a family of kittens living in the compound next door. And while they are cute (and you all know I love animals), seeing them makes me sad. No one is there to pet them, or feed them, or take them to the vet. Wild cats and dogs are a serious problem in The Gambia and many other developing countries. The dogs and cats are not fixed so there is a constant replenishing of the unlucky dogs and cats that die from the hard life on streets. There is no ASPCA or ARL in The Gambia, no service to euthanize sick animals, provide shelters or spay and neuter. No one looks after the animals that we consider cute, loving pets in America and let sleep in our beds and eat off of our tables. Here, they are considered pests and they are treated as such. I do know of one charity that tries to round up the cats and fix them, but they have little funding and therefore, little power or influence to help. When I tell Gambians that I have pets I let into my house, they are astonished. Here, letting an animal into your home is unheard of. Because they do not see these animal as potential pets, I think it's hard for Gambians to be sympathetic to or care about the welfare of the street animals.