Respecting animals - Avoidable cruelty

THE animal welfare debate has raged for generations and it has often been hijacked to give vent to resentments that have nothing to do with animals.

In recent days the debate has be revived because a film showing a woman disposing of a cat in a waste bin has become current. The furore grew when a film of an another woman throwing puppies into a raging river was released. This behaviour is nothing sort of criminal and must be condemned.

However, it would be dishonest not to acknowledge that unwanted animals are sometimes disposed of in less than ideal circumstances. Inevitably unwanted litters of kittens or puppies are destroyed or dumped. Though this cannot be condoned it can be avoided. All pets that are not kept for breeding purposes should be neutered before they are mature enough to reproduce.