Blogging About Critters Since 2007

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Working Animals Face "Firing Squad" in Developing Countries

Ugh. Horrible story. Fortunately the donkey was rescued by the Society for the Protection of Animals Abroad (SPANA).

Here's what they say about "the Firing Squad," a horrible method of "treating" wounded work animals.

We don’t really mean that they will be lined up and shot. No, their suffering will be far more drawn out. They will be ‘fired’ with a red hot iron in the mistaken belief that it will cure a wound.

Humar, pictured on the right, is just one animal to have suffered this traditional, yet ineffective treatment, to horrifying effect.

For many years, Humar had carried heavy loads for his owner and was now suffering from arthritis. Although there are medicines that would have eased his pain and reduced the inflammation, Humar was forced to struggle on. He needed time to rest and recover. Unfortunately, this is far from the treatment he got.

Like many poor people in Morocco, Humar’s owner had little chance of being able to afford a vet – or even find one close by. So he turned to a ‘traditional cure’. This involved repeatedly laying a hot iron onto Humar’s shoulder. His suffering didn’t stop there. Predictably, the ‘cure’ failed and he then later poured boiling hot engine oil all over Humar’s coat.

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