An amendment to New Zealand law on behalf of the The Animal Welfare Amendment Bill, which was passed on Tuesday, states that animals, like humans, are "sentient" beings.
"To say that animals are sentient is to state explicitly that they can experience both positive and negative emotions, including pain and distress," said Dr Virginia Williams, chair of the National Animal Ethics Advisory Committee.
I was very pleased when this happened (and not just because I am a New Zealander) because it reinforced what we are trying to achieve here right now in Nepal regarding the Leopard Rewilding Program. It also came at a time when essentially the separation process between myself and leopard Asa was completing thus fulfilling his perfectly natural desire to live as a solitary predator in an environment, a territory where he could try to live a natural life.
Anyone who knows me at all will know that I consider caging animals (expand that to "any not natural confinement") as a last resort that unfortunately sometimes we have to turn to. My commitment is that we do everything in our power before taking that option which is often a soft one, an easy way out.
Living with a leopard only strengthened my resolve.
I'll keep this brief for now but in the last few days the program has come under an attack from someone who has not bothered to research our progress, that person's ego and personal agendas very much coming to the fore. I am extremely patient to a point but then maybe my "big cat qualities" may rise because I will defend vehemently against non-researched criticism especially if it involves personal attacks on the team or myself. When these criticism comes from someone who is not a resident of this struggling country (thus not really understanding the ways here) and use a position of so called power because of funding I will bite back at that arrogance.
This has a little way to play out. Look into the wise eyes of the barn owl and know about sentient beings and how our own humanity depends on understanding this. Once again I promote the word RESPECT.
Other posts are at facebook.com/jackkinross
Other posts are at facebook.com/jackkinross
