Call to shun ‘speciesism’, love all animals
‘Speciesism’ is the thought process that humans have a bigger moral right and the right over other species, just because humans are humans
Hyderabad: We all have seen a puppy or a kitten on the roads and went ‘awww’, even playing with it or taking it home. But not many think the same way about other animals like chicken, pigs, frogs or lizards. In fact, some of these are seen as food while others are shooed away. This is speciesism.
‘Speciesism’ is the thought process that humans have a bigger moral right and the right over other species, just because humans are humans. Another example of speciesism is the differential treatment of animals like chicken or fish as opposed to how dogs, cats and other conventional pets are treated. June 5 is World Day Against Speciesism and people are increasingly becoming aware and acting towards the same, even in Hyderabad.
For instance, city-based dentist, Sindhura Pothineni, is known for rescuing animals. While the term ‘animal rescue’ usually brings up images of cute kittens or puppies being rescued, Sindhura has rescued, treated and nurtured rats, pigs, birds, lizards, frogs and even snakes. This is her fight against speciesism.
“Every animal feels pain and there are a lot of instances where injured kittens and pups are rescued but lizards, frogs and other animals are left to a painful death. I was inspired by my father to help animals and for the last seven years, I’ve been rescuing and taking care of animals till they can be released back. I am not selectively compassionate,” shares the 25-year-old, who is also a vegan.
While rescuing animals is one side, Chaitanya Gundluri is an entrepreneur known for ensuring safety of stray animals. “When traffic safety is spoken about, it is only about humans but through our initiative, we put reflective collars on stray animals, ensuring they are spotted from afar at night. Stray animals deserve to be safe too,” says Chaitanya.
Others, like Anusha Bhagavathula, have had varied experiences that made them vegans, ensuring they don’t play even an indirect role in harming other species. “I was a vegetarian but during my hotel management course, we had to cook and taste different meats and also had to butcher animals. Apart from this, I noticed in our farmhouse that caretakers were pampering some animals while slaughtering others. Later I got married into a family where meat is eaten regularly. All these experiences and the research I did about meat industry and speciesism made me a vegan,” says the young HR professional.
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