By Elesha George
“We will continue to protest until something is done about it,” insisted Joy Farrell, the founder of animal welfare group, Dogs and Cats of Antigua.
The group is planning to gather outside the Parliament building on Monday, to pressure the government to enforce laws against animal cruelty as outlined in the country’s Animal Health Act.
Chapter 6 of the Act which speaks to Animal Welfare and Stray Animals prohibits the maltreatment of animals and states that “no person shall torture, beat, injure, mutilate, neglect or treat with cruelty or overload an animal”.
Still, Farrell said the organisation – which runs a rescue shelter for dogs and cats in Osbourn – has been inundated with stories of neglect and brutality against animals and are frankly at their “wit’s end”.
She said Monday’s protest is a culmination of years of advocacy.
“Every day the amount of cruelty that goes on – and maybe it’s because we’re on the front lines and this is what we see every day and maybe other people don’t see it, so are not aware – so we want to bring awareness to it,” she told Observer.
“And, perhaps if more people are aware, they might feel compelled to join our voice and protest as well.”
The group is seeking to protect these animals from poisoning, machete wounds, and other kinds of abuse.
Observer reported on two such incidents earlier this month, including one in which a pet dog suffered terrible burns in an apparent acid attack and another where a dog’s face was sliced open with a cutlass.
“We’ve never had a protest before but we’ve certainly voiced our dissent about how animals are treated in Antigua. We’ve voiced that to any politician who would listen,” Farrell continued.
In an effort to further advocate for the enforcement of local laws, the group launched a petition on change.org and are asking people to sign it. It will be presented to the Prime Minister in an attempt to move the discussion forward to enforce both animal protection laws and those that seek to prosecute the abusers.
“I personally feel embarrassed because I think we’re all smart, intelligent people and this kind of treatment towards dogs shouldn’t exist in a civilised society,” Farrell said.
She added that she believes it is ultimately up to legislators to set the standards for how animals are treated, noting “we have the legislation on the books but we have no enforcers”.
Minister Samantha Marshall, under whose portfolio animal welfare falls, recently pledged to crack down on animal abuse, promising a “significant investment” to that end.