No one can deny the deplorable conditions many animals in Kuwait are born into and are forced to live in. From private residences to zoos and the marketplace that perpetuates this miserable cycle, we have come to the point where animals, particularly companion animals, are commodified in every meaning of the word. Worst thing about it is, as far as we know, there isn't even such a thing as animal rights other than regulations for recreational hunting (which I do hope are enforced more strictly because the amount of instagram accounts dedicated to this so-called sport is staggering.)
This was all pretty standard, though. What's more upsetting now is having to see the only two officially recognized organizations dedicated to caring for these animals, namely PAWS and K's Path, basically at each other's throats as to who's providing better care and who's euthanizing fewer animals more humanely.
K's Path recently posted this 248am article with a video at the PAWS shelter exposing its tragically poor and unsanitary conditions and how very few people are left now providing very minimal care for the animals, far from the healthy lives they're entitled to have.
Then came the shocking footage of mass culling that sparked a wave of outrage on social media:
On their part, PAWS shared a response by Rola Ahmed on their Facebook page, in short denying the accusations that their shelter is now reduced to a hoarding operation and retorting that they are doing their best with what little funds and few personnel available and their claims are supported by a multitude of volunteers.
In the midst of all this finger-pointing and endless justification, we seemed to have forgotten where the blame really lay. This is NOT an issue of competence between two contending organisations nor is it the lack of charity on our part. This is about us as a community. The real question is what have WE done as a community to stop this endless cycle of death? Why have we simply turned our responsibilities over to these small groups of extremely kind people, expecting them to take it upon themselves to clean up after us? Sure, they're doing their absolute best to fix our mistakes for us, but isn't it about fucking time we addressed the root of the problem? We all know what I'm referring to and we've all been there.
Souq al-hamam, aka the Friday pet market needs to be shut down. No matter how many caring souls devote their time and budgets to caring for, fostering and adopting our stray animals, we all know a hefty lot of them are bred by those stores, uncontrollably, relentlessly and without the slightest regard for the animals' welfare or the fate that awaits them whether sold or not. We can't keep buying off the animals with the intention of caring for them while inadvertently supporting the market and serving only to perpetuate the business. It needs to be shut down. We have absolutely no need for a corrupt, disease infested pet store, not when we have so many animals in dire need of fostering and adoption everywhere we look. And the immigrants tending the business can just as easily be given other jobs by the same kind people that donate consistently to animal welfare groups, or even employed by PAWS or K's Path to feed and tend to the animals they bred so heartlessly. Seems only fair. There's no need for them to keep their businesses. If there's one thing I'm sure of, it's the boundless sense of charity our people possess and I've no doubt in my mind their generosity can more than take care of all the animals bred in that marketplace now AND the store owners breeding them, so long as the cycle is stopped. And I believe the bulk of our donations should go toward that end. It needs to be shut down.
For more resources on how to help in the meantime, you can visit these groups:
- The K's Path main website (for adoptions, donations, volunteering, etc) or email them for direct inquiries on info@kspath.org
- Kareq8 main website, for fostering, adoptions and donations
- Donate directly to Royal Animal Hospital or the International Veterinary Hospital for stray animals in need of medical care
- For emergency medical care, you can call 99440089 for an ambulance (not sure how reliable) from Al-Atta' Group's animal care facility in collaboration with PAWS.
- Trap, neuter/spay, return! Rinse and repeat.
This was all pretty standard, though. What's more upsetting now is having to see the only two officially recognized organizations dedicated to caring for these animals, namely PAWS and K's Path, basically at each other's throats as to who's providing better care and who's euthanizing fewer animals more humanely.
K's Path recently posted this 248am article with a video at the PAWS shelter exposing its tragically poor and unsanitary conditions and how very few people are left now providing very minimal care for the animals, far from the healthy lives they're entitled to have.
Then came the shocking footage of mass culling that sparked a wave of outrage on social media:
On their part, PAWS shared a response by Rola Ahmed on their Facebook page, in short denying the accusations that their shelter is now reduced to a hoarding operation and retorting that they are doing their best with what little funds and few personnel available and their claims are supported by a multitude of volunteers.
In the midst of all this finger-pointing and endless justification, we seemed to have forgotten where the blame really lay. This is NOT an issue of competence between two contending organisations nor is it the lack of charity on our part. This is about us as a community. The real question is what have WE done as a community to stop this endless cycle of death? Why have we simply turned our responsibilities over to these small groups of extremely kind people, expecting them to take it upon themselves to clean up after us? Sure, they're doing their absolute best to fix our mistakes for us, but isn't it about fucking time we addressed the root of the problem? We all know what I'm referring to and we've all been there.
Souq al-hamam, aka the Friday pet market needs to be shut down. No matter how many caring souls devote their time and budgets to caring for, fostering and adopting our stray animals, we all know a hefty lot of them are bred by those stores, uncontrollably, relentlessly and without the slightest regard for the animals' welfare or the fate that awaits them whether sold or not. We can't keep buying off the animals with the intention of caring for them while inadvertently supporting the market and serving only to perpetuate the business. It needs to be shut down. We have absolutely no need for a corrupt, disease infested pet store, not when we have so many animals in dire need of fostering and adoption everywhere we look. And the immigrants tending the business can just as easily be given other jobs by the same kind people that donate consistently to animal welfare groups, or even employed by PAWS or K's Path to feed and tend to the animals they bred so heartlessly. Seems only fair. There's no need for them to keep their businesses. If there's one thing I'm sure of, it's the boundless sense of charity our people possess and I've no doubt in my mind their generosity can more than take care of all the animals bred in that marketplace now AND the store owners breeding them, so long as the cycle is stopped. And I believe the bulk of our donations should go toward that end. It needs to be shut down.
For more resources on how to help in the meantime, you can visit these groups:
- The K's Path main website (for adoptions, donations, volunteering, etc) or email them for direct inquiries on info@kspath.org
- Kareq8 main website, for fostering, adoptions and donations
- Donate directly to Royal Animal Hospital or the International Veterinary Hospital for stray animals in need of medical care
- For emergency medical care, you can call 99440089 for an ambulance (not sure how reliable) from Al-Atta' Group's animal care facility in collaboration with PAWS.
- Trap, neuter/spay, return! Rinse and repeat.
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