This year, Sentient Media reveals that every 60 seconds, one animal suffers abuse. One afternoon, I counted 483 drops of blood on the ground. But what really transpired? A wounded cow (with blood flowing close to the eye) was being paraded to the slaughtering ground which is about a mile and half (sometimes farther) from the livestock’s market of Yanshanu in Jos. Added to the feeble state of this animal was respiratory mucosa effect, yet a reckless herder (sometimes guy/boy) hit the cow with a goad on the eye, because at some point, the cow didn’t move or moved slowly (front legs were tied together). Immediately the cow fell to the ground. This was repeated until the destination was reached. Such oppression is irrefutably done daily. 

This scenario conforms the argument of Peter Singer, author of Animal Liberation that “it would first be necessary to transform people’s attitude towards animal.” Over 40year ago, animal abuse was referred to intentional acts that cause animals pain, suffering, death–it comes in behaviours like beating, starving, choking, etc. However, the maltreatment is rationalized with, ‘they’re animals’. But those acts beat conscience.

Yanshanu Livestock Market is a place where buying/selling of livestock are made daily. However due to commercial string, most of the activities of dealers inflict suffering on the animals. Mr Suleiman Ahmad, Chairman Conflict Resolution Yanshanu Market, defended tucking livestock in a crevice space all in the name of transportation from villages to the market or from market to some destinations: “we’re here for profits, [so] creating such fantasized comfort for animal will cost much [and] I know people don’t want meat costly.”

And on the issue of market herders inflicting unnecessary pain on the livestock while parading them out to eat or when marching them to slaughtering ground, Mr Suleiman agreed that the herders sometimes overdo-it. “Let me be clear on something, due to unrest in our villages, they [Fulanis] protect their animals with several traditional methods and these sometimes remain after sale–that’s why we used leather [plastic] to choke them when they refused to stand up. However, we caution our boys on mishandling the animals as it’s even non-Islamic and we put them in check with sanctions, but don’t forget, animals don’t understand you, the goad is the only language they understood, plus there are stubborn ones amongst them,” he said.               

Admittedly, African methods of animal husbandry values the goad, but is it most effective means of communication to animal? No – to the extent of cruelty on those animals we consume. This powerful oppression surely affects the health conditions of the livestock, so Mr Alkasim Ishaq, a veterinarian outside the Yanshanu Market condemned the recklessness, saying that those keeping pets starve them, even beat them. Whilst the vet expressed his concern, an individual who identified himself as member of Nigeria Livestock Association Plateau Branch lamented the tying of animals as torture because it freezes blood flow which explains animals behaviour sometimes.

It’s expected that such vast cruelty by human should’ve been curbed by government. The rigour of herders on animals is costing the host community – Yanshanu so much. The livestock market is located in full residential area. Often, the maltreatment gets animal wild.

This discriminating treatment persists because humans fail to realize living things respond to stimuli – sometimes they’re feeble, hungry, angry, sick, even want to rest; but this is hardly understood.  It is wrong to inflect needless suffering on another being, even if not our own species.  Attractive legislation on the subject matter is necessary.             

Abdulslam Kamaldeen Muhammad, Bayero University, Kano