Should Animals have rights in Nigeria?

The above question is still a very hot question Nigerians are battling to come to a compromise. In Africa in general, animals are very low in consideration in terms of right to life. Wild animals have suffered greatly that many are going extinct while people careless about that fact. Bush meat is in fact one of the most cherished delicacy in Nigeria and Africa in extension. The advent of Ebola Virus Infection that claimed a lot of human lives must have helped the animals in the wild to have some break from incessant hunting.

Why do some Nigerians disregard animals?

The believe that God, the creator of the world have placed humans above everything on earth to dominate may be one of the misconceptions most Africans imbibe. In most areas of Nigeria, animals are seen primarily as meat or food and therefore should end up on the table for consumption no matter the type of animal it is.

Why do some Nigerians hate animals?

Some spiritual leaders are fond of using animals to depict evil. Most preachers use cats to liken witches saying that witches transform to cats in the night to go for meetings or to hunt people. They also make animals like snakes look very bad that at the sight of a snake everybody panics. Bats are other creatures that have suffered from preachers which they say that witches and wizards transform to bats to fly and go for operations.

Are there other Nigerians that like animals?

Yes, absolutely, at the Northern part of Nigeria animals are fairly treated well and even respected. Northerners don’t joke with their horses and cows for instance and also prefer cats to dogs as pet. Almost every northerner loves to have a bird as pet. In the same way in the east, animals like python are seen as deities and therefore punish the maltreatment of the creature. In some parts of Anambra State of Nigeria, if a python is killed, the killer is made to bury that snake with very huge ceremony.

What is the root of violence against animals in Nigeria?

The root is largely cultural and religious. The Muslims have some reservations against dogs rooted in the religion and Christians have issues with the cats due to the spiritual believe about the animal. Some cultures frown at pigs strongly due to the fact that they are considered dirty. All these issues bring about the justification to treat these animals violently and ruthlessly.

The questions remains:

 Should animals have some kind of rights?

Which kind of animals should have these rights?

Which kind of rights can be given to these animals?

Why should we consider rights for these animals?

Are the religious believes infringing on animal wellbeing justifiable?

Should the cultural conceptions of animals be sustained or modified or eliminated completely?

You don’t expect me to answer these questions correctly because any answer ascribed to any of the above questions will definitely contradict someone’s believe. The only answer I will give is that animals deserve rights because they have life just like we humans.