When I was feeding the community cats an hour ago at Opal Crescent, I saw a pest control vehicle from a company called Pest Pro. Pest control vehicles no longer scare me. When we see them in operation, we probably know that more animals will and have to die.
I moved steadily towards the vehicle. I smelt death. I have always had an inquisitive mind. They say curiosity kills a cat, perhaps it’s the “cat” that they mean.
A man was sitting near the vehicle, swinging his leg, looking contented. Right in front of him, I saw rodents stuck in cardboard traps covered with glue. I took out my phone and started taking photos. I had to! He told me that I was not allowed to take photos and they were following orders from NEA(National Environment Agency) to trap the rodents. I told him I had every right to take photos and even walked closer to take a video. Another man appeared, looking unhappy and they started making phone calls.
I walked away with the video that I had taken and went back to the cat that I was feeding. When our minds are filled with the Buddha’s teachings, every word we speak is often connected to the Dhamma. Before I walked away, I told them what we do to others would eventually come back to us, so beware of what you are doing!
Glue traps are cruel and inhumane. The rats will not die immediately, instead, they suffer for a prolonged period. They would become terrified, hungry and thirsty. Trapped and unable to move, they would keep struggling to escape even if it means injuring themselves. In the end, they died a slow and painful death.
Many countries have banned glue traps but in a first world country like ours, we are still using glue traps in Singapore.
There is a fine line between apathy and empathy. My heart goes out to the rats. This is unnecessary pain and suffering. Sharing this video is the least I can do for them. Such cruelty can and should be avoided!
Cats who teach me to fly... 