Today, I watched a broadcast of one of the most disgusting things men can possibly do to animals. It’s a report of some street entertainers’ treatment, who use certain animals in their acts. In this case, the entertainers use monkeys. Meanwhile the hateful part is their ill-treatment toward the monkeys.
Have you ever watched a street act performance by a man and his trained monkey? I used to call it a monkey masquerade (topeng monyet). For those who haven’t, here I’ll share you some brief descriptions.
A topeng monyet usually done by a man and his monkey. They give us some human daily acts, performed by the monkey; and a music beat produced from a tom-tom, done by the man. Following the beat, the monkey walks around showing us things like getting dress, holding an umbrella, clutching a bag like it were about to shop, etc. The acts that the monkey does depend on the creativity of its keeper. I like this show. I think it’s cool how monkeys are able to imitate human acts.
Here we come to the nasty part. Lemme ask you first, how would you treat someone (See, animals are living creatures, I’m not gonna use ‘thing’ when referring to them) who has been meritorious to you? Do say, would you chain them up at their necks? Or tie their hands tight? Because those are exactly the things those monkey keepers on TV have been doing. Yaiks! Piquing! I mean how could they? Those monkeys have given them a job for living; just saying, most of them were jobless, or might have a job but then lost it, or else do have a job but a lousy one. The monkeys, at least, help them for extra income. Thus, that’s how they repay them? Gee, definitely those people aren’t compassionate ones. I bet they don’t have much affections toward humans either.
Just because animals are not human, that doesn’t mean they deserve worst treatment than people. They don’t speak your language, nor they act the way you do, and yes man is God’s best creation. But none of those facts justify any abuse toward them. They deserve freedom, to live as they are created to. As for your information, I think even some of them recognize thing called fidelity. I for myself experienced this wondrous moment.
Once when I was a kid, there was this gallant-looking bird perched on a tree at my house yard. It was a big one, maroon-coloured feather, daunting-eye gaze, sharp beak. So elegant-appearance from distance. It was my first time (and i haven’t seen any up till now, so hopefully wasn’t the last) to see this one kind. So, it was a very awestrucking moment when my dad spoke, ‘We’ve got ourself an eagle visiting’. Yes, guys. It’s an eagle. It’s very beautiful yet terrifying. My dad moved closer, while we, his children, didn’t move an inch. We were so thrilled yet so excited.
Not long after, my dad has him as a pet. Oh, does my dad love animals. He has had rabbits, seven birds, a giant turtle (I’m serious, its size is like a standard pillow), a lohan fish, an arwana fish, small fishes in our outside pond, swans, chickens, ducks, cats. I used to wonder whether he would turn our house into a zoo. He loves them very much that he ever fed the cats and rabbits with the exact same dining ware as we’re using (this made my mom fussed at him). Though now, what’s left are the giant turtle and those small fishes. Lohan and arwana were dead, the birds were freed by my mom, rabbits were dead. Swans and others were given to my uncle since he thought my uncle has more time to take care of them. As for our lovely eagle, he was shot on one afternoon. These things happened to his pet definitely affected him a lot. Though he didn’t show it, we know he felt loss. It was also the major reason that he entrusted them to my uncle.
And here’s the story of animal’s loyalty shown by my dad’s eagle. On his first visit, my dad tried to caress his marvelous feather. Ow, think i don’t have to give so much explanations. It was like getting to know one another, hesitant but eager to, just watch some movies you’ll know what I mean. Afterward, my dad went inside. When he got outside we saw him holding a fish, dead one. He took that from the fridge, that’s certain, since my mom also went outside following him wondering what was going on that made him took out a whole big fish outside. Yes, he fed him. Then, we thought after got fed the eagle would fly away. But no, he didn’t. He stayed, even till morning. My dad said that he hunted for mice around our house at night. Wow!
As other birds would do, there are some occasional times when he flew despite having fresh fish served as his meal three times a day. Oh, I forgot to mention that my dad didn’t chain him, bind him, cage him or whatever kind of reining though he had the chance to do so. The eagle was so close to him, he perched on his arm and stand still when caressed. Therefore, every time the eagle flew away, my siblings and I used to question, ‘will he come back?’, ‘does he know way back home?’ or ‘is this it, he’ll gone forever?’. Yet, every time we did so, we were stunned by the fact that he always did came back home. Same time at morning flew, same time at dusk to home. For some times, he even brought home his own meal (yes, mice or others) as if he’d like to tell my dad, ‘you don’t have to bother so much, I can handle my own meal’. Amazing isn’t it?
Sadly on one noon, our neighbour came to visit us. And what he was bringing really sadden us. It’s our eagle. He was dead. Shot by air rifle-hunter. Even at dead, he looked so elegant. The loyal bird is gone now. We missed him a lot. He was the most independent and dependable pet we have ever had. And forever he made me questioning, ‘why did God send him to us?’
From my story and some movies that show animal’s loyalty. Don’t you think it is too atrocious to treat them badly even before you know them? I’m not writing this only to judge them (those abusers), I am wishing that people out there who are doing any cruel things to animal will stop that act NOW. I know some people love their pet so much, take a very good care of them. But those who don’t have pet don’t need to obliged have one just to try to love them. Just simply stop hurting them. They have their world as we have ours.
P.S. Do you know that my big brother even forbids me from killing those annoying mosquitoes who bit us? He even let them have his blood. Alhamdulillah, he don’t get bit by those Anopheles, Aedes aegypti or other dangerous ones. I think he is starting to become a loving-animal zealotic. Hihihi..
