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Animal cruelty in the spotlight

2007-06-21 09:00

Dear Editor,

Regarding the reaction of readers to Phillip Matthysen, who allegedly mutilated his puppy with a chainsaw.

Words cannot describe the awful and painful death the poor defenceless creature had to endure at the hands of the person it trusted.

What I find disturbing is that some people disagree with the severe public reaction to cruelty to animals arguing that many people suffer and animals should come second. I cannot understand this type of argument.

    1. The fact that suffering takes place among people, does not lesson the suffering of animals.
    2. The fact that people or children suffer does not mean we should stand by and let animals suffer.
    3. Lots of attention is given to the suffering of humans particularly in third world countries like South Africa which leaves the rights of animals lagging behind.
    4. The penalties for inflicting suffering on humans are severe whereas the penalties for cruelty to animals are shockingly small.
    5. Most cases of animal suffering are never seen by the public except shocking incidents like these.
    6. In general, comparing atrocities of tragedy is a dangerous thing. Imagine people trying to help war victims being criticised for not treating Aids victims. What about criticising someone for becoming a vet rather than a doctor?
    7. Realise this, if a person had mutilated a human child with a chainsaw, the world would also have known about it and it would have been front page news everywhere.

The suffering of people does get more attention than animals. It is completely acceptable and normal for any person to feel horrified by the mutilation of a puppy. Dogs are human and members of families for many.

People who discourage sympathy towards animal suffering are cold, soulless and heartless.

Louis Marais,
Pietermaritzberg

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Disclaimer: News24 encourages freedom of speech and the expression of diverse views. The views of users published on News24 are therefore their own and do not necessarily represent the views of News24.

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Deborah 6/21/2007 9:08:44 AM
I Hope this bastard rots in hell. Im sickened by this act and traumatized by this behaviour.

Animal-fan 6/21/2007 9:11:58 AM
I cannot agree more with you Louis. People like this guy should face a prison sentence

bob 6/21/2007 9:23:45 AM
Remember the Great Mahatma Gandi once said that society is judged by the way it treats it's animals. Maybe this is a indication of how very sick our society has become.

Peter 6/21/2007 9:25:24 AM
Being horrified by this senseless and meaningless act, does not make me less sensitive for a man smashing his bay's head against several windows. I regard it as equal!! He is a murderer - finish and klaar!! And deserves to be treated like one.

Andrea de Bruyn 6/21/2007 9:27:53 AM
Yes, people who hurt animals should face a prison sentence! If you can hurt a animal you don't have a heart!

Tennille 6/21/2007 9:28:14 AM
Ghandi said you could judge a country by the way it treats its animals. In my personal opinion the human race is the worst thing that happened to this planet, we consume, abuse and manipulate to serve or own wants, and have decided by ourselves that we are the superior species, mainly because we are so prolific, not unlike rats and cockroaches. I believe people that are cruel to animals are the scum of the earth and should receive extremely harsh penalties.

Sheree 6/21/2007 9:29:36 AM
It's like someone I heard comparing the illegal fur trade of cats and dogs to that of cow hide for leather. The thing is people don't research stuff before they talk, its a fact that most of those animals are skinned alive, but people prefer not to hear or try and play things down.

frank 6/21/2007 9:31:18 AM
I don't know why someone like this owned animals in the first place. He should never be allowed to have a animal again.

Tennille 6/21/2007 9:31:40 AM
Furthermore, mankind has largely contributed to its own suffering, and we are also the species most able to continue surviving in this mess we have created, where as animals are constantly being displaced and cast aside. Frankly the planet would be a far better place without the likes of people, and the world would continue to flourish without us, where we would be lost without the fauna and flora we abuse on a daily basis, because we think its our right.

Paula 6/21/2007 9:35:41 AM
Well said, Louis! Atrocities should never be compared. What a pity more people don't realise this.

Alias 6/21/2007 9:38:47 AM
Accepting cruelty to animals, desensitizes people to cruelty and violence in general. This sort of behaviour should not be tolerated at all! Being tolerant of cruel behaviour to another living creature makes it that much easier to accept or inflict violence on human beings. Its the next logical step. Remember those girls who killed or set cats alight (was in the news a while back) to practice for killing a person...

Animal Lover 6/21/2007 9:40:01 AM
I agree with Louis. It seems that since human life has become so cheap in the eyes of many, animals have decreasing rights. What we need to understand is that humans are supposed to have the higher level of thinking and feeling. How much have we evolved that we have no feelings for defenseless animals that inhumane acts are condoned! Who is the real ANIMAL here?

Boo 6/21/2007 9:44:28 AM
I find it disturbing that people still want to tell other people how to feel and how to react. They 'demand' that people get back to the animal subject as if human suffering is nothing. We are staying in a democratic SA. My opinion is just as important as anyone else's. If I want to compare the two, then I will do it. And there is nothing anyone can do about it. We live in a free country, please respect EVERYONE's freedom of speech, don't reserve it for yourself only.

CJ 6/21/2007 9:46:12 AM
Words cannot describe how horrified and disgusted I am about this! Cruelty to animals in any form is unacceptable and I feel that the punishment must fit the crime - cut Phillip Matthysen's head off with a chainsaw and see how he enjoys it! HE DOESN'T DESERVE TO LIVE! We all have to share the same world, so treat all creatures the way you want to be treated!

Ryan 6/21/2007 9:48:57 AM
So what about the slaughter of cows, sheep and pigs...they too are animals are they not?

Alias 6/21/2007 9:52:01 AM
Taking any life is regarded as murder and that's what this sick man and his accomplice are: MURDERERS! The puppy was just acting in it's nature! If you ever have a conscience, I hope it haunts you! All your pets should be removed from your possession.

Olwin 6/21/2007 9:52:08 AM
Phillip Matthysen has hit the nail on the head. Defenceless animals are being mutilated, hurt, abandoned and traumatized daily and the world turns a blind eye. We need someone as evil as this to get a punishment suited to his act - death by chainsaw

Wendy 6/21/2007 9:52:29 AM
I think Phillip Matthysen deserves to receive what he dishes out and should be released to a pack of hungry grisly bears. He will have to answer for his actions one day and I hope the horror his poor puppy endured plagues him for the rest of his life.

GB 6/21/2007 9:52:31 AM
I think the reason why some people object to the attention paid to animal cruelty is that they think of animals as "less" than humans. The way we treat animals is a reflection of who we are as a people.

MR T 6/21/2007 9:54:23 AM
I cannot agree more with Bob. What is happening in our beloved country -- People are getting worse as time goes on..Murder ,child abuse ,animal abuse,rape ext. no more Morality - sense of right and wrong - -these people has just gone mad......

Gavin 6/21/2007 9:58:50 AM
How selfish uncouth and cruel when a popular soap actress dies and decides to end the lives of her animals because she loves them dearly. That is the one most atrocious and inhumane behaviour one can ever expect. Who gives her the right to decide on the lives of her animals. The crime and corruption rate in this country has reached intolerable heights. We (including myself) don?t have the guts to bring this country to its standstill on this issue.(only the unions can make this possible) These barbaric acts continue every minute of the day in this country and we (including myself) can only chirp the loudest and yet nothing is done. Government has made it very clear, ?crime is not on its agenda or an issue in this country.Get on with it, tomorrow is another day, we can only expect something more horrific tomorrow- good luck to us all.--- mn

Vernon Wolf 6/21/2007 9:59:21 AM
Do you people realise how offen things of this nature happens in South Africa, and with leniant lesgilation the pathetic SPCA and very little representation from internationals like PETA, nothing really ever gets done to curb this trend or punish the people responsible. If you want to get more active and do your bit for animal welfare email me at: vernon_wolf@hotmail.com for more info. Join ALF Africa and make a difference.

Dawid 6/21/2007 10:01:35 AM
Cruelty to animals to me is just as bad as cruelty to a fellow human. In my honest opinion, he should be locked up and the key thrown away. The amount of murder that takes place in our society stems from the fact that people don't get punished anymore, and people like him should be shot before this disease he has for killing spreads

Melanie 6/21/2007 10:08:55 AM
I agree with Peter. Murder is murder. It is high time that Government and all Political Parties take a long hard look at what is happening in our country - be it cruelty towards animals or humans (in any form). Instead of spending millions of rands changing a stupid street name, why don't they spend the money on the improving basic amenities like the judicial system, better healthcare, schooling, etc.

me 6/21/2007 10:23:06 AM
The real issue here is not whether the violence was directed at an animal or a human being, but that it was acted out at all. It is a sign of a more serious (possibly psycological) problem. It is a well known fact that a lot of serious criminals (serial killers, rapists) start out by torturing and mutilating animals. Something like this should worry us all, not just the animal lovers.

Rhiannon 6/21/2007 10:24:33 AM
I totally agree with Tennile. Humans are scum. Mother Earth does not need us on this planet.As a species we serve no purpose whatsoever. What use is a creature that abuses, destroys, pollutes,poisons,kills with gay abandon, consumes wantonly and is bent soley on the earths' destruction. Time will come when Nature will root us out of her creation.She does not need us...we rely on her!! Catch a wake-up homosapiens!!

Nikki Potgieter 6/21/2007 10:30:32 AM
Cruelty is cruelty, irrespective against whom or what it is perpetrated. It can NEVER be condoned of justified. It is right and just that one speaks out against this type of behaviour.

AS 6/21/2007 10:31:50 AM
"Respect Freedom of Speech" ... respect life!! What goes around comes around. Those who have dished out any form of cruelty, whether to animals or humans, will get their day. Crimes like this do not go unpunished even if it is through self-punishment, regret and having to life with it on your conscience for the rest of your life and thereafter.

Antoinette Joubert 6/21/2007 10:34:39 AM
If we can't look after animals how are we going to look after children?Phillip Matthysen how are you going to discipline your children one day? They should put your photo up at all the SPCA's,pet shops etc. so that people know that you are a murderer!!!!!

Lesley 6/21/2007 10:36:48 AM
A nation is judged by the way it treats its animals.I rest my case.

FSJ 6/21/2007 10:37:54 AM
I couldn't agree more Louis. Some readers have turned this into a debate of animals' worth Vs. that of humans. This is not the case. What that sick Bastard did is horrific. If he had done it to a child it would ALSO be horrific. You can't way human life against that of an animal. That poor puppy couldn't talk his way out of it or try to explain his/her actions. Therefore, people with a love for animals speak on their behalf.

FSJ 6/21/2007 10:42:12 AM
The media should publish his details. I would be more than happy to drive to Delmas and teach this pathetic little man a lesson he will never forget. And I'm not the only one who feels that way. An eye for an eye.

Tennille 6/21/2007 10:45:43 AM
That is a dumb comment, the slaughter of animals is for consumption, not the same thing as hacking a puppy up for entertainment. I do not agree with the way sheep/cows/pigs/chickens have been turned into commodities for mass consumption, nor do I agree with the lives these animals lead up to their slaughter, but cruelty for fun is a different matter.

Mjavas 6/21/2007 10:48:24 AM
Well wrote article Louis. I'm not much of an animal lover myself, but just the thought of someone chain sawing a poor defenseless animal makes me wonder just how sick this guy is.They have every right to live on this planet with us if not more coz we ruining the planet with global warming etc as it is.The punishment must fit the crime and for this "sick man" a life term in a cell is too short.The SPCA must get their act together.

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