| |
 |
You are born
hungry. Most probably your siblings died at birth or shortly thereafter, and
your mother only nourished you for a few days then disappeared. You struggle
on the cruel streets. You see others like you die under reckless wheels or
become victims to stick and stone. You sustain injury after injury, but you
survive. With luck, you may make it beyond your first year, but there are no
cakes and no candles. No hugs and no smiling faces. No love. You are alone
in a big heartless world. You are paying the price of being a stray animal.
This is now beginning to change, and there is a glimmer of hope on the
horizon. In advanced communities today, animal welfare issues are taken very
seriously. People are considering that the way they treat animals reflects
their own humanity, particularly since animals cannot speak up or fend for
themselves and have not chosen to be homeless.
This way of thinking is taking root in AUB, backed by
students, administration, and faculty members. Nowhere is it more evident
than in the fact that the cats inhabiting the campus are not only allowed to
stay, but are also being taken care of. Bolstered by scientific research and
ethical considerations, the new attitude of assuring the well-being of the
cats on campus benefits both the cats and campus alike. The consolidated cat
population of AUB has already brought about a drastic reduction in the
rodent population on campus, without the use of any
environmentally-hazardous poisons.
Cats are classified as companion animals and, according to the US Center for
Disease Control and Prevention website, companion animals can decrease blood
pressure, cholesterol levels, triglycerine levels, and the feeling of
loneliness. A recent program on Animal Planet TV reported on the benefits of
animals in behavioral therapy for children. And there are many instances in
which animals help in the recovery of sick or wounded humans.
A few years ago, the challenge of caring for the cats on campus spurred
English Professor Jason Miller to suggest to President Waterbury the
establishment of an AUB Animal Welfare Club (AWC). The idea was well
received by the university administration, and the club was established in
May 2001 with the twofold purpose of bringing together in a social setting
people with a general and common interest in animal welfare issues, and
planning and implementing activities to improve the life of animals on
campus.
The club was started with Professor Miller as club adviser, student Chadi
Bajjani as president, and Yara Romirez Maasri as vice president. Writing in
Outlook, Yara quoted Gandhi: “You must be the change you want to see in the
world.”
One of the first concerns of the AWC was to find a humane solution for the
problem of the apparently growing cat population on campus. Miller suggested
a spaying campaign for the female cats, and this was accepted by the
administration. The ultimate aim, after all, was to control the cat
population on campus, which satisfied everyone, including the cats, whose
welfare would be improved due to less severe competition for resources and
territory. The spaying surgeries were performed at the Faculty of Medicine
Animal House research lab by veterinary doctor Rose-Mary Jawhari. A small
and painless clip was made on the ear of each spayed cat to differentiate it
from cats that had not been spayed.
By January 2003, 50 female cats had been spayed. The spaying program was
temporarily stopped in the winter, because the cold weather and rain are
hindrances to the cats' post-op recovery, but feline population control
efforts continued with the use of birth control pills.
Aline Kalfayan, the second club president, explained how the club performed
its functions: “Dr. Miller trained us how to feed the cats and administer
birth control pills to them. He divided us into groups and gave each group
responsibility for a section of the campus, working in coordination with the
other volunteer cat feeders and helpers.” The alternating process of spaying
and birth control pills caused a visible arrest of feline population growth
on campus as a whole. By December 2003, more than one hundred cats had been
spayed.
Besides feeding the cats, club members arranged for the adoption of orphaned
kittens and the evacuation of wounded or sick cats for treatment. Club
members also made and sold cakes and holiday greeting cards to raise
funds—primarily used for emergency cases when cats had to be taken to the
vet, but also for the purchase of food and medications.
Meanwhile, meetings were held regularly between the AWC and the university
administration. In an e-mail message to AWC members on March 5, 2003, Aline
Kalfayan wrote: “...one thing can be said about our meeting with the
president and provost: Extremely Enthusiastic! The University proved that it
gives full support to our cause, and more importantly, that it is very
concerned with the welfare of animals in general, and that of the cats on
AUB campus in particular.” This feeling characterized all the meetings
between the administration and the AWC.
In 2004, although the Animal Welfare Club became inactive on the student
level, it continued to function under the umbrella of Student Affairs,
through the commitment of a few faculty and staff members. Current advisers
and volunteers include Rula Baalbaki, Greg Osborne, Henry Matthews, Marj
Hennigsen, Laila Halabi, and Hania Jurdak.
Spaying continued, albeit at a reduced rate, thanks to the efforts and good
will of the administration and the volunteers. In July 2004, campus resident
and AUB alumnus Hania Jurdak cofounded BETA (Beirut for the Ethical
Treatment of Animals), which cares for the cats on campus as well as for
animals outside. She says: “I am prouder than ever to belong to the AUB
community. I consider the pioneering compassion, wisdom, and tolerance
demonstrated by the AUB administration as important as the BA degree I
earned here.”
Very recently, a number of new students, led by Kareem Zureik, have been
making promising efforts to reactivate the AWC, in order to raise awareness
regarding humane treatment of cats and all other animals through promotional
materials such as fliers, videos, and presentations. The principal aim of
the club will be to humanely control the growth of the AUB cat population
while tending to its welfare, using the spaying/ neutering method approved
internationally. Feral cat population control studies show that the
elimination or removal of cats only results in other cats claiming that
territory, since cats are territorial; so, spaying/neutering preserves a
stable number of cats, while preventing new cats from seeping in. It is
expected that the spaying/neutering activities of the revived club, if
maintained, will eventually result in a zero or negative feline population
growth on campus.
As intelligent, ethically conscious members of the AUB community, we all
have a natural duty to treat animals with kindness and respect. Isn’t the
humane treatment of others—people and animals alike–what real education is
all about?
|
|
