The truth in his statement was confirmed when I saw a pile of dead puppies lying in a rubbish heap a few meters away from the shop. The decaying remains of dogs, which are considered the most faithful companions, shook me to the core.

I thought the sight of rotten dead puppies was the worst that the market had to offer me; however, I was very sadly mistaken. A few yards away I saw a German shepherd, who had defecated in the cage he was kept in, lying lifeless with filth all over and around him. Unable to curtail my anger I looked for the shopkeeper and demanded justification to which he conveniently said “it is being treated; you should have came later in the afternoon and seen how well these animals are looked after.”

Hearing this I directed his attention to the aforementioned dog, on which he immediately threw a bucket full of sand. Another shopkeeper, adamant to prove his love for animals, brought out expired packets of animal food and powder used for killing cockroaches and bed bugs for the animals’ fleas and ticks.

Disgusted by what I had just witnessed, I ran to the Sindh Wildlife Department to report the animal abuse. Sindh Wildlife Conservator, Saeed Baloch said, “I know that they sell endangered animals and that are very cruel to them. We raid their shops and there are times when we capture partridges, woodpeckers and other birds and release them into their own habitat. However, this network of animal shopkeepers is so strong that the minute our inspection team enters Empress Market, everything ‘illegal’ is either gone or hidden.”

I refuse to accept that the deplorable state of affairs can escape anyone’s notice as the cruelty is immensely widespread. The only plausible solution to prevent people from abusing animals is to deploy animal cops at places where animals are kept, bought and sold. The trade of animals should be monitored by representatives of the Wildlife Department and officers should be present to ensure animal welfare during the operational hours of any such market.

Another heinous aspect that keeps this cycle of animal abuse running is the fact that most of us believe that in a country where human rights are nonexistent, talking about animal rights is an unpardonable offence. Animal abusers continue with this cruelty because there is not penalty. According to the sources, the Wildlife Department may fine and lodge an FIR against shopkeepers who keep wild animals; however, there is no rule for protecting domestic animals such as dogs, parrots and cats.

Shahabuddin Burfat, Karachi Honourary Game Warden, said, “We can take action against people who violate rules and regulations related to wildlife but there is no regulatory body to look after domestic animals. Having said that, I would also like to request people to report cases of animal abuse, to the wildlife authorities, as much as possible. Constant reports might urge the government to establish a committee for the protection of domestic and working animals.”

Unless we develop a sense of protecting animals and reprimand people who are cruel towards them, the cycle of abuse will never break. Reporting abuse to the authorities might appear to be a futile exercise; however, it is important to bring animal cruelty into the notice of people who are in a position to offer help. Animal abuse of all kinds, including animals used for fighting, whilst working and captivity must be reported to the authorities, regardless of what the outcome might be.

I refuse to believe that our country is dominated by people who are unkind to animals. It is just that the heavy majority, which appreciates and loves animals, is silent and has unfortunately become apathetic. We must realise that if we’re not kind to animals, we’re a very long way from becoming kind to people. The plight of these animals deserves to be heard, so let’s give them a voice.