The 'Chadwick croc'

It was reported recently that a young, four-foot crocodile was spotted around Chadwick Lakes. The police search for this exotic animal proved fruitless.

Whether this piece of news was true or not, the fact remains that a crocodile has no place in our country. Nor do many, many other exotic animals that are being allowed to enter. Permitting individuals or companies to "import" such creatures amounts to cruelty to animals. It is inhumane to use animals as a means of earning money. It is cruel to remove them from their natural habitats and force them into totally alien surroundings, as might have happened to the "Chadwick croc".

There is no authority to monitor the state of "stored" animals in pet shops and other commercial outlets. What happens to them during the day? Where do they sleep at night?

It is equally important to monitor how animals travel to the country, in what state they are in when in transit and how many of them don't in fact make it. Spot checks should be carried out to ensure they have not been badly treated in any way.

I write this also in the wake of the Customs' find of dead exotic animals at the airport recently.

It is not educational to keep exotic animals in the home. Animals are not ornaments. They have dignity as much as human beings do. Human beings will only be dignified if they respect the dignity of other beings that share the planet with them.

God alone knows the suffering and the pain that animals go through during journeys; how many of them die in suffocation and other extremely disturbing conditions.

All this leads to one conclusion: the ever-pressing need of a dynamic and updated national policy on animal awareness.