By Ayuen Dot Mangar, Juba, South Sudan
Tuesday, February 22, 2022 (PW) — Brutal killing of livestock for food is a global disgrace practice in the third world where there are fewer technologies and gross violation of human rights. South Sudan has no modern butchering houses and associated modern technologies or equipment used for killing livestock.
Farm animals in South Sudan are 100% slaughtered in inhumane ways. Millions of livestock such as goats, sheep, pigs, chickens and cattle are daily brutally killed for families, associations and governments’ feasts, occasions and events and traditional pride (“gut” in Dinka) in addition to daily associated soups.
Slaughtering livestock with knives, spears and using metal bars to break the neck is painful and inhumane. Culturally, South Sudanese and generally African love meats from livestock and never respect livestock lives when killing them for food. Imagine if all human beings living in the country are harshly slaughtered with knives, metal bars or feeding wild animals alive; how will you feel? I am not saying you cannot kill and used livestock as food.
However, the processes or methods used for killing them must respect and comply with standards required by animals’ welfare to inhumane treatment. Animal welfare standards require every nation and individual to minimise animals’ risk of injuries, pain and suffering during transportation to the butchering houses and during the slaughtering.
In the advanced countries with all rights of any kind, whether human or animals are reserved, animals are being killed in modern butchering houses equipped with modern equipment or machinery that eliminated animals suffering before they can meet knives and metal bars.
Animals are stunned in the process to lose consciousness before they meet knives and metal bars.
Recommendations for reducing animals inhumane slaughtering
The federal and states governments in South Sudan must put pressure and ban the butchering-houses that are not complying with animal welfare standards and fail to obtain or to introduce modern equipment used for killing and associated skills. The governments must also ban the killing of animals outside these facilities including “gut” practice by Dinka people.
The federal government and States governments must introduce and implement laws that will punish the harsh killing of livestock. Governments must monitor the movements of animals heading to slaughterhouses to detect the cruel treatment of livestock.
Existing slaughtering houses in the country must acquire relevant skills and technologies from experts to avoid the cruel killing of livestock. Adapting the use of associated firearms or captive bolts and electrocute equipment are more humanely for killing animals. All animals must be stunned before they are subject to knives and metal bars.
Slaughtering houses must avoid all conditions that subject animals to stress, pain, injuries and suffering Slaughtering houses must work with veterinary schools to learn more about inhumane killing.
The author, Ayuen Dot Mangar, is a master holder in Wildlife Management from Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia and bachelor holder in Tourism Management from Western Sydney University, Sydney, Australia. The author can be reached by email: dotawuou@yahoo.com.au
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