Here’s what to do if you care about animal cruelty– Helen Martin

ONE aspect of social media is that it tells stories we will not find on TV or in newspapers and which would not be covered in mainstream media because they are terribly upsetting.

For me, the most horrific of these are clips of animal cruelty. My friends and family know how animal-orientated I am, and how ashamed I am of human beings who seem to think the Earth is theirs, and other species are only here for us to eat, wear, hunt, use and kill.

My angry and sarcastic response post to a photo of a proud trophy hunter and his tragic victims, was: “I think it’s time we had trophy hunter hunters. Track them down, shoot them, whether or not they have children. Chop off and stuff their heads, take them home and mount them on our walls.” Would they ever consider that’s what they were enjoying, and sickly defining, as a ‘sport’?

The disgusting young man was smiling at the camera with the corpses of two small pygmy antelopes and a giraffe, none of which harmed ­anything. Like other hunters, it’s his idea of fun.

I’ve also seen many posts of animal cruelty in Scotland and eventually I found someone I could speak to, someone who could give me hope for the future, perhaps calm me down and who was working professionally and politically to cut cruelty.

Libby Anderson is the policy consultant for One Kind, the Edinburgh-based charity and a movement of people committed to ending animal cruelty in Scotland with investigations, research, campaigns and pressure on our government.

One Kind is the modern successor of the Scottish Society for the Prevention of Vivisection, first founded in 1912, and originally based on ending severe cruelty and terror. Now One Kind covers the health and welfare of wildlife, farm animals, pets and lab animals.

While I thought humans cared less and less about our fellow species, Libby knows people’s support is growing – which is a good start. But some things are getting worse.

The EU for example, has a policy to recognise animals as sentient beings with perception and feelings, a policy that imposes welfare regulations on farming and other animal involvement. Brexit has left that legislation behind. Animal cruelty will rise and food ­quality will fall with lower prices seen as a commercial ‘benefit’.

But One Kind is campaigning strongly to bring sentience back into Scots law and keep standards up.

Another campaign tackles Scotland’s salmon farming. The confined fish, held captive from their natural environment and lifestyle, are covered in sea lice and are subject to many diseases. Almost 20 per cent of them die as a result. Yet there are plans afoot to double the scale of farming. Again, it’s a commercial interest.

Scotland’s grouse shooting isn’t about a few accurate gun shots. Beaters make their way through the bushes and vegetation driving a flock of grouse to fly up when a band of armed folk blast away into the air and injured birds crash down. Prior to that magpies, crows, foxes and anything else that might limit the eggs and reduce grouse volume have been caught in nets and traps causing serious injury and gradual death. Tagged raptors are killed. Thousands of mountain hares are also shot and injured by amateurs who pay for the fun, supposedly because hare ticks might pass a virus to grouse – which isn’t proven.

“There are many issues we campaign and work on,” says Libby. “And many are under discussion or consideration with the Scottish government. Increasing jail sentences for animal cruelty to five years with larger fines, limiting how often various animals can be forced to breed, strengthening and extending the powers of the Scottish SPCA and much more.”

There is so much more to learn about One Kind and how to support it. My space here is limited. If you care about animals, check out www.onekind.scot