Collen Kurana

According to Aristotle, a human being is a social animal. This means that we, human beings, cannot live alone.  We seek to socialise with other beings and creatures including pets by interacting with them. This means that we cannot survive in isolation. We need company or interaction with others daily. Human relationships with pets and livestock such as pigs, cats, dogs, and cattle, date back centuries. Archaeologists and paleogeneticists provide timelines for when humans tamed pets. For instance, humans tamed dogs in 13 000 BC, pigs in 8 300 BC, cattle in 8 300 BC, and cats in 7 500 BC. For thousands of years, human beings developed a sentimental relationship with these pets. However, the consumption of pets has been a common practice in many societies across the world. For instance, on special occasions, locals in Asia will slaughter and eat cats and dogs as delicacies. There is a special belief associated with eating pets in some countries. 

However, the consumption of pets in Namibia is a matter that has drawn public attention recently. Thus, it is not a new phenomenon. Although there appears to be external pressure regarding the prohibition of pet consumption in Namibia, there have not been any prosecutions thus far. In Namibia, there are no festivals or occasions for pet slaughtering and consumption like in other countries. Pet meat is rarely sold or eaten publicly. Pets in Namibia are not under imminent threat or attack. 

There is no poaching, public slaughtering, or large-scale consumption of pets. Only a few people, of course, slaughter pets for consumption, and they do so privately. There are moral issues surrounding the prohibition of pet consumption around the world. A dog, specifically, has sentimental value to human beings, and it always interacts with the owner, provides protection, especially for elderly people and children and carries out some household duties. 

This relationship has developed to the extent that it is unethical and cruel for others to slaughter a dog for consumption. A dog is an intelligent animal and it is helpful in many ways. The police and military use dogs to perform extraordinary duties beyond human comprehension, such as detecting narcotics and explosives. 

Others domesticate cats as they give them comfort, companionship and joy. In other words, pets are embraced as friends rather than as food. Fundamentally, it remains contested whether pet consumption is morally wrong. It is well known that pets carry certain illnesses and parasites, such as rabies and hookworms, which can be harmful to humans if consumed. As a result, certain non-profit organisations, such as the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals oppose the consumption of pet meat and condemn the theft of pets for slaughter and the poaching of pets. In my opinion, pet consumption is a morally sensitive matter that needs a pronouncement by the authorities to provide clear guidance for the public and create awareness. This will help dispel the many public perceptions, mysteries, and possible ethical issues surrounding pet consumption. In short, pets are important friends in our existence, and we have undoubtedly established a fixed relationship with them. This relationship has benefited us human beings immensely and has sentimental value.  We are social beings and pets are part of the social relationship that we cherish.

Collen Kurana is a DPhil student in Peace Studies at the Durban University of Technology.