11 Unforgiving Cases Of Animal Brutality That Show How Cruel We Have Been To Mother Nature

Whatever form animal cruelty takes, it affects our environment in more harmful ways than one. Animal abuse involves a wide range of human behaviours such as hunting, poaching, killing for meat, and slaying for pleasure, to name a few.?

Whenever we choose to act out cruelly?toward an animal, we disregard the balance created by Mother Nature. We disrupt one aspect of this equilibrium - so designed by animals - when we pluck them out of the ecosystem. Increased violence in the environment will always spawn more violence. Mother Nature has already been stretched to a limit which, if pushed a bit more, will break this equilibrium forever.

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Unfortunately, instances of animal cruelty have increased manifold. The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals - which operates in England and Wales - recorded a disturbing number of animal abuse cases. The charity said that it investigated 1.5 lakh cases of animal cruelty in 2016 alone! In India, 76 tigers were poached in 2016 which became the highest toll in the last six preceding years.

Let's take a look at some of the very specific instances that birthed a public voice outraging for an end to it all.?

1. The slaughtering of whales on the Faroe Islands

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The controversial annual hunt, that takes place on the Faroe Islands, slaughtered hundreds of whales and dolphins in the shallow waters after they were lured to the shore from the sea. Their blubber and meat were later distributed to the people of the Island.?

2. The killing of a rare elephant in Kenya

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A rare Tusker elephant was killed with a poisoned arrow in Kenya which brought down the already dwindling number of the herd to 21 in all of Africa. The animal was killed for its ivory which the poachers couldn't retrieve in time.?

3. The butchering of canines at Yulin Dog Meat Festival

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To the horror of all animal rights activists, the Yulin Dog Meat Festival went on without major hiccups. Even though the number of dogs did go down this year, the festival still managed to butcher the unfortunate ones to their merciless deaths.?

4. The mauling of mutts in a brutal Kabul dog fight

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In this horrific fight?declared as 'un-Islamic' by Taliban, angry mutts were urged by their owners to take on other dogs and fight till the end which only ended in bloodshed. The brutal fight - which had fizzled out - resurfaced earlier this year after Taliban was ousted by the US and the UK forces.

5. The hunting of Xanda, the cub of Cecil the Lion in Africa

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Trophy hunting is perhaps Africa's most controversial 'sport'. In 2015, the world outraged when the celebrated lion, Cecil was hunted and killed. This year, one of his cubs Xanda was also shot down by a trophy hunter.

6. The mass murder of 158 critically endangered crocodiles found in China

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158 critically endangered crocodiles were discovered dead in a box during a routine border check in China. The lifeless crocodiles had been stacked in 16 foam boxes and were probably being shipped to an undisclosed location to be sold as wallets, bags, and shoes.?

7. The poaching of tigers that left several dead in India

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In 2016, 76 tiger deaths were reported from January to October - a number that showed the highest toll of poached tigers in the last six preceding years. Madhya Pradesh witnessed the maximum deaths and Karnataka saw 13 deaths despite having the maximum tiger population in the state.?

8. The washing of endangered Olive Ridley turtles on the shore of Odisha

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Hundreds of endangered Olive Ridley turtles were washed ashore in Puri, Odisha last year. The conservationists blamed illegal trawlers and fishing nets which acted as a death trap for the turtles in the waters - this despite a ban on fishing along the coast.

9. The killing of a swan for the perfect selfie in Greece