Bear Baiting

It is so easy to judge cruelty in other cultures: about their people, the way they treat their minorities and the way they treat their animals. Oftentimes, those judgments are projections: those things we despise in our own culture but are too passive, afraid or just plain ignorant about, to change.

But I confess that this was just too sad: bear baiting in Pakistan. Not that I have a serious problem with what goes on in Pakistan--I'm not a fear-monger or racist or worse, stupid. And I frankly think our policy regarding Pakistan borders on the same old American hegemony. But this issue of bear baiting seems unnecessarily cruel. Rather like poaching (hunting) elephants in Africa for their tusks. Or tigers in India to sell their furs to the nouveau-riche in China. Or like bull-fighting in Spain and Mexico.

So here's one website that helps with bear baiting, the World Society for the Protection of Animals.

For anti elephant poaching, here are a few sites to donate to: The Friedkin Fund and the African Wildlife Foundation.

Anti tiger poaching: the World Wildlife Foundation. The Tiger Foundation was interesting, but perhaps needs more investigation.