It is very devastating to watch animals being transported in very inhumane ways. Humans forget that animals are sentient beings who experience pain and can feel when their freedoms are being violated, only that they can’t speak.
I recently witnessed a cow being transported in a probox. The probox car is a very common car in Kenya that is used to do all manner of businesses, carry all manner of goods and even transport people. It is designated to carry four people but the Kenyan probox can carry upto ten people. The probox owners are known for their recklessness on roads and also for harrassing other motorists on the roads.
Back to our transport story. Pain and fatigue were evident on the physical appearance of the cow. The legs had been folded into, two, tied with a rope, forcing it to lie helplessly on the floor of the probox. It looked like it had been contemplating breaking the glasses and jumping out of the car windows. Her eyes were teary and i couldn’t help but wonder why the owner had decided to subject it to such kind of pain.
On offloading, the animal jumped out of the vehicle in fury, forcing the present crowd to scatter in order to guard their safety. She tried to stand on her knees but in vain. She even looked hungry, no wonder the legs were not strong enough. When she was finally able to stand on her feet, you couldn’t help but notice how she was limping. This was so horrifying to say the least.
These inhumane acts are done by humans knowingly. They are very much aware of the amount of pain and stress they subject these animals. I remember trying to approach the Probox to take a photo and the owner was quick to say ”Madam wacha kupiga picha utaharibu biashara”. This clearly shows that they know that this is not the best way that animals should be transported.
On asking if he would like to comment on why he chose that mode of transportation, he arrogantly replied ,”Sina time. Nakimbia kumaliza shughuli zingine” I had no choice but to walk away feeling very sad for the cow. Poor cow!
