A CONVERSATION BETWEEN TWO KINDRED SOULS||A Peep at the Plight of Working Animals

By Sonny Mncedisi Dube

It is one usual sombre noon, Zebra who lives in NovemberMan National Park is getting a feel of the weather, practically one of his favourite pastimes. Whilst Zebra is sharing his majestically decorated natural outfit with the environment, Donkey his friend who lives across the fence passes by, laden with load and his master’s whip spitting volumes of pain on his back. Zebra jovially waves at Donkey, a wave which gets in return a subdued nod and Zebra quickly gets the picture that his friend is super-busy hence play and chat time will be later than usual, not that Donkey plays or talks anyway. Donkey is usually quiet, his eyes teary but he is at least man enough to never let the tears decorate his cheeks. Thinks Zebra. In a split second Zebra sadly recalls one of the stories Donkey told him in their usual late night buddy chat after Zebra having convinced him to unburden his heart. 

Donkey gave a lengthy mumble about his master overworking him, even when he is not feeling well and using the whip as his only way of what he deems clear communication, but he managed to utter one thing clear, at least in Zebra’s ears. It was in form of a question and it echoed the following, ‘to help and to work is a divine instinct of mine but IS IT LAWFUL TO ENSLAVE THE UNCONSENTING’. This question Zebra least expected from Donkey and he was shocked to the core but although he had neither the tiniest idea of what or what not constitutes unlawfulness, he could not imagine that his unconsenting friend’s plight, a plight that ended up taking his life in the most sadistic manner would escape the definition of unlawfulness. This question he pondered in his heart throughout the span of his friendship with Donkey. He then met and told MR MHUKA the zoologist whom I was then lucky enough to get this question from and it also struck me as not only intriguing but also requiring interrogation.

Sounds Familiar, lets revisit the plight of working and captive animals by looking at the article titled “Is It Lawful to Enslave the Unconsenting” to which the above piece is a prologue, click here

 https://legalmegaminds.blogspot.com/2021/04/is-it-lawful-to-enslave-unconsenting.html?m=1

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

SONNY MNCEDISI DUBE is a Law student at the University of Zimbabwe, part of SOFA Student Chapter and a blogger who writes in his personal capacity

sonnymncedisi@gmail.com

0718533598/ 0775546868

©The NovemberMan