Absolutely shocking

The perpetrators want putting down.

---

Steve

Sickening.

Nasty peices of work,hopefully what ye reap so shall ye sow, if I had seen that I would have set fire to them, see if they liked it.

Granted, this is sad, but let me ask you this question.  If it was a chicken would you feel the same way?  Do you feel the same way when you tuck into your Sunday roast?  Or wear your best shoes?

It's speciesism.

And yes, I am a hypocrite with this message as I am not a vegetarian, and even for vegetarians go, what about the poor plants?

Note the digger ant which implants its eggs in a paralysed caterpillar so its eggs can gestate on the nutrients inside the caterpillar while it’s being kept alive and fresh.

Evolution isn't cruel by choice, it has to be cruel.

Jon

The answer is "yes".  Needless cruelty cannot be easily justified by sophistry.  We are thinking animals and well aware of the consequences of what we do.  WE KNOW BETTER.

Nature is red in tooth and claw.

Humans have the ability to analyse. What is right and what is not ...

However, animal instinct is just as present in humans as in other life forms, and to deny the "gut " feeling that is instant, is to deny a real option - second thoughts and patience may well be worth waiting for if we as individuals are posessed with the virtue ... 

In our world of instant gratification, patience is an ever growing virtue I am sure ...

I don't understand how and why people do this. Taking an animals life for food is the way of life.

Causing an animal pain just for the hell of it can never be acceptable. It's a shame that even if those evil low lifes are caught the authorities don't dish out punishments to fit that crime. They are not fit to have the pleasure of life.

I hope they suffer pain like they caused that poor animal.

I hope they realise it's wrong and don't do anything else like it. I've no desire to see them suffer. I don't understand why their suffering is less important than the horse's.

I hope they realise it's wrong and don't do anything else like it.

That's the problem. They don't.

Nature can indeed be cruel. Not half an hour ago the cat arrived in with a small bird in his jaws. No doubt he intended to "play" with if for a while and eventually consume it. The bird was quite vocal about not wanting this chain of events to unfold so I rescued it and took it outside.Unfortunately the damage was already done. A broken wing and leg. Left to it's own (impaired) devices it was going to be lunch for something, be that another cat or a magpie. Humanely dispatched. Cat in a huff.

Willy.

James,

We haven't a clue what's really going on here. Lets say 'a number of youths' is at least 4, maybe 5. Somehow you just know that all of them were equally keen to inflict pain on this animal - that not one of them had, or will have, any doubts or reservations about what happened? Not the slightest chance that some might be taking part because of social pressures; or that the experience of watching the pony suffer might just be the thing that awakens someone's conscience and sets them on a different path? Because, inconvenient as it is for the tabloid reader's worldview, people do reform. There's any number of stories of people who've done terrible things in their early lives and grown to be just as disgusted by them as anyone here can be.

A friend of mine was involved as a young teenager in beating a dog to death. It had killed his friend's dog and the friend insisted they do it and put a lot of pressure on my friend to join in. He was appalled at the whole thing, but he did take part. To the very best of my knowledge, he had done nothing cruel or violent since. When he told me about it - twenty years later - it was like the Ancient Mariner. He was still shocked and horrified at what he had done and seemed driven to tell me by some deep compulsion. Pity none of you were around at the time to give him a taste of his own medicine and beat him to death. I'm sure that would have been much better.

James,

We haven't a clue what's really going on here. Lets say 'a number of youths' is at least 4, maybe 5. Somehow you just know that all of them were equally keen to inflict pain on this animal - that not one of them had, or will have, any doubts or reservations about what happened? Not the slightest chance that some might be taking part because of social pressures; or that the experience of watching the pony suffer might just be the thing that awakens someone's conscience and sets them on a different path? Because, inconvenient as it is for the tabloid reader's worldview, people do reform. There's any number of stories of people who've done terrible things in their early lives and grown to be just as disgusted by them as anyone here can be.

A friend of mine was involved as a young teenager in beating a dog to death. It had killed his friend's dog and the friend insisted they do it and put a lot of pressure on my friend to join in. He was appalled at the whole thing, but he did take part. To the very best of my knowledge, he had done nothing cruel or violent since. When he told me about it - twenty years later - it was like the Ancient Mariner. He was still shocked and horrified at what he had done and seemed driven to tell me by some deep compulsion. Pity none of you were around at the time to give him a taste of his own medicine and beat him to death. I'm sure that would have been much better.

______________________

David,

That is a very good post you write and I agree with you totally.  When I was 14 years old, a friend and I used to play golf at this club and for some unknown reason, we decided to find a green far away from the club house and hack it up totally with our irons.  How immature can one get?  That just isn't me and it was 21 years ago.  When I was younger (at 13), I even rung up the local Superdrug with bomb scares.

Surely we've all behaved drastically different in the past and social influence is such a powerful phenomenon - certainly to the young mind.

Regards,

Jon

Generally speaking, am not an eye-for-an-eye guy, and have no desire to see these criminals set on fire.

But perhaps I might feel differently if it were my beloved animal.  So I guess that's why it is a good thing we live in a society governed by laws.  

By any measure, this action was horribly wrong, and they deserve to punished. Hopefully, there is a chance that at least some of them can also be rehabilitated.  

But my fear is, given it was "only a pony", that the police will not prioritize it.  And if they get away with this horrible crime, then what's next?

Hook

"But perhaps I might feel differently if it were my beloved animal.  So I guess that's why it is a good thing we live in a society governed by laws."

Hook,

Couldn't agree more.

David - thanks for the reply. Whilst i agree with you that people can change, get steered onto the right path etc, animal cruelty seems to be the sign of a disturbed mind which can then lead onto other things. An eye for an eye is not my thing either, but i can understand the frustration of the majority when something like this happens and justice is not served.

James

James,

"animal cruelty seems to be the sign of a disturbed mind which can then lead onto other things"

I've read that it's well documented that this can happen.

And this certainly fits the bill.
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/t...ved-115875-23162962/