adminFreedom Mupanedemo
IMAGINE a convoy of cars, driving slowly and flashing lights, with one of the cars turned into a hearse carrying the carcass of a dead pet on its way to a “graveyard” for a burial ceremony.
And that pet’s emotional send-off ends in tears and prayer with the “bereaved” family members leaving an insignia with an equally touching message like “Rest in peace Trudy” on the grave tip.
What about members of the “bereaved” family still occasionally finding time to visit the pet’s graveyard with flowers of remembrance, some years after the death of their dog or cat?
It’s strange and weird! But this happens in Zimbabwe where some people or families have a strong bond with their pets, those who do not treat pets as mere domestic animals but members of the family. Some who regard pets as part of their soul, so eulogised to the point its death can plunge the whole family into mourning.
A great loss where the void left appears so hard to fill! Still sounds bizarre?
A recent visit to the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) offices in Gweru by this writer revealed how some people have high regard for their pets to the point of giving them a human like send-off upon death.
At the city’s SPCA offices along the Mvuma Road, lies a vast graveyard for pets.
Here, the graveyard space is fast diminishing and authorities revealed that they have since approached the local authority so that they can be allocated land for pets’ graveyard.
“Our space here is getting smaller and smaller so what we have done is to approach the Gweru City Council intending to have a piece of land allocated for the purposes of burying pets. We are still waiting for their response but we are confident that they will co-operate. This is because we have seen incidences when residents throw their dead pets by the roadside which is not proper hygienically,” said Dr Sindisiwe Gumbo, a veterinary specialist with SPCA in Gweru.
Dr Gumbo said in the past, the majority of those who would buy a grave to bury pets were white folks but blacks were beginning to appreciate the importance of pets in their lives by giving them a befitting send-off upon death.
“We are having a number of people who also come here telling great stories about their pets saying they also deserve a befitting send-off. Nowadays we are having a considerable number of blacks who request graves from us to bury their ‘heroes’ and ‘heroines’,” said Dr Gumbo who revealed that a pet’s grave cost between $20 and $30 depending on the size of the pet.
He said their veterinary clinic was also overwhelmed by pets that were being brought by their owners after falling sick.
“Interestingly we have pet owners who make it a point to come and visit their pet while in admission on a daily basis. We had a local guy who would bring his dog’s favourite type of biscuits everytime he visited the SPCA clinic to find out how his dog was recovering. Unfortunately the dog died and it is one of the many dogs laid at our pet’s graveyard here,” said Dr Gumbo.
Dr Gumbo, who said she has passion for pets, said pets play an integral part in human lives hence the need to provide them with a decent burial when they die.
He said some residents who come to give their dead pets a decent burial at the SPCA Gweru even buy small coffins.
“This might sound awkward in an African perspective but if we take time to reflect on how pets play an integral part in our lives, we will then realise how important it is to afford them a decent burial,” he said.
Former Gweru mayor, Mr Tedious Chimombe, who breeds dogs at his home also concurred with Dr Gumbo saying he was one of the many residents who have so far buried their pets at Gweru SPCA graveyard.
“I breed Rottweilers at my house with people coming to buy puppies at $50 each so to me dogs are very important. Apart from providing my house with security, they are a source of income so if I lose one I take it to the SPCA graveyard for burial,” he said.
Mr Timothy Mugodhi, who claims to be a traditional healer, however, said pets cannot be afforded decent burials as if they were humans.
“Pets are important in our lives, yes. We know cats for example, kill snakes and eliminate rats in our homes but this does not mean their death can attract a decent burial as if they were humans. It’s not African, instead those who have developed an intimate relationship with pets are viewed as witches or wizards,” claimed Mr Mugodhi.
But online researches reveal that pets have been buried like they were humans in other countries. Some families even develop intimate relationship with pets to the extent that they send their pets for cremation so that they keep their remains as remembrance.
One such high profile incident of a pet that was accorded an almost human-like funeral upon death occurred in the USA when a three-year-old German shepherd, K-9 Kye, died in 2014. The police dog that served Oklahoma City police was buried with full police honours after it was killed by an armed suspect who fatally stabbed it before K-9’s handler shot him dead as well.
The dog was pursuing the suspect when it grabbed him by its teeth and the man reacted by stabbing it multiple times. — Zimpapers Syndication Services.
Online Reporter