- Growing acts of bestiality
Animal sexual abuse is something that often goes unreported, as there are very few cases officially on record where perpetrators have been caught and questioned on their actions. Animal rights advocate and activist Dominic Perera recently reported an incident where he rescued a dog who was being subject to rape by an individual in the Meethirigala area in the Gampaha District. The perpetrator has since been arrested by the Kirindiwela Police and is to be produced before the Gampaha Magistrate’s Court.
Speaking to Brunch, Perera shared that this is not the first time he has come across such an incident and that at least once a month, he has to deal with cases of animal sexual abuse. However, in this incident, there was video and photographic evidence. The dog in question is now with Perera and he said: “She is a house-trained animal, and when you look at the video evidence, you can conclude that this has been going on for quite some time,” adding also that “the dog is now doing a lot better; her private parts were quite swollen for some time, but with multivitamins and rest she is soon recovering”.
Perera shared that due to the lack of protection afforded to these animals and the general lack of empathy and care shown by the authorities, there are many such animals who continue to get abused without an escape in sight. He said that often he has made complaints to the Police about the various abuses faced by animals, but time and time again they are not followed through.
Speaking to University of Peradeniya Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science Department of Veterinary Clinical Studies Senior Lecturer Dr. Ashoka Dangolla, we learned that he too has come across such incidents. However, in his case, he has found the act has been committed against female calves, i.e. baby cows. He shared that he personally had to step in and intervene to stop the serial sexual abuse of baby cows in a plot of land near the Peradeniya University.
Dr. Dangolla said that he came across this by chance, as he kept encountering calves who were suffering from vaginal bleeding, but there appeared to be no disease or illness that was causing this bleeding. “It was perplexing to us to encounter such cases where there was vaginal bleeding but there appeared to be no disease that exhibited such symptoms for female calves,” he said, and that because they were coming up short in figuring out the root cause, he himself set out to observe the calves in their habitat, and what he discovered was that in the area, where there was a reported concern of the “grease yaka” at the time, there was this person who was terrorising the rural neighbourhood and also raping the calves in this particular pasture.
He said that while they were unable to capture the perpetrator; he suspects the asking of questions and investigations into the matter may have possibly alerted the person concerned, and in order to avoid being found out, it seems they have since disappeared or stopped the animal abuse.
Dr. Dangolla said that while he is aware that there is a word for this type of behaviour, and that it is possibly a mental condition, he believes that a large part of it is actually a result of the lack of sex education in this country. Particularly in these rural areas, he said, there is no way for people to explore their sexual natures; it is suppressed so deeply that it is possible that it is manifesting in these other, more perverse ways.
The condition that Dr. Dangolla is referring to is known as zoophilia, which is the sexual attraction of a human towards a nonhuman animal, which may involve the experience of sexual fantasies about the animal or the pursuit of real sexual contact with it, which is the act known as “bestiality”. Sex between humans and animals is illegal in Sri Lanka, as per the Penal Code.
Psychiatrist Anoma Jayasinghe further referred to the condition, and she shared: “Zoophilia is a paraphilia, a sexual deviation. The term is derived from the Greek words ‘para’, meaning next to, and ‘philia’, meaning love; the love that is perverted.
“In zoophilia, a person engages in sexual relations with an animal. The disorder is characterised by the deviant sexual interest towards an animal as well as the inability to resist the impulse for sexual behaviour. People with this disorder experience intense, persistent, repeated sexual fantasies, urges, and/or behaviours involving animals. The behaviour can range from imitating an animal during the sexual act to exclusively using an animal in the place of the partner,” she said, adding also that “there are ethical and legal implications of the behaviour. The treatments of the condition include pharmacotherapy and cognitive behaviour therapy”.
Asiri Medical Hospitals Counselling Psychologist and Visiting Consultant Dr. Kalharie Pitigala also expressed her opinion on the matter, sharing: “The most common reasons for engaging in zoophilic relationships are sexual abuse, lack of other avenues for sexual expression, childhood experimentation, and suppressing sexual emotions,” adding also that “sexuality is quite a taboo in our country. This stigma has led many people to suppress their emotions and not be open about them. Awareness is very low”.
Speaking with a veterinary surgeon at the Police Kennels Division, he too shared that while it may be a little more widely discussed in other parts of the world, the lack of discussion does not indicate that Sri Lanka is immune to this issue. He said that there are many issues surrounding the awareness of animal welfare in our country, and one major concern is that there is an incorrect idea that your pets or animals are “objects” and not living, feeling, thinking creatures.
He stated that often, when it comes to animal abuse, because animals are unable to voice their suffering, the lack of awareness has generated an idea that it is a victimless crime of sorts, and that you are safe despite having committed a crime against a living creature.
Tashiya Captain of Justice for Animals also shared her thoughts, adding that despite many acts of zoophilia not being reported, she suspects that it is a lot more prevalent than we may think, particularly in more remote and rural areas. She stated that animal abuse, in general, is greatly underreported, with even veterinarians not reporting these cases of abuse, as they really do not have a place to report it to. There are no mechanisms in place to ensure the safety and protection of our animals, which is why, she said, Sri Lanka greatly needs the Animal Welfare Bill to be enacted, as there are no measures in place for us to seek justice for animals.
The majority of the activists and also medical care professionals all expressed that it appears the Animal Welfare Bill does not stand a chance at getting approved any time soon. However, the longer the authorities dilly-dally in their process in taking action against perpetrators who gravely abuse animals and take advantage of them, the more the animals will suffer.