HOOF IN MOUTH - II

HOOF IN MOUTH - II

"Doc! Are you aware of the hot news on Indian Express back home today?" Asked Colonel Rathore, the CO, suddenly at lunch table. We were having our lunch in Officer Mess of United Nations peacekeepers in Malakal, capital of Upper Nile State, South Sudan that hot afternoon. "Yes sir" I replied. I was under dread since morning when the ominous title of the article had flashed on the screen in the morning " Do donkeys commit suicide? In Sudan they do and Indian Army has a problem". It was like being kicked by a mule in the belly. I had immediately rung up Major Shambhu, the Public Relations Officer " Did you share the story I sent you with any Indian scribe"? I had inquired. "Yes, why"? Shambhu had confirmed. " Oh My God! Didn't you understand it was humour, not News"? I had hung up, aghast. Seasoned journalist, Manu Pubby had published the story as such and a diplomatic row was staring me in face. For all I knew, my days in mission were numbered and I could be on my way back in a cloud of shame. I could once again feel the hoof in my mouth!

The vet hospital I was running in the town of Malakal was rendering a yeoman's service to local populace invested heavily in livestock. It was pride of the mission. Donkeys formed major proportion of our patients besides cows, sheep, goats and horses. Rapidly growing Malakal (It was then one of the fastest growing urban centres in the world with maximum returns on investment in real estate!), sadly had no domestic water supply and rudimentary donkey carts which were no more than a barrel mounted on two wheels provided water to households. These contraptions were having very poor quality harness for the poor beasts who pulled them leading to galls and wounds. Moreover the young teenager negro boys who drove them were of particularly cruel disposition without exception. Their modus operandi was to hold a meter long piece of PVC water pipe in one hand and the reins in the other. They continuously beat the animal with their pipe while jabbing the mouth with  reins, jerking the bit in mouth violently Consequently, these donkeys suffered invariably from haematomas and open wounds on their back and rump. The wounds got infected and infested by maggots and we had a tough time treating them.

 I used to rue these little devils and tried to drive some sense in them but to no avail. Infact, these teenagers didn't like if you treated them as boys. I later discovered the reason for it. Once they got puberty, they underwent elaborate tribal ceremony after which they were declared adults in the community! So they considered themselves mature and were very confident about themselves. A civil war for 35 years can as such change the psyche of people. I was shocked to see that primary school children in  North Sudan had combat dress as school uniform since a decade back when the president General Umar Al Bashiri had declared a jihad against the South!!

 One day a tall, lanky man entered our premises and called to me " Doctor, I am Joseph from Tanzania. I work with the church. I am also president of the Society Against Cruelty to Animals. We are very proud of the God's work you people are doing in this clinic". "What can we do for you Joseph"? I inquired. "Well there's lot of cruelty being perpetrated in Malakal on mute animals. Worst treatment is being meted out to poor donkeys. I want your help to check this cruelty". He said. I agreed with him wholeheartedly and showed him the patients lined up for treatment in the courtyard. Buoyed by support, Joseph became more animated " Doctor such is the atrocity committed on these poor creatures that its driving them to suicide" said he. Now that was really a novel idea and I tried to reason with him that animals can't think like humans and there was no way they would think of ending their own life. Joseph was adamant " You don't believe me"? He cried " I can tell you I saw a donkey who had lost any hope of fair treatment from his cruel master. He simply refused to pull the cart inspite of severe beating. No sir, he won't budge. The owner, cruel as they are here, kept on beating the donkey till he died on the road". As he became the centre of attraction of all staff he continued " Another case I saw was even more bizarre"! The donkey simply took off with the cart and galloped towards the Nile with all his strength. He simply went beyond over the jetty and jumped off into the river lock stock and barrel" disclosed Joseph. " Now don't tell me he didn't swim back to the bank" I inquired, alarmed. " How could he? He had planned it well. He was weighed down by the cart attached by harness. No my friend, the poor beast was fed up by thankless life and went down to his watery grave. May his soul rest in peace". Joseph was really emotional recounting the sad incident. A Shilluk nurse who worked with us brought him a glass of water that he gulped down and collapsed on the bench.

I found the story very amusing and wrote it down for humour section of the Force HQ quarterly journal and sent it to Major Shambhu, the Public Relation Officer at Force Head Quarters. However it so happened that Shambhu shared it with some Indian reporter and the unexpected result was that it got published prominently in the Indian Express! What kind of a National level journo would publish it as truth? I wondered. Luckily no one in diplomatic circles took any cognizance of the story and after a few days, I had a sigh of relief. My mission of serving the poor animals in South Sudan continued with much acclaim by UN as well as the local government and most important of all, the grateful local people.  

 However the other day, after 16 years I remembered the incidence and searched on net. Not only I found the original story but to my utter surprise, discovered that it had led to multiple follow up stories where writers delved deeper on the subject of suicides in animals and went on to discuss it with leading experts!!

 https://modernfarmer.com/2014/12/can-donkeys-really-commit-suicide/

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/a-donkeys-suicide/articleshow/2890157.cms