Babolsar's zoo young chained bear, above, was reportedly seized from the wild in Gilan province, Iran. Photograph: CHN[/caption]Tehran, YJC. A number of Shiite clerics have stated that cruelty to animals is religiously condemnable, urging action against entities that disregard animal rights.
Recently there has been a lot of happy and sad news about human rights in Iran.
Besides reports such as that of the shepherd who didnt kill the leopard which tore 44 of his sheep apart and later on donated the governmental compensation on wildlife protection grounds, there have been stories about ill-treatments by zoo owners, circus managers, poachers and the like.
The Chairman of Irans Association of Animal Rights Watch has in an interesting initiative conducted a series of interviews with prominent Shiite clergies, or Marjas as they are called, to obtain their verdict on animal abuse.
All the clergymen have denounced cruelty to animals on religious grounds and demanded that people or organizations that ill-treat animals must face decisive legal action.
Grand ayatollahs Makarem Shirazi, Sobhani, Noori Hamedani, Alavi Gorgani, Shahroodi, Mazaheri, Mousavi Ardabili, Rouhani, and others have all condemned animal abuse and asked for proper legal action accordingly.
By YJC
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