Man’s best friend? My parents taught me compassion. If someone was ill or needed help I should not just stand by in apathy, but try to help… get involved…make it better. This was not just limited to people. As a small child I heard from various relatives that my Grand Father’s Grand Father in old age was quite frail, thin, with a heart condition. He would bend down and pass out. His doctor warned him that bending down could be fatal. On a cold January day, he saw a starving kitten, bent down to feed it and passed out permanently.
I read In Sunday’s NY Post, “The city’s weirdest museum will soon be closing…” “Brooklyn Torah Animal World is flat broke and will shut its doors soon if no one helps.” it said. I wonder what a visitor might get from the exhibit, which claims all the animals from Noah’s Arc except a pig. It explains in owner Rabbi Deutsch’s own words “You know, a bakery sells not what the baker likes, but … you have to be sensitive to what people want to see or not want to see.”
I am not an “animal lover”. I do not just pour my heart out over any animal that I see. Some stop and fawn over this cute puppy or that baby possum. But if an animal is in pain, is trapped or lost, then at least I question what might possibly be done to help it. I do not just cross the street, look the other way, or ignore it. Perhaps it is because I am sensitive. Or maybe it is how I would want to be treated if I was cold and hungry.
Recently a religious man asked me why I was not afraid of getting bitten by a squirrel ( fear, no – caution yes). He continued saying I could get rabies from squirrels. He did not know they do not carry rabies. We got into a conversation on his upbringing and how Shoa survivors could easily have a fear of dogs. That is powerful imagery. Yes, I can try to imagine that such terror has lasting effects. But is that how it should be? I do not particularly like dogs, and am allergic to them. But each dog is different. Some do wonderful things for people. Sometimes we rely on them for their amazing talents as rescuers, detectives and guides. Is it fair to them, or good ourselves to still carry such negative feelings for an innocent animal that we do not even know? Is it fair to the pig that he should suffer more than any other Kosher or Non-Kosher animal because the museum does not even show him? At least keep the stuffed animal in a separate room – isolated but available to those who may want to see him?
An artist’s job is to ask questions; to care; to raise consciousness and awareness. I think we are better people for thinking about things rather than ignoring them. Certainly one could argue there are more important things to think about. But so too one might say how nothing is beneath consideration. Sometimes a sentence can be taken out of context. So readers should not assume me to be siding with pigs, whatever that means. I have never eaten any part of a pig. And unlike some people who I read have them as pets, and boast of their personal grooming fastidiousness – I must admit I am prejudiced. But does that make me a better person?
I do not think maintaining a fear of dogs, is better than learning to appreciate them or to understand them. Some religious people have pets and love those pets. Some don’t relate. And some hate and loath animals. Because I am a NY State licensed wildlife rehabber interested in helping injured and orphaned squirrels, I am often engaging visitors to my studio and website about their feelings towards and their knowledge of squirrels. It’s the same three categories of fear, apathy and compassion that I hear. The more people know, the more fascinated and respectful they are of these interesting creatures. Yet hunters, for example, insist on defending the indefensible. They insist that it is fair and right to hunt for sport. I do not understand how blasting a baby or mother squirrel high in the trees, who is either trying to survive in this terribly cold world or trying to enjoy a beautiful day without hunger, is any type of sport for anyone.
Maybe you would enjoy visiting Torah Animal World. Education could be good. Will children leave knowing that animals have feelings too or only that some are cute, scary, different, and dumb, Kosher or Non Kosher? Maybe just like people, there are good and bad individuals in the animals world? Maybe they each are a product of their experiences in life? Maybe we could feel better at times knowing that we are helping rather than not knowing how we are causing pain. Getting over one’s fear is usually suggested if one has a fear of the water, of heights or even of relationships. Could a museum or program like this, possibly provide an immersive experience to get people over their fears of animals?
In speaking to people who visit my studio and ask questions about my squirrel photographs, there is always something in the person’s past to have triggered their fear of squirrels. Discussion reveals a desire to recognize the cause and irrationality of continuing to live in that fear. I used to fear bees. Then I learned stinging is their last resort. It is suicide on their part. They die. Their stinging is usually only done when in fear. So when others go crazy over a bee in in the yard, I stand still and calm. No problem. A person with deep seated fear of dogs, might wish to get over it and feel better in the process by being a friend too.
This article appeared originally in The 5 Towns Jewish Times – http://5tjt.com/