Ireland

Letter from Rev. Michael Campbell, St John the Baptist Church, Kilbrin, Kanturk, County Cork, Ireland

Dear Editor,

I am immensely pleased to receive The Ark magazine regularly. I send the contents of this letter for publication in your magazine.

I wish to comment on the programme Walking Through the Amazon, shown recently on Sunday nights on NTE TV3. It filmed the Amazon explorer Ed Stafford and his guides journeying through the Amazon jungle. I found the series generally very informative and most interesting but I was appalled at the cruel treatment shown on film to the spider monkeys in the Brazilian jungle by drug smugglers and hunters. They caught these poor creatures, tied them up, leaving them in a devastated state of fear and panic, then later killed them and ate them. Also, the cruel treatment of a tortoise who was pregnant, with the guide hacking this creature to death, taking its eggs, which were then eaten by explorer and guide. Such disdain for God and creatures is abhorrent and is nothing less than wilful cruelty.

Prayer for Animals:

Then God said to Noah, ‘Behold! I establish my covenant with you and your descendants after you, with every living creature that is with you and with the birds, the cattle and every beast of the earth with you, as many as came out of the Ark’ – Genesis 9.

Eternal father, at the very dawn of human history you have given through Noah, your protecting covenant to all animals as well as to us. We intercede, therefore for our friends the animals and their welfare.

Inspired by the gospel message of mercy, given to us by your divine son, may all of us use our unique gifts of reason to protect these less privileged creatures which share this planet with us.

We ask this through Christ out lord.

Amen.