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euthanasia_-_curse_or_blessing [2025/11/28 13:37] – administratoreuthanasia_-_curse_or_blessing [2025/11/28 13:42] (current) – administrator
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 ===== Introduction ===== ===== Introduction =====
  
-One of the common challenges in wildlife rescue and rehabilitation is to be frequently confronted with the suffering of sentient beings. Rescue and rehabilitation of wild animals does also regularly generate the question of what is an acceptable quality of life. When trying to find an answer to this particular question, one will automatically discover more questions and potential problems. What can be done when the desired level of quality of life is not achievable at all, or at least not within an acceptable time frame? Or, just to name a few of those questions, can the achieved treatment and rehabilitation result be maintained for the rest of the potentially natural life of the animal concerned?+{{ :juvenile_jackdaw.jpeg?200|}}One of the common challenges in wildlife rescue and rehabilitation is to be frequently confronted with the suffering of sentient beings. Rescue and rehabilitation of wild animals does also regularly generate the question of what is an acceptable quality of life. When trying to find an answer to this particular question, one will automatically discover more questions and potential problems. What can be done when the desired level of quality of life is not achievable at all, or at least not within an acceptable time frame? Or, just to name a few of those questions, can the achieved treatment and rehabilitation result be maintained for the rest of the potentially natural life of the animal concerned?
  
 Whilst trying to find all these answers, it quickly becomes obvious that there are quite a number of factors to consider. Typical factors to assess in these circumstances are extent and nature of the disease or injury, available treatment options, the prognosis and potential quality of life after treatment, the availability and likelihood of success of treatment, the animal’s age and co-morbidities. Unfortunately, another major and often rather limiting factor for all of these considerations is the ability of the animal’s guardian to pay for any of the desirable and available treatment options. Also, the worse case scenario has to be explored as well. What will the animal guardian do with or for an animal, which cannot be safely released back into the wild? And at this particular point euthanasia could potentially become a possible and serious consideration. Whilst trying to find all these answers, it quickly becomes obvious that there are quite a number of factors to consider. Typical factors to assess in these circumstances are extent and nature of the disease or injury, available treatment options, the prognosis and potential quality of life after treatment, the availability and likelihood of success of treatment, the animal’s age and co-morbidities. Unfortunately, another major and often rather limiting factor for all of these considerations is the ability of the animal’s guardian to pay for any of the desirable and available treatment options. Also, the worse case scenario has to be explored as well. What will the animal guardian do with or for an animal, which cannot be safely released back into the wild? And at this particular point euthanasia could potentially become a possible and serious consideration.
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 The answer to the question of whether euthanasia or being alive is in an animal’s interest is not necessarily black and white. We do challenge the outdated view of most veterinary surgeons that non-human animals ‘live only in the now’, meaning that quality of life is more important for them than quantity of life. This wrongly implies that non-human animals lack the capacity to worry about their future, let alone about their life or existence. It seems difficult for anthropocentric orientated human beings to accept the scientifically proven fact that non-human animals are sentient beings like us humans. There is no plausible reason why sentient non-human animals are any different from us human animals. This is why would expect at the very least that non-human sentient beings are being given the benefit of the doubt. In our view, euthanasia should not be justified when there is at least one better option available. The answer to the question of whether euthanasia or being alive is in an animal’s interest is not necessarily black and white. We do challenge the outdated view of most veterinary surgeons that non-human animals ‘live only in the now’, meaning that quality of life is more important for them than quantity of life. This wrongly implies that non-human animals lack the capacity to worry about their future, let alone about their life or existence. It seems difficult for anthropocentric orientated human beings to accept the scientifically proven fact that non-human animals are sentient beings like us humans. There is no plausible reason why sentient non-human animals are any different from us human animals. This is why would expect at the very least that non-human sentient beings are being given the benefit of the doubt. In our view, euthanasia should not be justified when there is at least one better option available.
  
-“Anyone who says that life matters less to animals than it does to us has not held in his hands an animal fighting for its life. The whole of the being of the animal is thrown into that fight, without reserve.” +//“Anyone who says that life matters less to animals than it does to us has not held in his hands an animal fighting for its life. The whole of the being of the animal is thrown into that fight, without reserve.” 
-ELISABETH COSTELLO IN J. M. COETZEE’S THE LIVES OF ANIMALS+Elisabeth Costello in J. M. Coetzee's 'The Lives of Animals'//
  
 ===== Species Specific and Individual Considerations ===== ===== Species Specific and Individual Considerations =====
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 As a sanctuary, we treat and care for patients that require long-term treatment, rehabilitation and a varying degree of support, which also naturally means that these animals are in need of a home for life. This approach is obviously very dependent on long term funding and capacity, but does also depend on the species and individual concerned. There are species, which are not suitable for a life in captivity. One of these species are for example swifts. Keeping migratory swifts in captivity, who normally spend most of their lives exclusively airborne and who almost never self feed when in captivity, could cause these birds to suffer in many ways, and would therefore be in our view not justifiable, at least not in a long-term sanctuary type of setting. However, one should always bear in mind that the assessment of the suitability for a life in captivity is not only a species specific consideration. It also requires an in depth assessment of the personality of the individual animal concerned. This kind of assessment needs to be repeated regularly throughout the whole life of the animal concerned, as the situation and the assessment outcome can potentially change when an animal becomes for example mature or grows old. As a sanctuary, we treat and care for patients that require long-term treatment, rehabilitation and a varying degree of support, which also naturally means that these animals are in need of a home for life. This approach is obviously very dependent on long term funding and capacity, but does also depend on the species and individual concerned. There are species, which are not suitable for a life in captivity. One of these species are for example swifts. Keeping migratory swifts in captivity, who normally spend most of their lives exclusively airborne and who almost never self feed when in captivity, could cause these birds to suffer in many ways, and would therefore be in our view not justifiable, at least not in a long-term sanctuary type of setting. However, one should always bear in mind that the assessment of the suitability for a life in captivity is not only a species specific consideration. It also requires an in depth assessment of the personality of the individual animal concerned. This kind of assessment needs to be repeated regularly throughout the whole life of the animal concerned, as the situation and the assessment outcome can potentially change when an animal becomes for example mature or grows old.
  
-====== End-of life-care ======+====== End of Life Care ======
  
 ===== Impact of Impairments and Disabilities ===== ===== Impact of Impairments and Disabilities =====
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