Why Don't Africans Treat Animals (Dogs) and the Environment Like Westerners?

Added: 2026-06-04

[00:00:00]There is often a lack of respect for animal, our forest and the environment. Nigeria has one of the highest deforestation rates in the world.

[00:00:14]In this video, I want to look at why black Africans are indifferent to dogs, wildlife, and the natural environment.

[00:00:23]As westerners, having a pet dog living inside the house is not a common practice among many African cultures.

[00:00:31]However, in countries like South Africa, Botswana, and Namibia, there is a growing acceptance of pet ownership largely due to long-standing contact with Europeans. Even so, within these countries, pet ownership is not as prevalent as it is in Western cultures.

[00:00:49]In the west, many dog owners view their pets as part of the family. Dogs are often allowed to sleep in bed, are left alone with babies, and are fed from their owner's plate. Such practices can be seen as offensive to many black Africans who often consider them unclean. It's ironic, however, that in Nigeria, for example, the environment can often be dirty in various ways, raising the question of what different does it make if a dog is dirty? Anyway, ultimately the concept of having a pet dog is not deeply ingrained in African cultures. The situation is even more pronounced in West Africa where Nigeria is known as the largest dog eating country on the continent. Countries like Cameroon, Ghana, Liberia and Sra Leon also have traditions of consuming dog meat. When West Africans observe Westerners treating dogs as if they were human companions or family members, it can evoke irritation. While the history of dog ownership in Africa dates back centuries, dogs were traditionally kept outside and primarily served as security or hunting roads. Today, the integration of pet dogs into family dynamics in many black African cultures is often traced to Western influences. The relationship between Africans and animals is complex.

[00:02:14]There is often a lack of respect for animals, our forest, trees, and the environment. This issue isn't limited to just dogs or specific animals. I want to ask you, my viewers, how many black Africans have you seen actively advocating for animal rights? I could be mistaken here, but I feel I'm close to the truth when I say that no Nigerian has been arrested for animal abuse in the last 10 years. Even though cases of animal abuse are prevalent in Nigeria and other West and Central African countries, I hope this helps paint a clearer picture. Moving on to the next point, Africans generally do not keep pet in the same way others do. Instead, our communities often integrate animals into daily life, agriculture, and spiritual folklore, viewing them as practical tools rather than as family members or friends. Regarding the consumption of dogs, there is nothing inherently unethical about it. Dogs are animals just like chickens, pigs, cows, goats, and sheep. For example, Hindus highly revere cows and choose not to eat beef due to their commitment to aimsa or nonviolence towards all living beings.

[00:03:28]The cow symbolizes motherhood, charity, and divine bounty. often seen as a maternal figure for its selfless provision of milk. Similarly, some westerners view dogs in the same way.

[00:03:41]However, Hindus do not judge those who eat beef much like some westerners judge people who eat dog. Within my specific EU tribe, there is no tradition of eating dog meat, but it is practiced in some other EU tribes. It is important to note that I is an ethnic group composed of various tribes. I remember when a childhood friend mentioned he was going to eat dog meat. I was shocked because I didn't realize that certain tribes within my ethnicity do consume it. As a logical person, I sometimes feel embarrassed for judging my friend for eating dog meat when I eat beef, chicken, lamb, and other meat. Just because a culture holds a particular animal in high regard doesn't mean every other culture must share that same belief. What matters most to me is how humanely the industry treat the animals.

[00:04:36]If rats are part of your diet, that's your choice. Please don't torture them.

[00:04:40]This is where my views differ from the reality of my culture, my country, and to a greater extent my continent. During marriage proposals and other traditional gatherings, you can see how my people treat goats, sheeps, cows, and chickens.

[00:04:56]These animals are often brought as part of the diary and other traditional contributions. They are frequently tied up and left in cramped corners with little regard for their welfare. With the influence of western culture, the trend of keeping dogs as pet has increased in countries closer to white populations such as I said earlier South Africa, Namibia, and Botswana and to some extent Kenya. As young black Africans consume more Western media and find Western customs appealing, the number of indoor dogs has grown over the last decade. Even in cultures like Korea and China, where dog meat consumption was once common, the practice has decreased significantly, primarily due to Western influence. Koreans in particular go to great lengths to be perceived as civilized by Westerners. As the world continues to integrate, the practice of eating dogs is gradually diminishing. Historically, many cultures consumed dog meat. While some have completely abandoned it, others are slowly coming around to the idea. In Islamic culture in the Middle East, eating dogs has been considered taboo for a millennia. As Islamic dietary laws forbid the consumption of carnivorous animals with thanks such as dogs, wolves, and cats. In Africa, our treatment of animals reflect our attitude towards natural habitat. For many Nigerians, wildlife conservation feels like a concept from science fiction. Just mentioning animal right can provoke laughter. I can imagine my Nigerian and other West and Central African viewers watching this would be like, "What is bantto talking about? Has banter gone crazy?" In my culture and throughout much of Africa to some extent, when a stronger person feels disrespected, they often result to violence against the weaker individual.

[00:06:50]Similarly, when police officers feel disrespected, they may use violence against alleged offenders. In the workplace, especially in the informal sector, which employs most Africans anyway, an employer who feels disrespected by an employee might also respond violently. Furthermore, parents may physically assault their own children for trivial reasons. What I'm trying to say is this. The normalization of violence as a means of resolving dispute and interacting with one another has become ingrained in our cultures. If we treat each other with such brutality, expecting better treatment for our animals, wildlife, and environment seems unrealistic, don't you think? In fact, in many Western cultures, dogs are often treated better than we treat ourselves in Africa. A culture's care for its animals, wildlife, and natural environment frequently reflect how it treats its own members. In 1900, there were hundreds of thousands to over a million lions across all of Africa.

[00:07:56]Today, fewer than 25,000 remain. Most of these lions are found in southern and eastern Africa where conservation efforts led by white people have helped protect them. Without these interventions, they would likely be extinct. In West Africa, the situation is dire with fewer than 120 lions left, down from a few hundred,000 just a century ago. A century ago, there were up to 10 million elephants in Africa.

[00:08:26]Today, fewer than 500,000 remain. The only reason any elephant are still alive is due to the protection and funding provided by conservation effort led by white people. The same applies to cheetahs, leopards, and many other wildlife on the continent. In West Africa, we have destroyed much of our forest and environment. Since 1900, the region has lost 80 to 90% of its original forest cover, largely due to rapid population growth and agricultural expansion. Countries like Nigeria, Togo, and Benin have been particularly affected, leaving landscapes fragmented into small forest patches.

[00:09:08]Unfortunately, many Nigerians are unaware of the severity of the situation. We do not fully comprehend the impact of the damage we have inflicted on our environment. We have lost over 96% of our natural forest cover with deforestation occurring at an alarming rate of 11.1% per year making it among the highest in the world. From Nigeria to Ghana, Liberia to the Gambia, Mali to Togo, and Guinea to Benin, we have severely depleted our wildlife, littered our street with rubbish, and disrupted the natural balance. Experts suggest that reversing this trend will require coordinated long-term effort to restore a dense evergreen forest belt, aiming to plant an estimated 350 million trees annually over the next 50 years.

[00:10:02]To put this into perspective, Norway is nearly three times smaller than Nigeria.

[00:10:07]Yet, it has more trees, approximately 11 billion trees to Nigeria's about 4 billion trees. In fact, the UK has about the same number of trees as Nigeria.

[00:10:16]Nigeria has one of the highest deforestation rate in the world. It is a nation of people who often seem more focused on seeking blessing from some god rather than caring for their wildlife, environment, and community.

[00:10:32]This video is not intended for outsiders to come in and demean black people using colorful stereotypes. I create content that shed light on the struggles of my people and I believe it is important to share these stories. However, I am tired of white people coming to my channel to feed their sense of racial superiority.

[00:10:53]I cannot accept this and I do not grant any white channels the right to use my video to promote their propaganda. If you think we're wrong, if you think there was anything we missed, please leave them in the comment section below.

[00:11:04]And also, don't forget to like, share, and subscribe. Thanks for watching.