Humane Warriors in Another Era

Humane Warriors in Another Era

Last week in this blog, we toured the Colon Cemetery in Havana and reacquainted ourselves with Jeannette Ryder, founder in 1906 of the Banda de Piedad (group of mercy). It stirred me to try to look back into Cuban history to learn a little more about the humane movement in Cuba in the early part of the 20th century. Doing history today is easy compared to just a few decades ago. A Google search can turn up thousands of documents on some subjects. Still, some others only generate a few references. Cuba's early humane history only gave a few, but they were pretty interesting.

Jeannette Ryder didn't let any grass grow under her feet. She quickly became a force for humane action in Havana, frequently rescuing dogs injured in traffic or just sick dogs from the streets. The Banda de Piedad recruited many volunteers and fielded a fleet of ambulances to pick up unfortunate animals and bring them to her hospital where treatment and drugs were free. She sent recruiters across Cuba and began humane work in other cities. Eventually she could count 20,000 members across the nation.

In 1912 there were some cases of bubonic plague in Cuba. Cubans then, and to a lesser extent today, tend to believe human illnesses can be transmitted from animals. In 1912 a wave of fear of street animals grew among the people, and fear of the plague caused many to harm or kill their animals.

That year Nicolás Russo López, a member of the Banda de Piedad, discovered a man trying to kill dogs by pouring coal oil on them and lighting them on fire. He rushed to rescue the dogs and saved them. He then threatened the man with reporting him to the Banda, and the dog torturer became incensed, drew a pistol, and fired at Russo López. He was struck, nearly fatally, by a bullet in the left lung but eventually recuperated. Later, the Pennsylvania SPCA awarded him $50 from a fund to reward courage in the defense of animals.

A couple of years earlier, Senora Arredondo of Havana was not so lucky. She was also a member of the Banda de Piedad, and had called out a known animal abuser, a mule team driver who treated his mules cruelly. She berated his cruelties to his face as he sat in his wagon. Suddenly, he swerved his wagon and it struck Sra. Arredondo, crushing her between the wagon and a brick wall. She was terribly injured and died on her way to the hospital. Ironically, the force that killed her was provided unknowingly by the mules she was trying to save. Word of her killing stirred a popular reaction in Havana, and a fountain was built and dedicated in her memory.

These heroes of humane action for animals, Señor Russo López and Señora Arredondo, seem obscure today, a full century later, but their spirit lives on--not really in great historical fame--but in the lives and values and actions of millions who support the protection of animals.

Les Inglis