At the Level of Beasts

At the Level of Beasts

7 November 2025

I’m sitting in a Colombian café, waiting for a strong breakfast before meeting my personal trainer. As I sip my coffee, I feel the urge to connect a few loose threads—because many still don’t seem to see what’s right in front of us.

A tragedy has unfolded in our zoo. Nearly all the animals have died; the few survivors are wasting away in neglect. The details are hazy, but it seems public funds were mishandled. This, in a country that proudly enacted an Animal Welfare Act—another paper tiger. No one is being held accountable. No one will go to jail.

It’s well established that cruelty to animals signals a deeper disturbance. Those who harm animals often treat people with the same cold indifference. And that truth applies not only to individuals but to entire societies. A community that allows animals to suffer without consequence will just as easily allow its people to suffer.

Over the past two years, I’ve been vulnerable to the flu, so I pay close attention to health information. About a week ago, the Antilliaans Dagblad ran a full-page ad on flu and COVID vaccinations—except it turned out to be about Bonaire, the island with the Donkey Sanctuary. A few days later came a vague article quoting an epidemiologist: yes, there’s flu, but those who need the vaccine “know where to go.” So no public information. And today, another piece—announcing that the COVID booster will soon be available, followed by an information campaign.

The contrast with the pandemic years is striking: silence where there was once urgency. I don’t know exactly what’s going on, but once again, it’s about human lives.

The same neglect extends to our elderly. The indexing of their pensions—legally required—remains stalled. A quarter of our population is over 65. The elderly are becoming the new poor, abandoned and invisible, much like the animals in that zoo.

And let’s be honest: Artificial Intelligence won’t save us from this decay. It doesn’t feel empathy. It doesn’t care about animals in cages or humans forgotten in policy gaps. It only mirrors who we already are.

And right now, we are—at the level of beasts.

Miguel Goede