Bolivian Pets


So it was time to leave La Paz and head for the boarder to cross to Peru which meant talking the bus to Copacabana to do a whistle stop tour of the Isla del Sol. Not so whistle stop, we were struck down by another vicious bout of travellers tummy on our first night there, the following day we felt weak and miserable.


The bus ride should have been three hours but it took ages, not complaining, long journeys feature heavily on this trip. It was excruciatingly long however for the two little kittens we happened to be sitting next to. They were imprisoned in a flat plastic woven bag! Quite why the owners had decided that would be the best way of transporting them I really don't know. They were meowing pitifully throughout the entire journey. The poor things didn't understand what was going on, all they wanted was to free themselves.


The owners in question were an elderly Bolivian couple. She was in full Chola get-up, platted hair cardigan, skirt, the works. They were speaking an indigenous tongue and whenever one of the kittens managed to fight its way to day light, bursting through the bag opening that was pinned together, they would receive a nasty bang on the head, or worse still, get poked in the eye and forced back into the dark prison.


Why do people treat their pets so badly here? Animal rights for Bolivian pets please!