"The Neo-humanist policy to ensure the well-being of all creation is to first serve human beings, then animals, then plants and then inanimate objects. Human beings should not kill the creatures of the animal kingdom just for their own survival. If a man kills a cow so that he may live, then why not let the cow live and the man die? Let the man die! Why should a cow die for the man? If cows symbolise motherhood, are those humans who drink cows' milk calves? Buffaloes and goats also provide the milk which humans drink, so are they also peoples' mothers? Human beings should stop killing cows out of respect for higher forms of life, not because of the sentiment which respects motherhood. The slaughter of buffaloes and goats should also be immediately stopped for the same reason.
"Human beings have learnt to feel the pain and agony of other human beings, but when a dog grieves nobody pays any attention to it. It is as if people think that dogs do not suffer any pain. When human beings come to understand that animals also experience pleasure and pain they will acquire a new dimension of wisdom. It is because of our human sense of duty and our higher understanding that we should be sympathetic to all living beings.
"As a general rule human beings should not kill animals under any circumstances. The exception to this rule is when human life is in danger. For example, if you are confronted by a tiger which threatens your life, before it attacks you may be forced to kill it. Similarly, if lions, snakes, elephants, etc. enter your locality, then as a last resort they may have to be killed to ensure human safety. But animals should only be killed when they directly endanger human life. It follows from this that you should not kill animals in their natural habitat. In the forests there are many lions, tigers, snakes, etc., but such creatures should not be killed in their natural environment because there they pose no threat to human life. Although it is the nature of some tigers to attack human beings, all tigers should not be killed simply for this reason. We must not forget that it is also the duty of human beings to build sanctuaries for dying animals and endangered species of animals and plants. This is the practical approach of the living philosophy of Neo-humanism. This is the approach of Neo-humanism to animal and plant life."
Prabhat Ranjan Sarkar
