Question
My brother has a pet parrot that recently became sick, so we took it to the vet. It has been there for about a week, and we have already spent R20,000 on its treatment, but it is not showing clear signs of recovery yet. My father wants to have it euthanized, but my brother says that it is an amānah from Allah and that we have to take care of it.
Would it be permissible to euthanize it?
Answer
In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
As-Salāmu ʿAlaykum Wa-Raḥmatullāhi Wa-Barakātuh
It is permissible to euthanize an animal when a competent and trustworthy veterinarian determines that its illness is terminal, that there is no reasonable prospect of recovery, and that keeping the animal alive would merely prolong severe and incurable suffering. In such circumstances, if continued treatment would also impose a substantial and unreasonable financial burden, euthanasia may be considered, particularly where the animal’s condition has deteriorated to the extent that its suffering cannot reasonably be alleviated.[1]
And Allah Taʿāla Knows Best.
Baba Abu Bakr
Student -Darul Iftaa
Accra, Ghana
Checked and Approved by
Mufti Muhammad Zakariyya Desai
https://iftaa.co.za/20004/euthanizing-a-pet-parrot/
