We see doves being released as a symbolic gesture of peace in multinational conferences and international programmes, especially in mega sport events like Olympics and continental games. And many birds and animals are chosen as insignia, symbol or logo of different playing teams, armed forces and as representative of nations’ strength and abilities matching with the talents of the symbol user or what they intend to choose and showcase. These symbols, in the long run, become aspirations and motivation for them to perform better.

While the Australian football team is collectively called Socceroos which happens to be their official nickname; mostly the Australian players and teams are referred to as Kangaroos. This is primarily due to the fact that the hopping mammal is indigenous to the sports-loving nation.

Just across the border we have the Kiwis, not the fruit, but the bird. Again this flightless bird endemic to New Zealand became the prime reason why the players hailing from New Zealand are referred to as Kiwis.

The incidents and the demoralising build-up at the 1992 Cricket World Cup made the then skipper Imran Khan coin the term ‘Cornered Tigers’ for uplifting the morale of the Pakistani squad.

On the other hand, the national animal of Pakistan and symbol of our ISI is a markhor which is a symbol of endurance and is native to the Himalayas and Karakoram. Sometimes, we associate ourselves with Falcon (Shaheen) and hence Pakistan Shaheens, part of the national cricket squad practicing in the land of Kiwis!

In Pakistan’s domestic cricket tournaments and leagues, we witness local city and provincial teams being represented by animals and birds like bears, stallions, hawks, lions, markhors and others as their symbols. This preference for animals and birds as a mascot is not limited to cricket, but applicable to almost all the leagues including the ultra-rich leagues of soccer and basketball globally.

The fans of Bengal Tigers have more to cheer about with the Bangladesh sports teams faring better than previously and now actually roaring like a tiger, with their performances getting noticed.

Many sports actually have animals’ participation or are based on their abilities along with the player handling them in the games such as polo (a field game between two teams of 4 players each mounted on horseback trying to score goals).

An example of such a sport played on an individual basis is equestrian, an Olympic sport for almost a century now. It is played on equal terms between men and women, on their respective horses, trying to outdo each other in selected disciplines.

In horse racing and camel racing the skill set and weight of the jockeys become fundamental to the outcome of the race.

The greyhound racing which is organised in many areas is generally considered illegal due to the associated gambling practices. Many healthy greyhounds are killed due to their lack of winning intent or after suffering any injury which make them useless for their owners.

The brutal games involving animals include bull fighting which is popular in Spanish culture, and cock-fighting, which is popular in the rural areas and remote urban areas in Pakistan. Cock fighting is illegal almost globally and yet the dangerous game is played throughout the world.

Animals and birds play a significant role in keeping the balance of nature in place. We build a circus for entertainment to enjoy amazing tricks of wild animals tamed for our liking. While making use of these animals for our delight and relaxation, we tend to forget that with how much cruelty these animals may be kept by those who arrange these programmes.

The writer is a physician, health care leader, traveller and an environmentalist. He tweets @Ali_Shahid82