Sunday, April 15, 2012

Brutality at its best



I was horrified at the sight on a news channel. A sloth bear that had wandered near a village was being beaten to death. One small animal and thousands of humans enact a battle scene of survival. The animal must have wandered near the village in search of water or by some error.

The panicked lot collected around the helpless animal. It was running here and there, desperately trying to save its life. But to know avail, men were everywhere and the badly ruptured body could not hold life. Another rare animal was taken off the charts.

How brutal we are towards other life forms is evident from this horrendous incident. Such instances of cold blood killing are being regularly reported especially in case of wandering leopards.  

Is there a will and commitment to save wildlife and protect our forest ecosystems?  Do people understand the complex web that sustains life on earth. Do people know that our survival depends upon the survival of other life forms. We are hell bent upon destroying nature due to apathy, selfish gains, monetary greed and what not.     

The  tamasha went of for a long time and the forest department was conspicuous by its absence. It was too late by the time the team arrived. This sparks lot of questions in mind.

Why is it that the sentinels arrive too late or never at all?

The animal could have been easily tranquilized and transferred back to its habitat. A precious life could have been saved.

Where are the bosses?

In all my wanderings in the reserve forests I have yet to see seniors on field. The forests are totally at the mercy of the helpless and sometimes corrupt forest guards.  

Wood logging and Poaching?

The reserve forests are in continuous state of denudation. Wood logging for fire and commercial gains is quite often seen or heard. Newspapers now and then report poaching incidents. How come poachers are not taken to law by the mehekma?

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