Revival of the Forgotten

It is a well known fact that our land has sacrificed the majestic tigress “Avni” to the travesty of justice. November 2nd was the black day for the  animal welfare and wildlife conservationists. It became a controversy after the tigress who had claimed to have  killed 13 people was brazenly shot when an effort to tranquilize the tiger failed as the dart worked slowly which lead Avni to charge in retort pushing the officials to fire a shot for the sake of  protecting the officials.

This incident has posed a serious question among conservationists, veterinarians and activists alike – Is the simple theory of not able to keep up with the human- animal conflict lead to the killing of the tigress (as the possibility is wider when the habitat of a wild animal is encroached)? or does the law not lay down proper guide

lines and rules for the officials to define and execute orders which resulted in confusion and  breach of law (Wildlife Protection Act) by the officials?

Tiger is the national animal of India, it was declared so owing to the dwindling population followed by the Project Tiger in 1973. Since then there have been several  “Save the Tiger” campaigns across the country. The debacle of losing yet another agile wild cat to prejudice does more harm than good to the motto of preserving wildlife. It is to be noted that there is no basis to attributing a ‘man-eater’ tag to Avni in today’s setting because the meaning expands to include the definition of hunting for food which in this case is not true. Killing for food is different from killing for defense/fear/rage.

Rapid expansion of human population and increasing urban settlement
threatens the natural habitat contributing to human-animal conflict. “The shrinking of good quality habitats and access of the animals to movement corridors are absolutely critical for India’s conservation efforts and the future of its iconic mammals,” says Belinda Wright, founder of the Wildlife Protection Society of India, based in New Delhi.

This has not only been the case with tigers; elephants are also subjected to this mistreatment due to increasing encroachment of humans.  It is a sad fact that poaching and hunting (jumbo ivory tusks or bones) of the wild animals has lead to slow destruction of the our natural resource which were once teeming with these wonderful species.

The answer to all this lies with us. Humans have fallen prey to convenient living. As much as it affects humans, it bears a direct relation that encumbers wild life existence. Our lifestyle has a direct bearing over their living. Small initiatives such as recycling, using sustainable products made out of paper/bamboo, judicious use of water enabling birds and other animal to survive, boycotting products made from endangered species such as tortoise-shell, ivory etc will go a long way in helping preserve the whole of endangered species.

While it is also the law that is to be blamed in case of Avni, as matured participants of the eco-system, humans fail to acknowledge and cherish a number of  forgotten practices such as healthy eating – by way of eating home grown food/non processed items, healthy lifestyle – like walking, open space and gadget-less lifestyle and encouraging co-habitation. Revival of our lost practices is the best foot forward for the human race at present to combat the vile outcomes of human- animal conflict.

Santhoshi Natarajan