By Gayatri Devi
BHUBANESWAR: My heart burnt with pain, my eyes lowered with shame, my humanity was graved and my knowledge seemed meaningless with drowning of your every last breathe. You proved, how a female can tolerate pain of unbound sea, without letting anyone to know a trace of it. You proved, how a mother can tolerate all pain, tries till her last possible trial to save its born or unborn child. You preferred to die with your baby pink foetus, instead of being beaten and tortured by men. You choose to die with the cool touch of water, instead of running helpless, chased by these human.
You proved yourself a true leader, proved why an elephant herd is a matriarch. You, choose for a graceful death, within smoothening lap of nature. With your every pain I feel I am useless. With your every grief I find my research is valueless, my data are just another numerical. With your every sorrow, I feel my awareness is baseless. With your every tear that rolled down, I feel a strong slap on mankind.
I was not present at the place of incident, but I can feel you tremble with acute pain. I could’not do anything, except to find myself equally responsible, because I am that fateful, another human being. Being one of the most brutal form of torture and betrayal and inhumane behavior in example, and the resulted worrisome, pathetic and painful end to this majestic female pachyderm along with her fetus in her womb, this is not just an addition to the annual Man-Animal conflict data, instead it is the death of humanity, a substraction of most powerful and defining character of a human.
But, I was not alone to feel the pain. The media was flooded with emotion and feelings for you. Humanity was cursing the brutality. I have seen sympathy grow when such sensitive cases happen. But everyone forgets with course of time. I wonder, if your demise will be just a short memory or you will make the human realize of its shortfalls in coming times. I cannot force but only can request everyone to transform this pain and agony into a powerful tool to fight against the painful episodes of Man-Animal conflict. I only can request to convert the sympathy into individual responsibility and help create a compassionate environment for all types of species.
Sometime I wonder, how a human can be so cruel?. After a long thought, I realize, it to be the greed of human to grab everything from sand to mountain, from seed to plant, from a drop to ocean, from nectar to fruit, anything we name, human want to have it for his own purpose only. The whole biodiversity what is created by a tireless process of evolution of billions of years is now at the brink of imbalance, only because of the activities of humans. Going against natural law and depriving other animals of their rights, will invite serious consequences on this human species.
Human is the creator of the problem, and irony is that he, is the only solution of whole lot of disturbances. Along with stringent regulations, there needs a ground level awareness about the provision in different environmental, forest and wildlife laws and consequences to face if he fail to abide by these laws.
But I know one thing, it’s only and only the positive human attitude, thought and it’s related behaviour towards other animal, can change the present scenario. There needs a change in perception and action towards these innocent, silent yet furious creation of mother nature. let us allow all animals to live a dignified life.
I know, as an individual I cannot change the whole world, but definitely can give my best in my small surrounding. I know the voice of wildlife is feeble. They can never speak. I have to make my voice speak for them. I am determined to do my part, determined not to defer from my commitment. Are we all??
( The writer Gayatri Devi is a Wildlife Researcher, Founder and Chairman GROW with Nature and can be reach at devigayatri27@gmail.com, 8658935894).
