When Anguish is Anticipated from All

Value of Co-existence and Harmony

Three female elephants have been found dead in north Chhattisgarh- in less than three days- leading the forest department to suspect they were poisoned as all three carcasses had foam at the mouth. The more painful fact about the dead tuskers is that two of the dead elephants were pregnant. During post-mortem it was found that the elephants had charred skin inside their mouth, congested lungs and intestinal haemorrhage. All are indicative that the three consumed something toxic and poisonous.

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On May 27, a pregnant elephant in Palakkad, Kerala, was reportedly fed a fruit stuffed with firecrackers. Despite its agony, it chose to die quietly, harming none.

The recent brutal killing of a pregnant elephant has shocked many but the more appalling is that the incident is not a crime committed for the first time neither it will be curbed so easily. Moreover, it has uncovered other instances of cruelty towards animals and the ugly realities of the human intervention into wildlife. It’s quite evident that such heinous acts towards these gentle creatures are grave repercussions of human-animal conflicts, erupting often across the country, triggered by deforestation, habitat loss and unplanned expansion and urbanization. The shrinking of natural habitat has resulted in elephants and other wild animals venturing into human territories, leading to casualties on both sides. To save their crops from collapse and destruction by these pachyderms, farmers often use brutal methods like fireworks, poison and electrocuted fences.

The more abominable is that poachers are hell-bent on involving local villagers to poison the water bodies in the path of elephant herds to try to kill tuskers.

In a country, like India where ‘Gajanana’, the elephant-headed is an epitome of fulfillment of one’s desires, attainment of wealth, prosperity and surmounting all the hurdles and roadblocks in one’s ways to success, elephants are being treated so vilely. 

Here are a few facts:

• India has about 27000 wild elephants. It has been reported that explosive-laden fruits, electric fences and crude bombs are used to keep away these pachyderms from eating farm produce.

• There are over 3000 elephants in captivity in India. From tourism to agricultural labour, logging and participation in weddings and religious rituals, elephants are used in multiple forms of work.

• Captive elephants are often kept standing for hours, chained or shackled, with even spikes embedded in their ankles.

• Young calf elephants are separated from their mothers and beaten and starved into submission.

• Many elephants work over 20 hours a day, exposed to heat, noise pollution, crowds, firecrackers, unhygienic conditions and dangerous transportation.

• In 2018, Raju, a captive elephant, forced to beg by his owner, was rescued by Wildlife SOS which found Raju starved, beaten, chained and wounded by metal spikes in his feet. Having suffered such cruelty for 50 years, Raju wept upon his rescue.

The brutal death of the Jumbo, stirred the country and the perpetrators were condemned by all walks of life but will this sudden flow and flood of anguish and condemnation suffice to restrain such atrocities against animals in future? No, not really, unless we control the excessive economies of demands so that human intervention can be extenuated in tuskers’ natural habitats.  Can we understand the value of co-existence and harmony among all living beings? How could the politicians (though laced with their insinuations on the horrible death of the elephant) oversee that parts of an elephant sanctuary in Assam were handed over to coal mining – less than two months ago? How the stakeholders can be so indifferent towards wildlife protection?  

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The anguish is anticipated from all on such cruelty against animals and we strongly feel a need to inspire a wider learning experience, with both systemic reforms and individual changes. We must be more responsible towards the environment and more mindful about our own needs. Our patterns of consumption are causing the increasing intrusion of humans into natural spaces which is a growing threat to sustain our ecosystem as well as the ecological balance. If it persists for little longer, the day is not far when we will remain confined in the miasma of utter despondency of losing many precious life forms on this beautiful planet.  We need to understand that every animal has unique identity and importance of its own. 

We must respect their space - and their right to live.