Bengaluru: In the latest of a series of attacks on wildlife, an 18-year-old female elephant was shot dead near a national highway in Chethalayam in Wayanad on May 31, sending shock waves among animal lovers. In more heartbreak, the last week also saw a wolf being beaten to death and buried in Koppal district, a Black Buck being killed, also in Koppal, a sloth bear near Hampi, and a wildcat on the Sholapur highway being run over by speeding vehicles and a Masheer fish dying in the Tungabhadra river. And just a few months ago, in January, a sloth bear barely survived a beating by villagers of Uppanayakanahalli in Chitradurga.
Concerned by the rising number of animal killings, environmentalists are calling for creating of more awareness about the need to protect wildlife and to take the zero tolerance for illegal trade in wildlife advocated by the United Nations this World Environment Day very seriously.
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“It's disheartening to see so many animals being killed by poachers and nothing being done to stop it. Wildlife trade is today next only to the trade in narcotics. There is huge demand from China and other countries for our animal parts," says Mr Ullash Kumar, an active eco lover, strongly suggesting that World Environment Day should be celebrated not just by planting of trees, but also focusing on the need to protect wildlife.
Meanwhile, seeing the yawning disparity in the male and female jumbo ratios in Karnataka , Tamil Nadu and Kerala, fears are growing about increasing poaching of elephants for their tusks in the southern states. While the male to female ratio in Bandipur is 1:25 and 1:18 in Nagarhole in Karnataka, it is 1: 28 in Madhumalai in Tamil Nadu and a shocking 1:200 in Kerala's Periyar National Park.
"However vigilant our forest department is poaching happens all the time. The only solution is to involve the tribals, who have protected our forests for many years. Their indigenous knowledge is very important in conservation of our last remaining wildlife. We should stop following the western model of separating people from animals as the tribals have integrated wildlife in their culture. We need to keep this culture alive if we are to protect our animals and stop making money in the name of wildlife tourism," underlines Mr Kumar.
