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Elephant's Killing in Kerala: THESE burning questions need to be answered, says animal activist Utpal Khot
A pregnant wild elephant in Kerala's Silent Valley Forest was apparently killed. Animal activist Utpal Khot has shared his thoughts on the same.
The article 51A (g) of our constitution dealing with Fundamental Duties of the citizens states: “It shall be the duty of every citizen of India to protect and improve the natural environment including forests, lakes, rivers and wildlife and to have compassion for living creatures.” The Law making and amending body also consists of Indian citizens only. So my question is to all of them. Are the laws made under the wildlife protection act section 9 and Section 51 (under which case has been filed) enough for taking life of an elephant? I would further like to ask that when the constitution has asked to be compassionate and co-exist peacefully, why so much of differentiation?
When there is a provision of the Death penalty and life imprisonment when someone kills a fellow human, why does the Indian law let go an offender with a light 3 years and some cash fine when an animal or bird is killed? This too happens in case of Schedule 1 of the wildlife protection act. Here too we have a class difference. Schedule I, II, III & IV lists different protect and endangered species, the killing or Trade is prohibited. Schedule V lists vermin which may be killed (really?) Schedule VI lists protected plants.
A human who kills a girl child at birth or later (for those individuals the girl child is a vermin) gets punished but a human who kills Schedule V animals by using snares and such explosives which killed the pregnant Elephant are allowed to go scot free. Why? Just because we feel that a Human life is more precious than animal life? Why? Is there logic for this? Just because we humans are more intelligent and we rule and run this earth and a country called India, does it give us the right to kill some animals mercilessly just because our laws permit it? Why this species difference?
A tigress Avni who supposedly kills humans to protect her babies is termed a man eater. The people responsible for murdering Avni are actually authorised by our law to do so. Why? Just because we can speak and draft something as a law, frame it and publish it which again only we humans can read. Do the punished animals and birds know this law? Can they read it? If this is conveyed to them, yes they definitely can follow Human rules. So is it right to kill anyone without the sentence being read out to the ‘Offender’ in his/her language be it human or animal or bird? So is this right in the first place?
Coming to the Pregnant Elephant case. The elephant was skinny and lacked nutritious food. The Kerala Forest department needs to answer this. Why does an elephant come out of its natural habitat? Scarcity of food. Why? Deforestation. So this Elephant came out searching for food. She was pregnant and hungry. This explosive exploded in her mouth on 23rd May as per Kerala Forest official statement and the villagers. For 4 days she was roaming around trying to come to terms with her broken jaw and blood oozing trunk. What were the authorities doing for 4 days?
When help came on 27th finally when she was standing in water, she was breathing her last. An elephant depicts Lord Ganesh. We immerse the idol in water with tears in our eyes when the Ganesh festival is over. Here the elephant Vinayaki (I have named her that now) accepted self-immersion seeing no help coming its way. Do we have the right to celebrate Ganesh Festival this year while the people responsible for this get away Scott free? Even if they are caught, there is already a theory started since the last 24 hours saying that the fruits were kept for wild boars and was not fed to elephant. She was hungry so she ate it and it exploded. The fact here is why has the law allowed such hunting/killing/keeping away of boars from the farms/Human habitats which is most barbaric?
Since childhood we are taught that “kaanoon ke haath lambe hote hai, kanoon sabke liye baraabar hai”. Then why is the law so weak when it comes to such killings. Why is the law not the same for all? One of my 7 year old nieces asked me this and I don’t have an answer to her question. Do you?
#JusticeForVinayaki
#JusticeForElephant
#EqualLawsForAll
About the author:
Utpal K is the founder of an NGO Being the Real Human Foundation. He has been a blogger for the last 10 years and a pet parent for the last 9 years.
