Aurva - From the Natural World: April 2007

First it was the tigers in Rajasthan, and now its the turn of what's left of the Asiatic lion, a subspecies of the once upon a time was found from Greece to Central India. The lions in India began to disappear way in the the early 1900s. Hunting was, of course, rampant. But the bulk of the population suffered due to a backlash of a severe drought that hit the western part of the country. So severe was the problem that the lions took to hunting humans and that brought them in direct fire. It is said that the census counts for 1910 was a few dozen lions, though that could be a complete underestimation.

The last refuge for the Asiatic lion is the Gir Wildlife Sanctuary and National Park that covers about 1000 sq.km. and the number of lions is estimated at about 300 individuals.

The first incident was a small report in the Times of India onthe 1st of April about the death of an adult lion and a cub. Though the deaths were put down as "natural causes", there is room for doubt. After all, I don't think the government would be too keen on extending the true cause for death. The next day another report told the public about an arrest of a poacher, and the news of the 3rd of April was the arrest of another 3.

Poaching of the lions began more than a month ago, but it came under the limelight only when the arrests were made. About 9 lions have died since early February this year. Considering the numbers of lions is so low, this could pronounce the doom for this subspecies, the only surviving population being in the little pocket of Gir.

The boundaries of Gir have no protection, and it has taken the death of a lot of wildlife in the area for the Gujarat government to wake up. Though arrests have been made and the extra forces deployed, it could be expected that it would take the unwarranted death of a few more lions and other wildlife for someone with the power to do something to wake up and smell the possible disappearance of another animal from this country.

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Asiatic lion,

critically endangered species,

poaching

There are quite a few people around the world who are actively trying to do something for the planet. Most television channels broadcast advertisements whose theme is “Save the Planet, She is Home”. Many magazines and journals publish articles about the status of the environment or of wildlife. They make interesting reading but sometimes that is all they do. It seems to me that the vast majority of the public is aware of all environmental and/or ecological issues – deforestation throughout the globe, poaching, global warming and climate change, etc. – but what exactly is the reaction of the masses, one has to keep guessing. Yes, the slaughtering of stray dogs in and around Bangalore is unwarranted, but at the same time their spread has to be controlled. That story saw the public go up in arms, literally!

But what about the tigers that disappeared from Rajasthan, and the 5 lions that have been poached in the last month in the forests of Gir? Will the public do something about that too?

The conservationists and the environmental activists are striving to save what is left of the planet for the future generations and also for the current generation to enjoy nature as much as they can before it all is destroyed. They want people to experience nature’s hold on us, to see all the many sights and hear all the sounds of the world before they all disappear. But how many people actually feel the same way nature lovers do?

Then again, there is the debate about the term “nature lovers”. A lot of people love to go to hill stations and venture into nature reserves to “enjoy” nature. What needs to be seen is to what extent they enjoy nature. All said and done greenery is definitely enjoyable, but would your own garden be as enjoyable as acres and acres of forest cover, grassland or water bodies with millions of birds flittering about? That is, there is no comparison between a beautiful garden and the pristine beauty of a forest. Many folks venture into the Western Ghats, South India, to spend their holidays among some of nature’s wonders…. but these wonders (the Indian tropical rainforests) are now fragmented by plantations of tea, coffee, teak and eucalyptus in many places. The tea plantations in the Himalayas and in the southern hills do have an aesthetic effect. The flat bushes are compared to billiard tables and many a person has stood and admired them. But is that really what nature is all about? All ecologists will agree with me that that is not a naturalist would look for. And yet it satisfies the layman. After all, it is quiet and tranquil, a perfect holiday from the hustle and bustle of the city.

Wildlife tourism is a roaring business, providing for a large part of the national income in many African and Asian countries. It is always wonderful to see wild animals in their natural habitats, to see the things they do. But how many people really see what is around them, actually SEE and experience the openness and primeval existence of life. It is hard to explain to the layman about life, as it exists, other than human existence, that it is more than self-centered existence.

People around the world are fighting to save the remaining forests, but from personal experience I know that the layman, or rather the majority of people, would not do much about it. Education and media has the masses know that there is not much left of the original forest cover, but the response is passive. It has been noticed that unless and until the consequences of environmental/ecological disasters directly affect the people, they would not do anything about it actively. And by directly, I mean the direct economic effect or deterioration of health conditions that can be directly blamed on environmental conditions. Everyone talks of pollution, but not many would blame their lifestyle to it, and this is just a small example!

It is hard to explain what exactly I am trying to say, but to sum it up in just a few words – people would open their eyes to the “natural” problems of the world only when they come directly under the onslaught, but by then it would be too late.

How many schools tell the children that they can study and make a career out of the environment, and how many parents would encourage that. It still remains to be seen how well countries can handle the changes and yet come to amicable deals that would suit every nation involved.

There is no one easy solution to this problem, but there has to be efforts made to change that. So we come full circle again to the question of how to get the masses directly involved in keeping what is left of the natural world.