This evening, there was a lovely piece of information on a TV news channel. It showed a village in South India (I think it was Kerala), where each year, about this time, pelicans come in hundreds at to nest and breed. They select only this one small village, neglecting all others in the district and are to be seen literally on every tree, thatched roof and in every possible field. What is even more peculiar, they seem to know the seasons when drought will be occur and in those times very few of them visit the village. The wonderful thing about this is that the villagers simply adore the birds. They think of them as daughters who have come back to their parent's home in order to give birth to their children (as is the tradition in most parts of India). The birds receive VIP treatment and the best protection that the villagers can provide. Last year they even captured and beat a group of poachers who were trying to take advantage of the situaion. I am not a violent person, but I pray that God gives them the strength and resources to do this year after year. I don't take kindly to people who kill wild animals for sport or commerce.
That reminds me...The Bishnoi tribe of Rajasthan is a community for which I run short of praise. I have never heard of anyone else actually give up her life for trees the way a Bishnoi woman did and I am so proud of them for the way in which the have fought for the rights of the Black Buck allegedly slain Salman Khan. The fact that they were ready to kill him when they found out about what he had done, and the way in which they risked the displeasure of his millions of fans is a 5 star accomplishment in my books! I mean, we all talk about the work of the RSPCA and PETA, blah blah blah, but here we have a group of simple, unsophisticated villagers who want nothing more than to live their entire lives in service of nature and her other children. Their recent efforts against Bollywood itself speak volumes about their dedication. I bless them from the very depths of my soul...
I have nothing against Salman Khan as an individual. What I condemn is his action...the pursuit of a terrified, speechless, and endangered animal and the taking of its life for no apparent reason except the pleasure of the hunt. He appeared on TV saying that his lawyers told him that there has been no conviction under the Act protecting this animal till his convivtion in 2006. I say better late than never! I really don't think this is a matter of targetting celebrities and I don't even want to voice agreement or disagreement with the judge who says that celebrities have social responsibility and should lead by example. It is a matter of upholding the law, period. It was his bad luck that the law could not be persuaded to let him go scott free.
What I think must really rankle in the minds of all these film stars who have spoken out against being unfairly targetted, is that someone worth dozens of crores in terms of film revenue has been devalued, whereas the value of a dead animal has been broadcast nationally. Personally, I bow to the judge and the people who got this done. Let the fact that the "Bad Boy of Bollywood" spent 3 days in the most uncomfortable prison facility be a message to all poachers and may they all suffer similar and worse punishments if they take more animal lives.
This is probably one of the harshest things I've ever written, but I feel furious when it comes to killing wild animals. We invaded their territories, destroyed their homes, killed their young and continue to do so...what gives us the right? The fact that we are supposedly more "evolved"? What kind of evolution is this? Do we call the lack of compassion and the inability to feel another sentient being's pain evolution? I don't think so!
Long live the Bishnois and long live each and everyone who raises a voice and an arm to save nature! God bless them all...
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