Love and let live

Tasneem HossainTasneem Hossain
Published : 12 June 2020, 02:21 AM
Updated : 12 June 2020, 02:21 AM

Vinayaki was tired. She has been searching for food for quite some time. Her eyes glistened as she saw the fleshy juicy fruit. "What a great feast!! These humans are so kind." She excitedly took the pineapple in her mouth.

An excruciating pain crushed through her jaw with a tangy taste of blood seeping through her mouth. The horrible truth dawned upon the two months pregnant Vinayaki. No, this was not an act of kindness but a brutal, cunning act to kill.

She rushed through the village in pain. Perhaps the only thought that she had on her mind was the safety of the unborn baby in her womb. Finally, as she reached the river, she waded in and submerged her mouth and trunk to lessen the pain and fierce burning.

How barbaric! Her trust in humans was betrayed.

Yes, we are talking about the ghastly murder of a pregnant elephant in Kerala, India.

The incident in Kerala came into light and caused outrage after a forest official, Mohan Krishnan, posted about the gruesome death of the elephant on social media.

The elephant was roaming around for quite some time in search of food and then found the pineapple. When she ate it, a firecracker inside the fruit burst in her mouth and injured her, finally causing her death.

She was spotted by the villagers on May 25 in the Thayamkundu area in a very bad condition; with bleeding, disfigured and swollen mouth. According to the villagers, they saw her on May 26 standing in the Veliyar River.  Some villagers and officials gathered there in the morning. A veterinary doctor was called in. He arrived in the afternoon. An eyewitness said that the doctor thought of making her unconscious by using a dart gun. But since she was very weak, the doctor dropped the idea and went back without giving any treatment. The condition of the poor animal worsened on May 27. In the afternoon, two skilled elephants were brought to help pull her out, but by then it was too late, and she died in the evening. Poor Vinayaki could have been saved if she got timely help and treatment from the concerned authorities. She was pulled out of the river with the help of a crane and taken to the forest office on May 28.

When her post-mortem examination was conducted, officials realised she was pregnant. The forest department finally laid her to rest.

Krishnan in his final note said, "We cremated her there itself. Even as fire engulfed her, I prayed to the mother in her. Being one from mankind all I could say was, sister…. sorry."

My heart bleeds, Vinayaki. I am a mother too. I beg your forgiveness. I am sorry.

Even now as I write this article, my eyes are hazy and my tears won't stop.

As her story spread and outrage grew across the country, one defence that has emerged is that the elephant had not been fed the explosive pineapple intentionally; but she accidentally fell victim to a trap laid out by farmers to keep wild boars and pigs from damaging their crops. This defence itself demonstrates the scale of the problem. No matter how critical the situation is, these types of means to solve the issues cannot be justified. There are several non-lethal means of protecting human lives and crops. Not only must the killers of the elephant, but the ones enacting such cruel acts also be punished. The governments of all countries must ensure that these kinds of practices are banned. Those involved must be subject to severe punishment.

My heart goes out to all these animals. Where is humanity in us? Can't we be more sympathetic, more understanding towards these lives? How can we beg her forgiveness after such a heinous crime? Where is our morality?

We sometimes also kill animals gruesomely when they prowl on our lands from the neighbouring forests. Aren't we, the poachers, trespassing their domains? Precautionary measures should be taken to bar them from entering the human habitats, but acts of brutality must always be condemned and made punishable.

We must also open our eyes to the sorry state we are in, because of our cruelty and horrific treatment of animals. There cannot be a graver reminder than the COVID-19 crisis engulfing the world today.

The coronavirus most likely originated from a wet market in China. Wet markets are the likely source not only of COVID-19 but also of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), HIV, Ebola, and some outbreaks of avian influenza. These markets have a number of features that make them especially favourable for zoonotic diseases, meaning these diseases start in animals before spreading to humans. Zoonotic diseases arise because of the ways live animals, including wild animals and sick animals, are housed in extremely cramped, dirty conditions until they are slaughtered in the market. When animals are under threat, viral pathogens can intermingle, change bits of their genetic code, and mutate in ways that make them more easily transmissible. The coronavirus arose in animals and got transmitted to humans and then spread by human-to-human transmission. In the case of respiratory diseases, such as COVID-19, blood, excrement and other bodily fluids or parts of animals could have facilitated the infection of humans. Once transmission from human to human occurs, an epidemic is the expected outcome. If the problem is not addressed quickly, travel between countries can pave the way for a pandemic within a short time, exactly as in the case of the novel coronavirus. The truth is – the COVID-19 pandemic is a result of our gross maltreatment of animals.

As a child, the great filmmaker Alfred Hitchcock's film "The Birds" had a great impact on me. The story was inspired by a true event of Monterey Bay, California in 1961. Marine biologists have suggested that the dying birds were poisoned, causing them to act erratically, leading eventually to their death. Apart from other underlying meanings in the movie, it condemns humanity's arrogant belief that they are the sovereign power and can control the world. The birds in the movie symbolise the power of nature. It sends a grim reminder that nature reigns supreme and is capable of taking control and dominating humans when the balance in nature is needed.

If just a tiny virus can wreak havoc on our lives, just imagine how much destruction and death can occur if one day, just like the birds, the animals plan to take control! What would humans do? Would we be able to survive?

We cannot keep destroying wildlife habitats and other living beings in nature with impunity. Nature gives us food and shelter. We need to nurture it with love.

It is time for us to take action. Be compassionate and treat them with care.

The lines from the poem "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" by the English poet ST Coleridge goes on ringing in my ears:

"He prayeth well, who loveth well
Both man and bird and beast."