We share this planet with billions of other living beings.
For centuries now, humans and animals have been coexisting on Earth. But over time, we humans, the more evolved of all species, started dominating and caused a massive imbalance.
Be it for developmental projects like roads, railways and industries, or deriving sadistic pleasure, we have inflicted cruelty on wildlife.
It’s not that humans do not care about these incidents, they do, only to be forgotten soon. And maybe this is the reason these innocent lives never get justice.
Remember Avni?
The tigress who was shot dead on 2nd November 2018, in Maharashtra, after being labelled a ‘man-eater’ by the forest department.
Despite massive outrage on social media and protests by animal rights activists, the hunters were absolved by the forest department and the case was closed in February 2019.
And then Avni became a forgotten soul, just like the elephant that passed away after being badly injured by a speeding train in West Bengal.
A gut-wrenching video of the accident, that took place in a wildlife corridor, went viral on social media. It was impossible not to spark anger amongst people, and it did.
What happened next is more such accidents where animals were killed in their own habitats. Because the fallen elephant didn’t even find a place in human memory.
2 more elephants were killed by speeding trains in West Bengal when they were trying to cross the railway tracks.
The news of the tragic accident, owing to increased man-animal conflict, left Twitter saddened.
While these were some cases where animals lost their lives to development, there were others too, where humans intentionally caused pain and suffering to them.
A stray dog was tied and mercilessly beaten nearly to death in Delhi. The incident was brought to light by an NGO, feeding and taking care of animals.
Such incidents of animal cruelty have been increasing in the country.
Recently, a pregnant stray dog was mercilessly beaten to death by two women in Bhubaneshwar, Odisha. During her treatment the dog succumbed to her injuries. She even delivered 2 pups prematurely, neither of which could survive.
Her death caused a furore among animal lovers and an online campaign was also started to seek justice for the dog, following which the accused were arrested.
And now, the death of a pregnant elephant in Kerala, apparently by eating a pineapple filled with firecrackers has led to uproar on social media.
The tragic images of her standing calmly in water before death shook our faith in humanity. Or we should say shattered.
Human beings inflicting this kind of cruelty on mute and innocent lives, every now and then, reminds us that it’s we who are the real animals here.
And we do not deserve them at all.