After banning of bull-tamingsport of Jallikattu in the year of 2014, Supreme Court clearly made us realize that “animals do have honor and dignity which cannot be randomly trimmed by power of any human organization to protect wild animals for inconsiderable murders”.
Connect to that shameful incident when one leopard was beaten to death in Mandawar village near Gurugram and now recently, a young leopard was chased away like a haunted criminal by the local villagers on the bank of the Yamuna Biodiversity Park. Thankfully, it came under the notice of Delhi Forest Department and probably will be sent to Saharanpur.
Here by several incidents that approachusmake us look at our faults to stop loss of wild lives. Such incidents bring ethical and legal issues which high enlighten the way the wild animals that venture into human-dominated landscapes are dealt with.Day by day civilization and cartelization are gradually eating deep green areas of map. As a result wild animals are facing shortage of food as well as freedom of freely moving into their own territory.
According to the article 21 of the Constitution, people in the country are guaranteed the right to life and personal liberty by following established law and order. In exactly the same way, based on provisions of Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, wild animals are also provided protection to life and personal liberty of which it can be deprived of, only after following due process.
The Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 doesn’t differentiate between animals inside protected areas and outside. Unfortunately, in our country where the law is followed neither in spirit nor in words, even for humans, expecting justice for animals is a far-fetched thought. Situation for wild animal as well as human to whom they are becoming wild that needs to consider properly. Here a big role of forest authority remains. Village nearer to the wild forest should be given a maximum security as well as protections. Then only the death ratio of animal as well as human victims will reduce.
The only circumstances when a wild animal can be allowed to be captured or killed by the competent authority is when the wild animal becomes a danger to human life or is diseased or disabled beyond recovery. The humans need to realize by now that these animals have as much right to be born, to roam freely, to live freely, and to move freely and right to protection as equal as other living.
-By NB.
