Saturday, October 4, 2014

52% of Wildlife Lost in past 40 Years


52% of the world’s animals have vanished in last 40 years, according to a WWF ( World Wildlife Fund ) report. The 2014 Living Planet Report stated that between 1970 and 2010, populations of mammals, reptiles, amphibians and fish around the globe dropped 52%! Examples of wildlife that are suffering serious population collapse include elephants in Africa which could be extinct within our lifetime!! Marine turtles have seen an 80% drop in numbers.



The amount of carbon in our atmosphere has risen to levels not seen in more than a million years, triggering climate change that is already destabilizing ecosystems. High concentrations of reactive nitrogen are degrading lands, rivers and oceans. Stress on already scarce water supplies is increasing. And over 60% of the essential services provided by nature from forests to seas are in decline. With 39% of terrestrial wildlife gone, 39% of marine wildlife gone and 76% of freshwater wildlife gone…all in the past 40 years, we are headed towards a catastrophe. Perhaps man will only stop after he has nothing more to destroy, and then mankind will be destroyed too. After all the awareness drives and endless animal safety projects and millions spent for them, animals are still dying, and they are dying faster. Are we really so dumb not to understand that if there are no animals on the Earth, we won’t be here either??

Monday, August 4, 2014

Ants fighting Global Warming!!

That every creature on Earth is here for a purpose, and that we must not kill any of them, has been proved right again. According to the journal Geology, ants may be cooling the Earth by helping trap carbon dioxide from the environment! A long-term experiment tracking the ants’ effects on soil suggests they cooled Earth’s climate as their numbers grew.

Certain ant species “weather” minerals in order to secrete calcium carbonate, better known as limestone. The process traps and removes a tiny bit of carbon dioxide gas from atmosphere. This ant limestone factory is a small-scale version of the massive planetary-cooling process that takes place in the oceans, known as carbon sequestration, according to a report.


It was discovered that ants were powerful weathering agents by tracking the breakdown of basalt sand. The experiment also shows that ants appear to break down the minerals 50 to 300 times faster than sand left undisturbed on bare ground.

There are other scientific explanations given in the report about how ants do it. But the important point is that every creature on Earth is here for a purpose. To kill them, eat them and torture them is against humanity and against divinity. God and nature have blessed us with animals to save us from calamities which we must understand and respect the existence of animals.

Wednesday, July 9, 2014

Raju, the Elephant, No More a Slave after 50 Years…

Raju, the elephant, that had been chained throughout his 50-year life and subjected to severe abuse all his life, was recently rescued from his captors in the Uttar Pradesh state of India. The elephant was used for begging, joy rides, and performing tricks to appease people for money. He had also been poked with spikes and had wounds in several parts of his body. He had even been fed paper and plastic! The elephant’s taste buds have been damaged and he cannot taste food anymore! Even his digestive system will take a long time to recover! They say he was probably taken from a forest as a calf and then sold several times to different owners! So much for the innocent soul to suffer!! The elephant was crying while being unchained!



This elephant was seized by the Forest Department from his owner when he could not produce the documents for his possession. But what about those 50 long years that this majestic animal spent in severe abuse and torture? And why couldn’t he be rescued earlier? This incident arouses anger, disappointment and disbelief about the greed of humans who would go beyond any limit of cruelty to inflict abuse on innocent animals for monetary gains.

What have we come to as a community? Are we still savages? This whole episode is unbelievable and almost ends my hope and faith in humanity.

Saturday, June 28, 2014

Man Killed for Feeding Stray Dogs???

A dog lover, who cared for stray dogs by giving them food and water, was killed by his neighbor who couldn't stand his passion for stray animals! This unfortunate incident happened in Howrah city in Kolkata state of India. The victim had gone out to feed stray dogs as usual when the murderer came charging at him, complaining that the dogs were a nuisance and created problems for the people. When the animal lover was attacked, the dogs charged at the attacker and he fled. But he came back later, this time with an iron rod, and started hitting the animal lover on the head. This resulted in the death of the animal lover.


This cruel and sad incident clearly shows how intolerant our society has become of animals and animal lovers. And this has happened in a country which is known to worship animals as different forms of God!! Why kill animals and accuse them of creating a nuisance when we have destroyed their habitat? If we leave no place for them to live, we will have to be ready to co-exist with them. In fact, all the animals want to stay away from the merciless humankind and try their best to avoid them. But with their shrinking habitat, they have no option but to live with us and suffer heavily in return.

This kind of cruelty and insensitivity is totally unacceptable. The government and the authorities must ensure the safety of animals and animal lovers. How long will animals be tortured and killed for no fault of theirs?



Sunday, June 22, 2014

250 Lions Dead in 5 Years

250 lions have died in past 5 years in Gir wildlife sanctuary and its periphery in India. The death of lions in such huge numbers is alarming. It raises serious concerns about the upkeep and safety of lions in India. Many lions were run over by trains which operate through this area! Many others died by electrocution and by falling in wells!



This all proves how callous we are in our approach to provide a safe life to these majestic animals. Imagine lions dying by being run over by trains, by electrocution, and by falling in wells! Where are the safety measures? Can't these animals be provided with a safe habitat protected from man-made hazards?

Animals don't take anything from nature except what nature offers them. They don't manufacture or build anything and don't exploit the Earth for commercial benefits. Yet, they can't live in peace, and have to perish because of the selfishness of the human race. Safety measures must be taken immediately to save these lions from further damage and death. It must be ensured that their habitat is free from trains, electricity and wells...!!!

Thursday, May 8, 2014

Landmark Victory for Animals

In a landmark victory for animals, the Supreme Court of India yesterday banned bullfights and bullock cart racing in many states of India in a major step towards protecting animals from human cruelty. The court favored constitutional status for rights of animals like citizens. It said, "Parliament, it is expected, would elevate rights of animals so that of constitutional rights, as done by many of the countries around the world, so as to protect their dignity and honor."


This is a time to celebrate the victory of animals, but how effectively this ruling is implemented is yet to be seen. Because despite stringent rules being in place to protect animals, they are still being tortured, mistreated, traded and butchered. A task force, to implement this ruling, should also be formed to oversee the implementation of this ruling, and the task force should consist of honest, animal loving officers. We hope that in near future there will be more such laws to protect the rights of the animals, and the animals would have more chances of living in peace.




Friday, April 18, 2014

Dogs dying in Line of Duty - Indian Elections

Some 450 canines are on election duty in India and many of them have died due to heat stroke. Working in sweltering heat, putting life and limb at risk, the hard working dogs have sniffed out about 221 kg of explosives in the form of IEDs across states in India. But this has taken a toll on them as many of them could not take the rigours of the mammoth task.

One of these dogs Brandy, a Labrador serving with the Central Reserve Police Force, detected about 40 kg of explosives. Thrice last year, he saved the lives of the security personnel by detecting explosives in the nick of time. Sadly, Brandy died on March 24. According to doctors, the cause of his death appears to be heat stroke. Some other dogs, Pinky and Silky, too died in April this year due to heat stroke.


Despite the difficulties and the fatalities, these loyal dogs continue to carry out their duties. But is it ethical for the security forces to overwork these dogs so much that they have to die saving human lives? Is the life of a dog less precious than the life of a human? Can't the number of these working dogs be not increased to lessen the woes they suffer at the hands of the people who value only human life as a life?

Thursday, March 27, 2014

Stray Dogs Brutally Assaulted

Animal abusers have struck again. This time they have tried to burn a stray dog alive! This cruel and sad incident happened in Delhi in India where some animal abusers poured petrol on a street dog and set it ablaze. The dog was rescued by some animal care activists and given medical treatment.


What is alarming that such incidents have increased over the past four-five years, and are now reported almost every week. And what is very disturbing is that the dogs are abused in specific parts of their body, such as their genitalia!! The dog which was attacked recently, suffered heavy burns on its belly and testes! This is really sick.



After so much of spread of education and activism about animal compassion and animal rights and welfare, instead of being tolerant to animals; people are turning more and more violent towards them! Dogs are deliberately harmed with poison, burning, slashing, acid and beating. These cruel actions clearly show a total lack of value of life and disregard for animals as living beings. As a society, we need to learn to regard animals as living beings like us. We need to respect them as individuals as we respect pther humans. Most importantly, we need to learn that we exist on the planet only because of animals. If they perish, we will perish, too.


Thursday, March 13, 2014

Rampaging Elephant Rescues Baby

An elephant smashed a house to bits in a village in India but when it heard a 10 month old baby crying under the debris, it turned back and carefully removed every last bit of stone, brick and mortar from the infant's body before heading back to the forest!




This incident proves once again that animals have emotions and wisdom, and they have them in abundance. An otherwise ruthless killer or thief might not have returned to rescue his own victim, but an animal did it. Doesn't this prove the need for us to think about animals in another and a better perspective?


Animals, like humans, have their own individual personalities, and need to be respected for who they are. More importantly, they are needed on the planet very much for the survival of the mankind, but we humans seem to be oblivious of this vital fact! We are killing animals and cutting trees like we have another planet in reserve to live on! Wake up humans, you have nowhere to go, and if you want your children, and their children, to survive; you'll have to stop killing animals and destroying the ecosystems.


Thursday, February 20, 2014

Man Kills Dog with Hot Oil

In another incident of animal cruelty and human insensitivity, an eatery owner in India killed a lactating female dog, a mother of new born puppies, by pouring hot oil over her mouth. The female dog had given birth to a litter in the area a few days ago and had stayed too close to the eatery in search of food. This enrage the eatery owner and he poured hot oil over the female dog's mouth which killed her. She suffered excruciating pain before dying.

The pathetic, cruel, barbaric eatery owner should have shown some compassion and given the mother some leftovers everyday, which he would have thrown away in any case, instead he decided to kill her! The growing intolerance, insensitivity and hatred towards animals, apparently for no reasons, has reached alarming levels and ignorant people need to be given a lesson or two in love, compassion and tolerance.


It is very difficult to come to therms with this mindless violence resulting in the unfortunate death of a mother of newly born pups. One wonders what has happened to the society and why can't we let animals be on their own! Animals use the resources Mother Earth has given them. They never try to reproduce anything like us humans. They never pollute, lie, conspire or steal...yet we are intolerant towards them. We need to know and understand the fact very clearly that if there are no animals left on the planet, we won't be here either, too!

Monday, February 10, 2014

Woman breastfeeds puppy to save him...

In the US, a woman, who has compassion in abundance, breastfed a newborn puppy in order to save its life because the pooch was refusing to be fed from a bottle or have canine formula. This woman from Colorado, posted a photo of her breastfeeding an orphaned four day old puppy on her Face Book page and explained the reason to do so.




She said, "He just wasn't taking it. I didn't know what else to do, I was desperate and I just couldn't bear sitting there watching it die. I never thought I would ever do that. It was taboo to me as well. But I did the right thing. That dog is alive because I took the initiative."

This act of extreme kindness and courage is commendable and we only wish there were more people in the world today like this kind lady. Animals sure deserve a better life and we must make all the efforts to ensure their safety and well-being. In order to survive on this planet, we need to have animals more than they need us.