Tiger Killed Again

A gang of poachers entered a high-security zoo in Itanagar in the Arunachal Pradesh state of India, and hacked a tiger to death last night. The poachers tranquilised the six-year-old tigress before entering its enclosure and cutting it into six pieces. The arrival of security guards prevented the poachers from carrying away the mutilated animal. The poaching and smuggling of tiger body parts is common across India. The animals are prized throughout East Asia in general and China in particular for the supposed medicinal value of their body parts.

Tiger numbers have shrunk alarmingly in India in recent decades. A 2011 census counted about 1,700 tigers in the wild. A century ago there were estimated to be 100,000 tigers in India. There have been attempts at poaching animals in the zoo before, officials say. In February 2006, three tigers and a leopard were poisoned by unknown people. One tiger died, while the other two other animals survived. In June 2006, 30kg (66lb) of tiger parts - mainly bones and nails - were seized from a vehicle belonging to a police officer in Assam state. This is again a very unfortunate incident of an innocent animal being killed because of the greed of humans. There must be tight security arrangements to save these helpless animals from the cruel hands of poachers. Else, one day there will be no tigers or any other majestic animal left on the earth.

100 Species at Risk of Extinction

The spoon-billed sandpiper, three-toed sloth and a long-beaked echidna are among the 100 most endangered species in the world, according to a new study. The list of at-risk species has been published as conservationists warn that rare mammals, plants and fungi are being sacrificed as their habitats are appropriated for human use. Conservationists fear the species in 48 countries may die out because they don’t offer obvious benefits to humans! The list is headed by the ‘weird and wonderful’ spoon-billed sandpiper which breeds in Russia and migrates to Bangladesh and Myanmar. There are just 100 breeding pairs of the birds left in the wild with that number declining by a quarter annually.

There are also just 500 pygmy three-toed sloths left on the uninhibited Isla Escudo de Veraguas, 10 miles off the coast of Panama. They are half the size of sloths found on the mainland and are the smallest and slowest sloths in the world. But their numbers are declining with fishermen and lobster divers ‘opportunistically’ hunting the small animals. Man’s greed and barbaric attitude towards animals has made it increasingly difficult for conservationists to protect the most threatened species on the planet. While the utilitarian value of nature is important, conservation goes beyond this. Do these species have a right to survive or do we have a right to drive them to extinction??? If we take immediate action we can give them a fighting chance for survival. But this requires society to support the moral and ethical position that all species have an inherent right to exist.





Courtesy:TOI

There Must be a Heaven...

There must be a heaven for the animal friends we love. They are not human, yet they bring out our own humanity.... sometimes in ways that other people cannot. They do not worry about fame or fortune... instead, they bring out hearts nearer to the joy of simple things.

Each day they teach us little lessons in trust and steadfast affection. Whatever heaven may be, there's surely a place in it for friends as good as these.

Ignorance and Insensitivity towards Stray Dogs

Recently, there was news that a minister of the Punjab State Government in India spoke about the ‘menace’ of stray dogs in the state and how to get rid of this ‘problem’. He stated that all the dogs should be caught and sent to North-Eastern states of India or China where, he said, people know it well what to do with dogs! Apparently, he was referring to the fact that in China people kill dogs and eat them. This statement comes as a rude shock from a Minister who is supposed to be committed to the welfare of the people and the helpless animals. This shows the insensitivity and the ignorance of the government, and ultimately, of the society, towards helpless and harmless animals. This also shows the scant respect that they have for life. Life is as valuable to an animal as it is to a human.

Instead of talking of capturing and sending these helpless dogs to elsewhere, they should accept it as a challenge and spay and neuter these dogs so that their population is controlled. An effort should be made to provide homes to these animals and citizens should be encouraged to come forward and adopt them. Even shelters could be made for them where they are given food and water and are taken care of. We have to understand the fact that animals are our responsibility and we are entitled to treat them with dignity and give them their rights. We are not a barbaric society, are we? Animals came here before us and the Earth belongs to them more than it belongs to us.

Whales, Dolphins deserve Human Rights for their Intelligence

Marine biologists and philosophers have joined forces to support a declaration of rights for whales and dolphins on the grounds that their astonishing intelligence and emotional empathy puts them on a par with humans. Research into the complex behavior of cetaceans – whales, dolphins and porpoises – is revealing that these sea mammals are so highly evolved and complex in terms of their behavior that they deserve special protection with a universal bill of rights. Dolphins and whales have complex vocal communications and are able to learn an astonishing variety of behaviors when they come into contact with humans, such as cooperative fishing with native fishermen.

The proponents of the bill of rights argue that the cetacean mind is so advanced and self-aware that whales and dolphins should be classified as “non-human persons” who deserve the right to life, liberty and wellbeing. The declaration of rights states that every individual dolphin, whale and porpoise has the right to life and liberty and not only should they not be killed by hunting, but none should be kept in captivity or servitude or subject to cruel treatment. It states that no cetacean can be the property of any individual or government and calls for the legal protection of their natural environment and a ban on any activity that disrupts their ‘cultures’.





Courtesy: The Independent

Animals’ Secret Lingo…

Scientists claim to have identified a ‘secret language’ used in the animal kingdom. An international team has found how animals use polarization, a type of light that humans cannot see, as an important tool for communication, the Current Biology journal reported. In their research, the scientists focused on a type of cuttlefish ( close relative of octopus and squid ) to show how polarization is used for communication in animal kingdom and its significance in biological signaling.

The findings revealed how cephalopods such as cuttlefish have the ability to see in many more directions of polarized light than previously thought, according to the scientists at UK’s Bristol University and Australia’s Queensland University. Justin Marshall, a team member, said humans had not yet developed the language to describe all roles of polarization in nature. These facts have proved once again how wise animals are. They are well ahead of humans and deserve all our respect.

Now the Elephant Cuisine…

A new taste for eating elephant meat – everything from trunks to sex organs – has emerged in Thailand and could pose a new threat to the survival of the species. This was discovered after two elephants were found slaughtered last recently in a national park in Thailand. The poachers took away the elephants’ sex organs and trunks for human consumption. Experts said that some meat was to be consumed cooking, like ‘elephant sashimi’.

It has been observed that poachers typically just remove trunks, which are commonly found on Asian male elephants and fetch thousands of dollars on the black market. A market for elephant meat, however, could lead to the killing of the wider elephant population. If elephants are hunted like this, they will become extinct soon.

Consuming elephant meat is not common in Thailand, but some Asian cultures believe consuming animals’ reproductive organs can boost sexual prowess. The question is how much sexual prowess people want, and that too at the cost of lives of millions of innocent animals. If they have any weakness in terms of sexual life, they should see a doctor who would treat them for their impotency! Why kill majestic animals? This is outrageous that human beings can become murderers just because of their whims, misconceptions and false beliefs. What a shame!