Let's discuss animals.

 

Almost every person on the earth knows how to talk to animals though only a few know how to listen to them. Animals are considered as the truest friends of human beings who show unquestioning endearment to us. Think of a person who experienced a terrible day might be at his workplace or probably school or at any random place, the moment he arrives at his doorsteps following all the grim outing, his pet upon getting its owner’s sight just latches onto him showing its indubitable adoration. Such is the genuineness of these amazing creatures that they often place human beings before themselves. They not only display their unshakeable love towards us but also provide us with some basic life values which we seem to be lacking. The most significant lesson we as human beings earn from them is that we should not demand beyond our needs. No animal exceeds hunting beyond its needs. Has there been an animal who’s notoriously known for demolishing its own habitat? The answer is a big no. We human beings, only to fulfill our some of the not-so-important ambitious desires showcase the tendency of exploiting our priceless natural resources thus paving the way for the further deterioration of our mother earth. Homo sapiens are scandalously famous for overthinking the bad developments happened to them in the past and keep complaining about the same. Sometimes we exceed this overthinking to such a level that return to normal seems improbable. Here we can take cue from animals who only try and live their life in present time. Least bothered are they as their past is over by all means and their future has not come by then. Through their eyes they express a great deal of feelings. Read their eyes and you will be able to run into their sufferings meted out to them by us. Imagining a world in the absence of fauna is same as thinking of a body without a soul. Animals form an indispensable part of human life as we rely on them for satisfying some of our basic needs. For instance the clothes we don, half of them are made up of raw materials which we derive from animals. There are people who primarily feed on animals as they get flesh, egg, milk and honey from different creatures. These food items are not only great in taste but also contain nutritional values. In ancient times early humans used to tame animals as they would safeguard their owner’s dwellings and would ensure a protected environment full of tranquility. With the rapid rise in the making of short videos human beings have projected animals as their best companions and film some exciting videos. That’s limited only to reel life. Come to real life and the sight of abandoned animals roaming around in the daunting streets would wrench one’s heart and soul. It is us who wash our hands of animals once they turn unproductive. Humanly speaking, depleted animals should never be deserted as they helped us in our profits till they could. Entirely writing them off by jettisoning them to the intimidating and unfamiliar places could take a toll on their lives given the presence of heavy traffic aided with frequent rash drivings almost everywhere in India. India is known as ‘the land of laws’ as here scarcely any field is bereft of legal laws. As far as animal protection is concerned, India has several legal laws aimed at wellbeing of animals. One of the most important laws is Wildlife Protection Act, enacted in 1972, aimed at safeguarding the wildlife in the country. Before decreeing this act, India had had a dismal record in terms of housing national parks with having only five national parks to its name. The data of 1972 showed a rapid decline in the total population of tigers to as low as less than 2000. This act was brought into effect as India has always been a treasure-trove of distinct wildlife. Further India became a party to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) – a multilateral treaty emphasized at safeguarding endangered species. Apart from aforementioned act, another act which holds significance till time is Prevention of Animals to Cruelty Act came into force in 1960. While WPA 1972 aims at shielding wildlife, this act intends to prevent the infliction of unnecessary pain or suffering to animals. At the same time, this act contains the provision for punishment if anyone causes unnecessary cruelty and suffering to animals. Besides laws, there are numerous organizations around the globe who at times take the onus of ensuring the welfare of animals. Among the prominent organizations, PETA is arguably one of the most effective non-profit organizations when it comes to raising the standards of animal protection. Based in USA, PETA has always undertaken several measures ranging from preventing animal abuse to running awareness campaigns to raise issues associated with animals. Another NGO which has loaded itself with the responsibility of protecting animals from widespread savagery is WWF which rose to become the largest conservation organization in the world. WWF looks after the wilderness preservation and reduction of the human impact on the environment.  With over 5 million strong followers this NGO operates in more than 100 countries and supports around 3000 conservation and environment projects. With diversity being an integral component of human life, we celebrate some of the festivals which involve animals. One may think that Spanish Bull Fighting is the only festival which requires bull who on its part dashes around here and there and stages a spectacular ruckus. In the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, a festival, Jallikattu is observed as part of Mattu (bull) Pongal, the third day of the four day long harvest festival. Use of bull is considered to be pious for the Tamils as it helps in the farming activities. The winner of this traditional sports is one who holds on the hump of the bull for the longest duration. In one more sports Dhirio, played in Goa, bulls’ horns are sharpened before they take on each other. The fierce fighting which follows attracts a swathe of spectators to the event. The testicles of bulls are squeezed only to shoot up their aggression against each other. Including animals in such traditional sports is a no-brainer and is inherently cruel to them. We human beings have been blessed with the power of reasoning and that’s presumably only difference between us and animals. So using our rational mind we should undertake all such steps which can help animals experience a life full of dignity and safety.