Humans have been encroaching on forests for their housing, rail, road and other infrastructure needs and destroying the habitat of wild animals.
Result: They are killed in rail and road accidents.
We’ll understand their struggle better if we imagine ourselves without a home. A video of a group of elephants trying to cross a road surrounded by forest recently went viral on social media.
This will melt you. This is how human infrastructure creates hindrance to wildlife. Look at the struggle. That is why we need special care in wildlife areas.
— Parveen Kaswan, IFS (@ParveenKaswan) July 3, 2020
Via @ghostsleeps pic.twitter.com/3Y9ZysVGOr
The video that has reportedly been shot by a lorry driver shows a baby elephant struggling to climb to the other side of the road and mother elephant helping and supporting it.
Here is the complete video of the incident. Look at the struggle of that small #elephants & family. The reason why we need mitigation measures for such infrastructure. Filmed by lorry driver. @WildLense_India pic.twitter.com/9WtrIOoTbq
— Parveen Kaswan, IFS (@ParveenKaswan) July 3, 2020
Netizens are getting furious for creating hindrances for wild animals while developing infrastructure for human needs.
This is so moving. Like you had said earlier – the animals are not crossing the road – the road is crossing the forest. 🐘
— Maya Sharma (@MayaSharmaNDTV) July 3, 2020
I only hope we humans (supposed to be) understand the importance of respecting nature and stop intruding into spaces of other living creatures. I am afraid if we don’t stop these, we will all burn in nature’s anger. Hope we shud the not see a day where nature is angry.
— Venkatesh Y Gupta (@VenkateshYGupt1) July 3, 2020
The society which has historically always been inclusive even to animals has now some of the worst design principles. We hardly consider animals in our designs these days. It’s only about us humans. https://t.co/J1vCBx3l8f
— Naman Bansal (@BansalNaman11) July 3, 2020
This doesn’t melt me. It makes me furious. It SHOULD make everyone furious.
— Pavan Periwal (@PavanPeriwal) July 3, 2020
Awww the mummas so gentle with the baby. 🥰❤️
— Pem$ (@AgarwalPema) July 3, 2020
D gentleness of d mommy n mindfulness of d driver is superb !!!
— Maj Divya (@ThinkDivya) July 3, 2020
When we make anything we need to make it with love and compassion for everyone including animals !! https://t.co/TFk2scBg55
— Krishnan Arunachalam (@MaximusKrish) July 3, 2020
So sad and unfair. Inclusive development seems to be excluding most of them.
— Lockdown Returns (@Subhash_ati9) July 3, 2020
We really need to retrospect as to what we as human beings are doing in the name of development.#Environment https://t.co/HmTuxIKDAi
— Ankit Mahanta (@ankitmahanta007) July 3, 2020
At least 49 elephants were killed in rail accidents in India between 2016-18, according to the MoEFCC. And these numbers are just rising.
I don’t think we have any right to interfere with their natural habitat. And if at all we need to create infrastructure for humans through forests, can we be sensitive towards these animals’ needs?
