Preservation of wild life
Man’s ever increasing needs and greed have led him to intrude indiscriminately into the world of nature. He has not only lost the awe and fear which was a part of nature worship in the early religions, but has developed an almost ruthless attitude towards the world of animals. He has felled trees, built dams and has disturbed the peaceful seclusion of the forests. With thousands of men working on dam sites and vehicular traffic moving round the clock, animals are forced to retreat further and further into the fast receding forests. Added to these the rapid industrialization with its accompanying pollution, the use of pesticides and insecticides has made the struggle for survival a losing battle for a large number of birds and animals. Nuclear explosions and even holiday picnickers are driving the fish towards extinction. The lack of oxygen in the coastal waters drives them to their death. Another contributory factor is man’s desire to capture animals and keep them in captivity. The idea is not wrong but the unimaginative method is wrong. For lack of space. animals are kept in small, uniform cages, without bothering to cater to their individual needs and living habits. In order to avoid cluttering of their cages they are of even provided with the necessary perches, branches or wooden trunks which they can bore into. They are thus frustrated, unhappy and at times unduly ferocious.
All the above factors, it is clear, are detrimental to the growth of wild life. Yet animals and birds are necessary. Man needs them first of all to retain the balance in the world of nature: he also needs them to keep a part of himself alive for the tenderness which birds and animals arouse is perhaps the most unselfish emotion. Medical and scientific experiments have used animals to benefit mankind. Sociologists and psychologists also depend on studies of animal behavior in order to understand human behavior.
Preservation of wild life means preventing the extinction of species no matter how ungainly or unattractive they may be. and cultivating living conditions which may be conducive to their growth and happiness. And the first step towards this is limiting human greed. Instead of felling trees. man should grow them; pollution should be controlled. The disposal of solid wastes into sea waters should be checked and controlled. If nuclear experiments have to be conducted they should be done on a very limited scale and only in selected sites.
In many countries the old fashioned concept of a zoo has changed and more imagination is brought into play. As far as possible conditions most conducive to their growth are created and there is an attempt to cater to the varying individual needs of the animals. And this is as it should be. Animals need their natural habitat in order to flourish. Wide spaces, ponds and pools provide them this. More and more specialized zoos are coming into being. Those animals which cannot procreate in captivity are being gradually allowed to return to wild life. In Sabah, orangutans are being weaned away from captivity back to a natural existence where they can procreate.
The worst enemy of animals is man with his superior intelligence and ability to use machines and medicines to help him. It is man’s hunting instinct and his desire to exercise power which have led him into this inconsiderate attitude towards animals. Many countries have attempted to curb this by proclaiming various birds and animals either as national animals or as protected animals and by imposing a ban on the shooting of these animals. All these measures are not enough to help preserve wild life. More than these, what is required is a check on man’s attitude towards animals. Man thinks of them as raw material for consumption and not as fellow beings. What had helped preserve nature in the past was the attitude of divinity towards them. Today if we cannot have a divine feeling, we can at least cultivate an anthropomorphic attitude.
