By Aishwarya Samanta
Mahatma Gandhi once said, “The greatness of a country and its progress can be measured by the manner in which its wildlife is dealt with”. India can possibly lead the world in animal conservation, in any case, the propensity to take a look at animal conservation issues in a vacuum as opposed to as an interlinked issue with other common social concerns has kept this development from being treated in a serious way.
Since early civilisation, animals have been a necessary piece of human experience. We have tamed them for both agriculture and as fellow beings. Notwithstanding, over the long run our connection with them has transformed into abuse in which the conservation of animals is profoundly compromised. Presently we see animals only for their utility; truth be told, discernment has been made that people consistently have priority over animals. It has now become normal practice to dispense brutality upon them.
Animal conservation has consistently been viewed as a niche subject, regularly consigned to being an enthusiastic one. Expanding human-wildlife struggle, poaching, and environmental change are antagonistically affecting India’s biodiversity. The Wildlife Protection Act of 1972 was passed by the parliament to give an extensive system to the security of wildlife.
The Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, also called CITES, is an international agreement between governments of different countries. It endeavours to direct the international trade of wildlife. It professes to have concurred assurance to more than 35,000 species of plants and animals. The Indian Government turned into involved with CITES in year 1976. The Foreign Trade (Development and Regulation) Act, 1992 additionally gives some degree of security to wildlife in India. Under this act, import and export of all types of wild animals and their articles are denied. Customs Act, 1962 deals with all cases of infringement of EXIM policy including strategies that fall under CITES. The United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC) furnishes assistance and legal, to assist with tackling wildlife-related crimes.
Over the last century, the global tiger population has declined by 95% due to habitat loss & wildlife trafficking. Today, there are more tigers in captivity than in the wild.
On Thursday’s #InternationalTigerDay, see how @UNEP works to help protect tigers https://t.co/5L0lZJoWL3 pic.twitter.com/T0Vdk8HZCn
— United Nations (@UN) July 29, 2021
While these are positive turns of events, regulators and government comprise only one slice of the pie. What we need today is the broad acknowledgment of animal conservation as a genuine social issue. Animal and non-animal social areas should perceive their diversity and work together. Corporates need to take a gander at which job their foundations are playing in animal cruelty.
On the off chance that we don’t define strong boundaries between conservation, education, and entertainment, we are pushing these species on a way of speeding up extinction. Environmental change and global warming are compromising mass extinction and presently is a basic window to stop this. In this test of skill and endurance, there are various difficulties. The illicit wildlife trade through our borders with China and Nepal is blasting with horn, skin, scales, meat, skull bones of bugs to warm-blooded animals being pirated through the boundaries for therapeutic and decorative purposes.
It is generally accepted that the neo-liberal model of advancement received by the heads of our nation will bring success. What it slipped is the way that such improvement comes at the expense of boundless ecological destruction. Development is unimaginable without a working biological system. Such development is pointless if our streams and lakes are polluted and our woods annihilated.
