Better Quality of Life - And the Price

The tiger walked at a leisurely pace, unmindful of a jeep right behind it, dogging its steps. The people inside were enthralled to catch a glimpse of this majestic creature, truly the king of this jungle. The king couldn't care less. He was busy marking his territory as the rains on the previous days must have washed off his scent sprayed earlier.

But this made me wonder - how much territory did the tigers really have to divide amongst themselves? All they need - any animal needs - is forest land and trees. Food and shelter... That's all.



Does man need anything more? Add clothes to it, ok. Besides and beyond that?

It seems, too much. So much that animals and birds only get leftovers, which may also soon be taken over.

Of energy it is said - it can neither be created, nor destroyed. One form gets converted to another.

A well camouflaged parakeet

So also our earth. It exists on a precarious balance. There was a time when man was impoverished, but animals lived fearlessly. Today, man has become empowered with machines. Now animals are impoverished.

Conservation efforts, afforestation - by a few, is an apology that does not match the pace of destruction. And we can never understand the true consequences of our actions. Just as we may say we live in a locality but have a house, so also animals, birds and insects aim for specific trees where they are best camouflaged. Uprooting that tree and replacing it with coconut tree or palm tree or a flowering tree - because they appeal to us, our aesthetics, our needs - finally it comes back to what 'man' wants.

Fauna does not vanish only because they are killed, but diminishing habitat is a big problem. Koala bears, bees, and maybe even birds and small animals - what do we know how many have vanished because of us? Elephants have to walk miles together foraging and looking for water. And, of course, the flora is anyway lost.

What can we do? Think before celebrating surplus. Do we really need so much? At what cost? If each of us cuts down a bit on our own wants, we can maybe reverse this mindless destruction.