Our minister of environment and forests recently said- “More than 14 species of birds from India are on the verge of extinction due to poaching, excess use of pesticides, harmful chemicals, and loss of habitat. However, the “National Bird” peacock is not currently under the threat of extinction”. This strongly reminds me of a film that had once given me sleepless nights- Alfred Hitchcock’s ‘The Birds’
The film depicts various bird species joining together to wage war against the human race. “They’re coming! They’re coming!” were the words yelled, when the generally harmless fine feathered creatures decided to turn on man. The birds in the film were angry. They knew that it is we who poach into their lives, overly use pesticides and harmful chemicals. They knew it is us who feast on their meat. They knew that we are responsible for their death.
Fiction apart, let us understand that extinction of species from earth has always been, and should remain a natural process. Loss of habitat is the most common cause of extinction. While natural extinction, just like evolution takes millions of years, the rapid pace of urbanization and human poaching can not be healed by nature! Let us not forget that, extinction of life in other forms will affect our lives as well. Nature can only provide us with what we deserve, and not what we desire.
सौरभ राय | Sourav Roy 