My recent trip to a biological park in the City took me back 11 years when I first visited the place. As a child, I found it disturbing to stand on the other side of a cage and watch the many species of wildlife locked up, quite in contrast to how they are created to be. I vowed never to go back to any biological park or circus, just to get a glimpse of some of the species we otherwise might never get to see.

More than a decade later, a wildlife researcher’s desire to alter the place took me there. I paid a visit and it was once again heart-wrenching to watch these beautiful animals confined to enclosed spaces that force them to lead a sedentary life.

Losing their instincts
The term ‘wildlife’ itself loses its meaning as the natural instincts of animals in such parks is non-existent. What is the purpose of the leopard’s swiftness and agility if they can’t run or hunt, a crocodile’s shrewdness that make them invincible under water, why have wings when birds can’t soar, the acute intelligence of a snake that’s caved in just like it’s very existence? A biological park, then, is nothing but a place for domesticated wildlife that’s merely for the convenience of mankind. 

A jungle is the only place that can bring out the breathtaking aspects of life in the wild in its true sense. Like Shekar Dattatri, the wildlife filmmaker said at a recent screening of his documentary in the City, “The best part of being in a jungle is getting an opportunity to be up-close with the various species of animals.”

Up-close is what one will experience in a national park as well, but only with animals that are reduced to mere objects of entertainment that serve absolutely no purpose in ‘educating public’ (which is the chief objective of a biological park) about their way of life.

If children, for example, were brought on an educational tour to a park, the knowledge they take back with them is nothing more than animals merely lying around. And on certain occasions the cheap thrill of throwing an object or two into enclosures to witness some movement, courtesy an act of ‘bravery’ by some half-witted adult.
For those who work towards wildlife conservation, it’s a constant battle against all odds not just to keep alive the existing numbers but also ensure that they flourish for the benefit of all living beings, including man.
“We think that man is the master of the universe, but in reality we depend on even the smallest of the animal species for our existence.

“They have a major role in protecting and balancing our eco-system and it’s our job to ensure they are protected,” shares Shekar.

Animal welfare?
This week being dedicated to the wildlife of our country is quite an irony as experts’ opinion is that Indian wildlife is not a promising one. Market forces, they feel, have forced animal welfare to become an issue that’s almost defunct. It’s not just the jungles that are in jeopardy but wildlife that is in captivation as well.

It may be a far-fetched idea to rid the nation of the methods that exist in national parks or even abolish the concept of a zoo but the hope of achieving that, someday, lives on.

Until then, the question that arises is, what are we celebrating this wildlife week?