Yet another leopard died a painful death after hours of prolonged struggle to free itself from a cable snare laid for wild boars by poachers at Simepaine-Mangueshi in Ponda taluka, on Tuesday morning. The photographs and videos laid bare the truth that the big cat was unable to free itself from the noose as it tightened around its neck while it made a futile bid to escape.
Madkai and Kundaim locals blamed the authorities for turning a blind eye to the destruction of forests and hills for making way for human habitation which has forced wild animals to forage for food in human settlements. According to them, three cows, a buffalo and a stray dog were killed by a leopard at Mardol recently.
The man v/s wild conflict has been as old as human existence, and there’s no doubt that it will continue until either go extinct. The question, however, is that will one survive if the other goes extinct? Human beings as well as the wild are part of the large food web, the components of which depend on each other for survival, either directly or indirectly. But in the race to outlive each other and the rush for megalomania has resulted in humans encroaching the areas which were normally be designated as wild.
Poaching of wild animals in the civilised world, which is built on laws and legislations, is banned across the globe. However, the black sheep amongst the population continue to hunt down these animals for the joy of ‘exotic foods’ and byproducts out of their carcass, and ofcourse for thrill.
In November 2021, after a lot of debates for years, the Government of Goa declared wild boars as vermin and their regulated culling and hunting was permitted. However, the downside has been that the unregulated poaching of undomesticated pigs by using crude bombs, wire snares and even air guns for hunting, has seen a steep hike. In many cases, the unintended victims are the other wild animals, especially members of the big cat family.
In Goa, there has been a growing concern and demand to declare several species as vermin as they destroy fields and plantations just ahead of the crop’s harvest season. The flip side though is the fact that humans have encroached on areas which belonged to these animals and which were the only source of their survival. Thus, they are forced to venture into human habitation for food.
Let us be aware that the greed of a few has meant an annual rise in the number of species being eliminated from the surface of the earth. At the onset of the monsoon, Goans are on the lookout for ‘jumping chicken’ (frog meat) on the menu of specific restaurants in the State. And it is common knowledge that rabbits, sambar, peacocks, monitor lizard, porcupines, turtles, etc, are being hunted either for their meat or other body parts. Wild boars top that list of ugly cravings.
There was a time when as students, children would know more about animals and their features by experience. One would be able to see frogs jump, rabbits run around on the hills and any little forested area, hear foxes howl, etc. However, unlike yesteryears, children today can only get a glimpse of them either in the zoo, on wild life documentaries or by travelling hundreds of kilometres to a safari destination, which is not possible for everyone.
Poaching by crude bombs and snares has also led to farmers give up cultivating their farms and plantations as they risk their own lives while venturing in their properties. Plantation farmers are now facing a double whammy of forest fires on one hand and poaching on the other.
The man-versus-wild conflict can only be resolved when humans show compassion in dealing with the issue. We need to delve deep into what kind of world we are leaving behind for the future generations.
For Goans, it’s inevitable to ensure that the green cover remains and poaching is apprehended hands down. While awareness and people’s participation is at the core of putting an end to poaching, the fundamental duty lies with the government to ensure that laws are enforced and rogue gun licencing is arrested.
