World Environment Day — are we bothered?

Mumbai saw a rather unusual case of abduction this weekend. A red sand boa was stolen from Byculla zoo. Reports say there is a huge demand for this non-poisonous snake in the illegal market - tantriks believe it has supernatural powers. Cynics may wonder why so much fuss over a slithery reptile, but they might want to reflect on the fact that the boa is an endangered species (fetching up to Rs2 lakh in the international market), and is reportedly listed under section 4 of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. Apart from the fact that this Sunday, June 5, just happens to be World Environment Day and our environmental connect is really not up to the mark in any manner.

Take the sorry plight of the poor leopard, rescued, but caged after it had wandered into a village near Uran. Bureaucratic red tapism between the SGNP officials and the forest department is prolonging the feline’s stay - he’s already been 18 days in captivity; if his stay extends, it might breach recent guidelines set on human-leopard conflict management - and he thus may never be released. Given this scenario, the leopard that wandered into MP and actor Hema Malini’s Dindoshi house last week ought to thank its lucky stars for not being caught whilst utilising the premises to sun himself. Malini, abroad at the time, played most gracious host, conveying that he must not be harmed in any way.
Other animals have not had his luck. According to recent reports, cruelty towards stray dogs is on the rise in the city. Poisoning, stoning, beating — the viciousness of these attacks have animal activists deeply disturbed. And the revamp woes of the city zoo continue, as plans for the now estimated Rs150 crore redevelopment project shuttle between the municipal body and the Central Zoo Authority.

‘Environment’ covers not just fauna, but also flora — the theme for World Environment Day this year is forests, but Mumbai’s green cover is alarmingly depleting. Reports say the area covered by the air-cleansing mangroves along coastlines have shrunk by 40% in the last two decades. More worrisome, last year the civic body reportedly gave permission to cut more than 11,000 trees, whilst not as many were planted.

Whilst in Thailand, I was struck by the people’s deep and abiding connect with the environment. On an elephant sanctuary there, the almost telepathic synergy displayed between the pachyderms and their handlers was a marvel to watch. Union environment minister Jairam Ramesh might wish for a similar show of empathy, as he called for more people involvement in the elephant conservation bid, the recently launched Haathi Mere Saathi campaign at the 8-Ministerial Meet in Delhi.

Meanwhile, efforts at environmental awareness in the city are also on, despite the general lethargy. The BNHS, in collaboration with the MoEF and UNEP, has organised an exhibition stressing eco-friendly living ahead of World Environment Day. And the Greens, despite the presiding gloom, are thrilled at one victory - The CZA dismissed the BMC’s original Rs480 crore zoo revamp plan, stressing that the 150-year-old botanical garden’s trees be left untouched.  Should we say hurrah for the tree huggers, conservation no mean achievement in our pollution-choked concrete jungle?