Introduction:

Humans definitely have greater potential over all the other creatures in this world. Plants and animals are subordinated by man for the fulfillment of his needs. But what if these needs turn into greeds?

Sadly, there's no moment for that change to happen. It has already happened. People are already so greedy that they don't mind caring about the animals and I am not generalizing this trend with everybody. But all in all, our style of living has definitely impacted them severely. As we all know, that human actions directly or indirectly surely cause an injury to the animals.

Causes of Animal Injuries:

Animal injuries are caused due to both natural and human factors. In the former, the animals find themselves to be the most vulnerable in cases of earthquakes, tsunamis or floods, etc, where the man is eager to save his life first. It has been normalized in society that an animal's life can be sacrificed.

'The life of a human holds greater value than that of an animal.'

We humans have like superseded God in terms of defining the rights of creatures and the value of life stored in them. Anyway, animal injuries and deaths have become so routine for the people now that they just read the statistics and move on. Some even don't care to do that part even. Reading or not reading is not going to help anyway when the need for a constructive action is the need of the hour.

In the latter case, the human-built factors which have like built kind of system where the depressing factors are only going to accentuate the problems of these voice-less creatures. Some people sacrifice animals in the name of religious practices or festivals. People are ready to accept fundamentalism readily but are not able to understand the Fundamental Rights entitled to every creature of Nature.

In such a case, where the injury caused to animals has a human backing, leave the discussion about the help that will be provided. Humans have gone too very opportunist that they will like to take an opportunity even out of that.

Animals are injured here and there often. Sometimes, they are overridden by vehicles, smaller species coming into trap of bigger ones, illegal trafficking, etc.

Follow-up after Injuries:

It is expected that if the animal has got injured in a space of human habitation, the people should come forward themselves to help the injured animal. In most of the cases, humanity survives and the people contact the medical services or more specifically the veterinarians. Well, it can't be ignored that some people adopt a blase attitude towards things.

Injury to an animal only concerns us when either it's a domesticated or a pet animal. 

But what about the Wild Animals?

The veterinarians contacted in the event of an emergency become highly indifferent and distinguish in providing even the basic 'first aid' to any injured animal. I am in no way criticising the specialisation of different veterinarians. But extension of basic medical aid to every animal be it so, becomes the pivotal point of any such services. All of the medical branches are concerned equally to save the lives of different creatures but discriminating or differentiating on such lines shall only delay the process of relief and in extreme cases leading to death. Generally, the medical authorities of a zoo or a park distinguish animals whether if it's an animal concerned of their department or not. But isn't it mind-boggling?

We humans have already segregated the animals out of our space. And even after that if they suffer any destruction out of any particular case, we are just busy segregating them in one category or other instead of analysing the steps required to rehabilitate them.

The veterinarians instead of being helpful cross-question the callers as if they did something wrong of high order by calling for assistance on the part of any specific animal.

Metaphorical Comparison:

We humans leave our homes each day for our respective works. But what if we don't return back - get injured or die somewhere in between?

Just imagine these thoughts as to what they can do to your family.

Now envision it in the case of this dead animal whose family creatures must also be waiting for the return. But what if the hopes turn out false?

We humans can't interact with animals nor they can. The interaction patterns are in no way connected due to distinct symbolic interactions but still can't we even interact with them and try comprehending their pain at least?

Have we humans turned so stone-hearted?

A pebble thrown on any animal is not a pebble thrown on our conscience?

Answer, people?

Poachers are already there who are involved in the illegal trafficking of animals. They use the bones, skins, and milk for trade purposes. Anything that is derived out of animal and which has commercial significance is exploited by the individual to his interest.

Contacting a vet in case of an animal injury reveals the inefficient management of the bio-diversity structure of the country. Either the calls won't be answered and if at all they are answered - the recipient will try to transfer or forward the call to someone else while each of them mentioning that it is not sphere or zone of activity.

An accident doesn't happens on a defined place. It can happen anywhere. The emergency contacts available online either by the government or the private agencies can't help either. They will be unreachable all the times it is tried and no call backs will be made. Such is the cracking of the sectors of our country and the biodiversity being at stake.

Offshot of Rurbanisation:

With the emergence of industrial societies, urbanisation also characterised the growth of cities. New towns were created - forests and natural spaces were destroyed to build space for gated communities.

Making everything suitable for the gentry class has not only affected the slum dwellers but these voice-less beings too as their habitat was also destroyed. They had to migrate from one area to another area. The rural areas were not that hit in terms of biological habitation as the population shift was uni-directional at that time.

Trend Change:

 With increasing population and congestion in towns and soaring pollution levels, man is trying to re-seek himself in the threads of Nature. A new pattern is being witnessed that people are shifting back from urban areas to rural areas in search of better quality in terms of environment. In short, this process of de-urbanisation has resulted in the creation of 'rurban' areas - the areas that lie at the flux or at the continuum of rural-urban areas. People are purchasing residential flats or developing farmhouses in such areas to get access to the best of both rural and urban associates.

Exclusion Eliminated for Animals:

Earlier, due to clear differentiation of spaces, human habitation was clearly distinct from animal space leading to clashes which were seldom in nature.

But now due to greed of humans, encroachment has followed a new pattern where neither the urban areas or the rural areas or the continuum regions are left un-utilised. So, the space for animals is already decimated. It's already below the set-limit of 33% of forest cover, as per the National Forest Policy of 1952.

So, the notion of an excluded space is already eliminated for animals. Instead, the animals have to now consent to 'forced co-habitation' with the human counterparts. This all has further added sadness to the story.

India is still a developing country, where the villages are still underdeveloped. And in such a case, expecting development for biodiversity is like the imagination of a wooden iron or dry water.

De-merits of Decentralisation from an Ecological & Political Perspective:

The 73rd Amendment to the Constitution of India introduced a 'third tier' to the federal structure of the country.

The rationale behind the introduction of the third level was as follows:

1. Local people have better knowledge about their issues.
2. Local problems if solved at local level will save time for other important cases.
3. Local resources are significant in attending to the grievances of that region.
4. For a country with huge diversity, size and population, decentralisation would serve as a panacea.

The rationale sounds very unique and democratic but what if the practice of it is totally null?

Forget about the human development at local level, we already know that despite the fact that our nationalist leaders like Gandhi and Nehru favoured for village development, villages still stands out to be stagnant. People who have entered local offices of Gram Panchayat, Block Samiti or Nagar Panchayat are busy in the accumulation of 'power'. Their motivations for even the nominal work which they perform come from the aspiration for that very 'power' itself. This tier-distribution at local level is not uniformly distributed throughout the country.

Reaction of Local Authorities:

In the event of any animal injury, these local authorities are just exhibiting the past system of 'absentee-landlordism'. Either they are out of the office for which they are assigned for or they are not ready to come at the operation space.

The worst part of it all is that animal keeps on heading towards it's last breaths, but these people of authorities either from political or medical background are busy in digressing  the matter or not attending it. They don't want to even come and report at the place. Many animals in this process ultimately die. Even the local officials that are sent as 'puppets' are there on a two-wheel vehicle.

The irony in the whole matter falls,

'To support a four-legged animal, a two-wheel vehicle comes in forward (if any)'!

Isn't it inappropriate to treat the injured or dead animals that way?

I don't understand as to from where this audacity resulting out of political power diminishes the whole concept of empathy.

Death & Disposition:

Goodness, the matters turn from bad to worse when an animal dies out in the process. Matters of seeking out medical aid or assistance are now already post-dated and now the inhumane side is more going to be explicit.

Once the animal dies, the local society gets divided into two categories- one who will try to seek out an authority again for the proper disposal of body. The municipal corporation members are summoned in this case. Many people don't approach them in the fear of paying a fee to the corporation members for their services. Their will be some who will like keep on allowing the body to stink and decompose on its own without any awareness of the consequent health implications of it.

While in the face of lethargic local authorities, some active citizens being aware of both the social and health responsibilities towards the community as a whole take a step themselves to dispose the animal body properly.

People dispose the body themselves, one out of their civic duty and also because they fear the fact that sometimes the officials entrusted with this work, instead of disposing the body properly seek out to gain profit by selling the animal to gather capital through its valuable parts. Although, this is illegal in the framework but in the name of national development we should not forget the tribal development was put at stake in past.

'Power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts completely.' - Lord Acton.

Death of Animals: Functionalist Argument:

Animals keep on dying regularly on a very large scale but it has become routinized now as people have understood that in an ecosystem again, superordinate and subordinate relationships are always into interplay. The bigger species shall always feast upon the smaller. It's nothing but the part of 'Food Chain'.

Darwin's 'Origin of Species' has also argued that the species which are able to adjust themselves as per the changing environment are only going to survive in the long run while the species which will fail to do so will weed out ultimately.

For the functionalists, everything that's happening in Nature is already right and the balance of the Nature is restored automatically. Some degree of deaths are normal in every society unless it crosses a certain extreme bar. They get only serious about issues when already the situations are out of control and have gone exceedingly high.

Death of Animals - Conflict Argument:

Plants, animals and humans live in a closely-knit developed ecosystem where the change in one affects the other directly or indirectly.

Even if we accept the functionalist argument of stronger dominating over the weaker, still we all know that every animal has the capability to seek out for their lives themselves. The nature has such an in-built system.

But what has brought these animals into clash with each other?

The answer is humans itself. Humans have forced the animals to share the space as they enjoy with them as humans have almost encroached every part of animal or plant life. The exploitative and capitalist mindset is never-ending. The system is built in such a manner that the mutual interests are antagonistic. Although, that's not a norm. Co-existence and co-habitation is possible if creatures attempt to live in harmony.

Signing Off...

Gandhi ji once remarked, 'The degree of development of a country can be ascertained by the attitude of the country people towards the animals and other creatures.'

So, pause and ask yourself, if at all India attains development in the economic sphere, will it be developed in complete sense?

Absolutely, NO!

Development is a multi-dimensional concept that seeks to raise standards in almost all the aspects of human life. Will humans be able to enjoy a life that is stained by the blood of another creature?

The very slaughter that has been done by the human itself either directly or indirectly.

Readers' Certainty:

To make it more relevant and certain, I will like to inform my readers that this article has been constructed though in an abstract manner but the inspiration for it comes from a real-time incident. Non-inclusion of character-specific dialogues to maintain confidentiality.

Cases of animal deaths have been normalized. But that is not normal. I urge all my readers to make it a pledge to take action against all these negligent authorities either from the veterinarians or the local ones.

The message that I got from this incident was that either people should arrange first-aid themselves for these animals if possible or should have a reliable contact to seek out assistance in such a matter.

As seeing out yourself the death of a creature not only makes the animals helpless but the individuals as well seem to be vulnerable that thought being higher in the order, they are not able to save the other creatures.

The on-slaught of Nature shall not spare anyone. Let's remember that for eternity.

'The death of one will lead to none in scene.'

Request to Avert Disaster: I request the NGOs associated with animal concern and welfare to provide their contacts to every household of the country so that these timeless disasters can be averted as dependency on these all-time power-seeking states is only going to dramatise the whole matter.

Inter-Subjectivity with the Animal's Agony:

Understanding the pain an animal undergoes is totally incomprehensible, still... tried to encapsulate in the following lines:

'The eyes that wanted aid became the witness of it's own slain.'
Ahh! It kills. It hurts. Is there anybody to listen?
Ahh! The inexplicable agony dawns over to spread the darkness and I think, I shall leave!!!
Tears shrouded at first and then shrouded by the soil.
I finally left, left, and leftttt..........!!!!

.    .    .

Reference:

• An Abstraction Based on a Real-Time Incident.