Animals vs Humans

Export of rilawas to China disturbed a hornet’s nest. All stake holders monkeyed with it, The official stand was to reduce their population as they were a severe threat to cultivation of certain crops and were going to zoos in China. Animal lovers and various activists thought they were going to adorn some dining tables. Be it as it may. The fact of the matter is that they are a very serious threat to cultivators.

Are they the only animals that damage crops?. What about the others like peacocks, porcupines, dandu lenas and wild boar to name some?. Seeds cannot be sown in some areas where the peacocks are present in large numbers. They are now found in many places which never had them before. Probably a reduction in natural predators has caused a proliferation.

Wild boar attack all root crops, yams and tubers so much so that they prevent potato cultivation in places like Welimada. The other animals too contribute to crop losses in varying degrees. The wild life enthusiasts, animals lovers etc maintain a deafening silence. Do they expect the cultivators to stomach all losses?

The vast damage caused by wild elephants is a different kettle of fish altogether. Unlike the other forms of wild life the elephants are a threat to life, property and crop .Every day the TV news show many episodes of vast paddy tracts destroyed, dwellings demolished and a couple of farmers trampled to death.

Who pays or who cares? Apparently nobody. The writer is personally aware of the magnitude of elephant damage in the sugar cane plantations. Once it was estimated at Rs. 273 million. The confidential report leaked out and it hit the headlines in a national news paper. There was some agitation at the top and it soon died down. On the other hand if an elephant gets killed , there will be hell to pay. Have got our sense of values all mixed up?.

Take the case of a poor chena cultivator. All his toil, money etc can be wiped out in one night .Who pays for his upkeep and that of his family? Are his children destined to go hungry while we extol the virtues of wild life from an arm chair? Can you really blame a cultivator pulling a gun on our national heritage? Shouldn’t something meaningful and tangible be done to save our hapless farmers their lives and property?

Remember all wild elephants are not Muthu Rajas .Muthu Raja saga was different . We should all hang our heads in shame.We all revolted. Do we express similar sentiment when a farmer in Anuradhapura gets killed throwing his family on to the street?

What is the equivalent of the life of an elephant in terms of human lives?

Gamini Peiris
Panadura