The Great Indian Bustard (GIB) writes in response to the recent news article,
I'm a big bird and can actually see. I'm not really blind. It's true some of my relatives died crashing into your wind mills or high tension wires and got electrocuted. But I'm not sure you can spew labels like, 'slow' or 'poor sighted' on us for your heinous crimes. We, as a species, have not evolved over millions of years to pay attention to the rapid changes you call 'development', get acclimatized and thrive.
I'll tell you who as a species is short-sighted and acting like a birdbrain. YOU. Let's begin with your intention - you want green clean energy by destroying my home, the grassland habitat which you consider a 'wasteland'. Oh, the irony? FYI, grasslands are more, or as important as forests for mitigating climate change.
And how is it that every project you consider in the name of 'development' is set to destroy something valuable. You are going after turtle nesting sites and indigenous people in Nicobar islands. You want to cut 2,00,000 trees in Buxwaha forest for mining shiny rocks (diamonds)! And this list probably goes on and on.
Does it not occur to you that YOU might be in the brink of a catastrophe with your destructive tendencies. You are in the middle of a pandemic for Christ's sake! So listen to me carefully. Think critically. Ask questions. Listen to people who know better. Oppose anything that destroys what's left of the natural world. Try support and learn from organisations that are attempting to restore what's already lost. And most importantly save yourself. Did you take your vaccine shots? Or are you not ready to listen to this giant, slow and poor-sighted bird, just yet.
The views and opinions expressed in this article are of GIB, and do not necessarily represent the policy or position of ECORE.
Image copyrights: Creative Commons
Harish Prakash is a Research Associate at the Centre for Ecological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore. He has never seen The Great Indian Bustard and prays he will do so one day.
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