When will the elephants’ cry in the wilderness end?
Recently, a tragic incident involving the death of an elephant occurred in Kerala. The elephant ate a pineapple that had firecrackers stuffed in it which were allegedly intended to kill ‘wild boars’ and died tragically soon after. The post-mortem report established that the elephant was pregnant. The elephant’s death was so gut-wrenching that it pulled at the heartstrings of lakhs of people who shed tears at the erosion of human values that caused the death. But, as is the won't these days, every incident is used to pursue an agenda and the focus in this instance became Kerala, the state, in which the incident occurred instead of the ghastly incident. Instead of condemning the inhumaneness of people and their irresponsibility and lack of commitment to protecting wildlife, the focus quickly shifted to attacking Kerala, the state which was recently lauded globally for the way it handled the Corona pandemic.
It is now widely accepted across the country that the ‘anti-Kerala hatred’ espoused by a section of the society reflects their intolerance towards development, rational thought, and equality practiced in the state. Even while fighting the Coronavirus, Kerala had to fight the Sangha Parivar’s hate agenda. Now, using this incident that exposes the perversion of an irresponsible farmer or hunter, the Sangha Parivar is back to doing what it is best – spreading vile and venom against the state. A few union ministers are even working overtime to establish the role of Muslims in the incident. The union health minister has not only expressed shock but also warned of stringent action. A BJP leader who is notorious for her ‘love for animals and hatred for humans’ has tried to distort the incident by spreading information that the incident occurred in Mulsim-dominated Malappuram. People had to correct her later that the incident occurred in Palakkad.
To capture wild boars, people have been using different sorts of tactics, sometimes totally barbaric, and this is not restricted to Kerala alone but is seen in the Malnad region in Karnataka also. Many times, tragically, human beings have died instead of wild boars as a result of such inhuman acts. It then becomes our moral responsibility to condemn such practices and pressurize the government to punish the guilty. Instead of doing that, as in this recent incident, some mischievous elements are using it to blame and hate the people of Kerala by projecting falsely that the elephant was killed deliberately.
When it comes to the killings of elephants, Karnataka can’t feel any less guilty than other states. Farmers in Kodagu and Malnad use electric fences to protect their farmland against the fury and destruction caused by elephants. Many incidents of people getting caught in such electric fences and losing their lives have been reported. In 2017, four elephants died instantly after coming in contact with the electric fences erected by the forest department. In the same month, six elephants died in similar accidents in other parts of the state. Why don’t people who are mourning the death of the elephant in Kerala respond to these incidents that occur at regular intervals in Karnataka?
Also, the conflict between farmers and elephants is not new. When people started encroaching forest land in their quest to increase the area agriculture, elephants also started entering agricultural land. Many elephants and farmers have lost their lives in these conflicts. When the forest department failed to stop the elephants from raiding agricultural areas, farmers started using different strategies to combat the elephants including electrical fencing. From 2009 to 2017, the number of elephants that died in accidents involving electrical wires is a whopping 461. Of these deaths,106 deaths were reported in Karnataka and 17 in Kerala. On average 50 elephants die in such incidents in India every year, Karnataka topping the list. As these deaths happen due to the electrical fences erected as protective measures, such deaths are dismissed as ‘accidents.’ So why is the Centre then suddenly shedding crocodile tears at the death of this elephant?
This incident holds a mirror to the fact that India is becoming a dangerous country for the vulnerable sections of the population including women and for its sheer neglect of the ecosystem including rivers and wildlife such as elephants as confirmed by several reports. Everything that the Vedic culture deemed as ‘sacred’ has been exploited for the same reason. Even as women are viewed as ‘worthy of worship’, India has the ignominy of having burnt widows on their husband’s pyres. The contradiction doesn’t end here. India also has the notoriety of shunning widows into separate areas, such as Vrindavan and perpetuating the practice of getting the widows to shave their heads. The Ganges, which is considered sacred, has been dirtied so much that we are not able to clean it and restore it to its former glory even after spending thousands of crores of rupees.
Similarly, elephants are considered ‘Godly’ but are again exploited for the same reason. Exposing the atrocities unleashed on elephants on the pretext of religion, artist Sangeetha Iyer has produced a documentary titled ‘Gods in Shackles’ that reveals how elephants are tamed to be used in religious practices, the way they are exploited, the pain they endure in chains, and the injuries they are subjected to. Though several laws have been enacted to protect wild animals, these have not been used to protect elephants. If the Centre is truly committed to protecting elephants, it should implement strong punitive measures against those who knowingly perpetrate such atrocities against these wild animals. Elephants should be free of human shackles. By ensuring this, the government can restore the cultural ethos of India that has for hundreds of years regarded elephants as holy.
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US vetoes Palestinian bid to gain statehood at the United Nations
United Nations, Apr 19: The US has vetoed a resolution in the UN Security Council on the latest Palestinian bid to be granted full membership of the United Nations, an outcome lauded by Israel but criticised by Palestine as “unfair, immoral, and unjustified".
The 15-nation Council voted on a draft resolution Thursday that would have recommended to the 193-member UN General Assembly “that the State of Palestine be admitted to membership in the United Nations.”
The resolution got 12 votes in its favour, with Switzerland and the UK abstaining and the US casting its veto.
To be adopted, the draft resolution required at least nine Council members voting in its favour, with no vetoes by any of its five permanent members - China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States.
Palestinian attempts for recognition as a full member state began in 2011. Palestine is currently a non-member observer state, a status that was granted in November 2012 by the UN General Assembly.
This status allows Palestine to participate in proceedings of the world body but it cannot vote on resolutions. The only other non-member Observer State at the UN is the Holy See, representing the Vatican.
Israel’s Foreign Minister Israel Katz praised the US for vetoing what he called a “shameful proposal.”
“The proposal to recognise a Palestinian state, more than 6 months after the largest massacre of Jews since the Holocaust and after the sexual crimes and other atrocities committed by Hamas terrorists was a reward for terrorism”, Katz wrote on X, after the US veto.
US Ambassador Robert Wood, Alternative Representative for Special Political Affairs, said in the explanation of the vote at the Security Council meeting on Palestinian membership that Washington continues to strongly support a two-state solution.
“It remains the US view that the most expeditious path toward statehood for the Palestinian people is through direct negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority with the support of the United States and other partners,” he said.
“This vote does not reflect opposition to Palestinian statehood, but instead is an acknowledgement that it will only come from direct negotiations between the parties.”
Wood said there are “unresolved questions” as to whether Palestine meets the criteria to be considered a State.
“We have long called on the Palestinian Authority to undertake necessary reforms to help establish the attributes of readiness for statehood and note that Hamas - a terrorist organisation - is currently exerting power and influence in Gaza, an integral part of the state envisioned in this resolution,” he said, adding that “For these reasons, the United States voted “no” on this Security Council resolution.”
Wood noted that since the October 7 attacks last year against Israel by Hamas, US President Joe Biden has been clear that sustainable peace in the region can only be achieved through a two-state solution, with Israel’s security guaranteed.
"There is no other path that guarantees Israel’s security and future as a democratic Jewish state. There is no other path that guarantees Palestinians can live in peace and with dignity in a state of their own. And there is no other path that leads to regional integration between Israel and all its Arab neighbours, including Saudi Arabia,” he said.
The Palestinian Authority President, Mahmoud Abbas, sharply criticised the US veto, saying that it was “unfair, immoral, and unjustified, and defies the will of the international community, which strongly supports the State of Palestine obtaining full membership in the United Nations.”
Riyad Mansour, Permanent Observer of the State of Palestine, said that “our right to self-determination has never once been subject to bargaining or negotiation.
“Our right to self-determination is a natural right, a historic right, a legal right. A right to live in our homeland Palestine as an independent state that is free and that is sovereign. Our right to self-determination is inalienable...,” he said.
Getting emotional and choking up as he made the remarks, Mansour said that a majority of the Council members “have risen to the level of this historic moment” and have stood “on the side of justice, freedom and hope.”
He asserted that Palestine’s admission as a full member of the UN is an “investment in peace.”
On April 2, 2024, Palestine again sent a letter to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres requesting that its application for full UN membership be considered again.
For a State to be granted full UN membership, its application must be approved both by the Security Council and the General Assembly, where a two-thirds majority of the members present and voting is required for the State to be admitted as a full member.
Earlier in the day, Guterres, in his remarks to a Council meeting on the Middle East, warned that the region is on a “knife edge”.
“Recent escalations make it even more important to support good-faith efforts to find lasting peace between Israel and a fully independent, viable and sovereign Palestinian state,” Guterres said.
“Failure to make progress towards a two-state solution will only increase volatility and risk for hundreds of millions of people across the region, who will continue to live under the constant threat of violence,” he said.
The UN, citing the Ministry of Health in Gaza, said that between October 7 last year and April 17, at least 33,899 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza and 76,664 Palestinians injured. Over 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals, including 33 children, have been killed in Israel, the vast majority on October 7.
As of April 17, Israeli authorities estimate that 133 Israelis and foreign nationals remain captive in Gaza, including fatalities whose bodies are withheld.
