An elephantine blunder

It appears that in spite of government's conservation policies and the exhortations by wildlife activist groups, some people always sneak up with a 'shikari' mentality of misplaced bravado. The conservationist concerns are yet to permeate the habitats of endangered animals. When gatekeepers become poachers, what chance the wildlife has?

It appears the BDR officer just took it upon himself to kill the animal without even knowing whether it had been declared a rogue elephant as per rules. And, of course, by killing the animal so ruthlessly, he has mauled the very spirit of wildlife conservation which is gaining ground throughout the world. There must have been other ways to mitigate the risk to life, if any, caused by the elephant. The officer should have taken the matter to the forest department for 'neutralising' the risk by a safe alternative method. Making all these points brings us back to one composite core issue -- awareness about the status of endangered animals and their conservation must be promoted. We don't want to see photos of killed or captured animals anymore.

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