World Wildlife Day 2019
The earth has a population of seven and a half billion. If every single individual committed to make a difference, however small; to preserve the wild life, this planet would be a richer and nourished place. Together, every small step of ours would lead to a significant ripple effect.
On 20 December 2013, the United Nation General Assembly (UNGA) proclaimed 3 March, the day of the adoption of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES), as World Wildlife Day. This day was declared as World Wildlife Day to celebrate and raise awareness towards the world’s wild flora and fauna.
We, at Pugdundee Safaris would like to celebrate World Wildlife Day by honouring the diversity of the planet’s plants and animals. This years’ theme aligned with the UN sustainable goals is “Life below water: for people and planet”; an endeavour to save the marine life.
Our role in conserving wild life as responsible earth citizens is critical, even when we visit the forests as tourists. We visit these pristine woods to unwind, and get away from the hustle bustle of our grimy city lives. The jungles offer us a green sanctuary of bliss, quite and relaxation. It is therefore our commitment to give back to the forests and it’s inhabitants, by adopting some simple measures.
Here are Ten Steps You Can Take to Conserve the Forests:
1. Choose an eco-friendly hotel or resort: Also if the weather permits avoid using air conditioning. A little step will go a long way in reducing your carbon foot print.
2. Say No to Honking or Speeding in the jungle trails: You could run over a wild animal crossing these trails. When in the jungles, leave behind the urgency of the city life, rather take time to slow down and savour the scenic moments around you.
3. Say No To Plastics: Refrain from using plastic and littering the jungles. If you happen to carry plastics, make sure you carry it back with you home. Adopt measures to dispose waste and plastic in a sensitive manner. Herbivores like deers and sambars chew on the polythene or plastic wrappers because of the salt content and swallow it in the process. This leads to their painful death.
4. Report Illegal Activities: If you come across any illegal activities, take pictures and record videos and send it to the concerned authorities. After all it is these jungles and it’s inhabitants that are crucial to help maintain a balanced ecosystem on earth.
5. Say No To Buying Illegal Wildlife: Birds, turtles etc which are protected by Wildlife Protection Act encourages poachers to poach more. Therefore refrain from buying them as pets. Also say no to buying marine products like corals.
6. Refrain from Feeding the Wild animals: By feeding wild animals we make them dependent on us, breaking their natural feeding instincts. We may also end up feeding them unsuitable food items that are toxic. There are way too many incidents of monkeys being run over on roads, when they are fed on these paths.
7. Say No To Wildlife Products and Buy Responsibly: By not purchasing products made from endangered animals or their parts, you can stop wildlife trafficking from being a profitable enterprise. Buying merchandise like Shatoosh shawls is an unfortunate example of how we managed to almost wipe away an entire species of Chiru or the Tibetian Antelope.
8. Buying Memorabilia: While you are on that vacation, don’t be tempted by cheap (or expensive) souvenirs that may in fact, be protected wildlife. Also don’t buy cheap memorabilia from the vendors outside the parks, as they may encourage more people to set up shops, thereby increasing the population of the villages.
9. Report Wildlife that Has Strayed into Urban Areas: If you come to know of, or find any wild animals like snakes, monitor lizards, leopards etc. that may have strayed into human habitation, call and report to organisations and helplines, rather than trying to kill them or handle them yourself.
10. Refrain from Using Wildlife for Your Religious Rituals: Don’t buy captive birds for religious purposes only to release them. Many vendors sell these birds. Parakeets are released to get blessings, so are pigeons in some temples. This encourages the poachers to capture more of them.
Adopting these very simple measures can reap long term benefits and help conserve wild life that are so intrinsic to our origin and crucial for our ecosystem. This Wildlife Day, let’s together pledge to adopt these steps that will go a long way in bringing about change.
Contributed by- Natasha Sinha
