Wild animals are best left in their natural habitat: HC
The Hindu
Laws of nature may be cruel, but there is a rule of survival of the fittest, say judges
Wild animals are best left in their natural habitat. Even if they suffer physical deficiencies, they should be encouraged to go back to the wild, unless it is a question of their survival, the Madras High Court said on Wednesday. The observations were made while passing interim orders in a case filed against the release of Rivaldo, an elephant that was captured and treated by the Forest Department for over two months after he lost a part of his trunk, into the wild.
Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee and Justice P.D. Audikesavalu wrote: “The laws of nature may be cruel, but they may still be beyond human intelligence. There is a rule of the survival of the fittest, and though endangered animals are sometimes taken into captivity to protect or feed them, animals are best left in the wild.” The judges said Rivaldo’s could be the first case in the country of an elephant being released into the wild after being kept in captivity for a long period.
“There is no doubt that Rivaldo will face difficulties in the wild. But one cannot be sure that he prefers captivity than being left open in the wild, and he may make attempts to make forays into human settlements; but he should always be encouraged to go back to the wild, unless it is a question of his survival,” the judges said, deciding to monitor his activities in the wild for two more months before taking a further decision on his wellbeing.
The election authorities are gearing up for the counting of votes cast in the simultaneous elections to Lok Sabha and Assembly seats in Andhra Pradesh, scheduled to be held on June 4. The Collectors and Election Officers of Visakhapatnam, Anakapalli and Alluri Sitharama Raju (ASR) districts said on May 23 (Thursday) that their teams were ready for the counting of votes.
Responding to the prolonged water scarcity, the residents of the area took to the streets in protest on Wednesday. The protest, which drew attention to their plight, stopped only after the intervention of the police. It was not until 1.30 p.m. that a 4000-litre tanker was finally delivered by BWSSB, providing relief to the water-starved residents.