Two news reports making round these days:
- Rukshana kills one militant
- Wild bear kills two militants
Rukshana will soon be getting a bravery award but what will the bear get. She (Rukshana not the bear) was appointed as an SPO (special police officer) in J&K Police, demanded a permanent job in paramilitary force. On the other hand the population of bears (both black and brown) is dwindling in Jammu and Kashmir. The number of Asiatic black bears in the Dachigam national park is on the decline, there are an increased number of man-animal conflicts resulting in the killings of bears A few years ago a bear was burned alive in Kashmir and the whole episode was put up on YouTube, this incident was justified by giving a nonsense reason. I know million of Kashmiri’s were killed, but does this justify the killing of an animal which is neither an Indian nor responsible for the killing of Kashmiri’s.
Just a couple of weeks ago another wild bear was killed by people of Mandi village of Poonch district (news report here). Such incidents are a direct outcome of mans interference with the natural habitat of the bears. Over the years the natural habitat of the bears has shrunken resulting in increased bear attack and retaliatory attacks by the people.
The closest I have been to a bear is with the one that used to be caged in the Dachigam national park. That one died a couple of years ago; it was a year younger to me though we shared the same birthday.
In my opinion the militants, though equipped with latest weapons did not kill the bear, really do deserve a bravery award. If the had wished they could have easily killed the bear, but they didn’t, nobody knows the reason why and nobody will ever do. For me they are unsung heroes not for there political cause for which they had picked up the weapons but for the cause of the environment. They were labeled as terrorist, human right abusers, but they have sacrificed their lives for animal rights.
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