I am a firm believer in the idea that there is enough space in the world for all of us. I believe in peaceful coexistence and people should too because maintaining a harmonious relationship with wildlife preserves our planet’s biodiversity. We need to respect natural habitats, especially if we are living in or visiting an area which is near forests and wildlife. Instead of destroying their habitat to further our own, we must adopt sustainable practices and come up with solutions to avoid animal attacks.
Here’s a wonderful example. Indian Forest Services officer Mudit Verma took to social media to share an interesting story. His driver, Kamal’s house was destroyed by an elephant a year ago. Instead of blaming the elephant and holding a grudge, Kamal claimed that it was his fault because he had kept a bunch of bananas at his house, which attracted the elephant because it was probably hungry.
This kind of outlook, where you forgive an animal for causing destruction and retrospect on what went wrong and how such mishaps can be prevented upholds the idea of peaceful coexistence.
“Our driver Kamal Ji was telling how last year an elephant destroyed his house. And I was amazed when he said, ‘It was my mistake. Had I not kept a bunch of bananas in my house, it would have not come.’ We are trying to learn what ppl here already know. Love & coexistence,” the IFS officer wrote.
Have a look at his post here:
Our driver Kamal Ji was telling how last year an elephant destroyed his house. And I was amazed when he said,“It was my mistake. Had I not kept a bunch of bananas in my house,it would have not come”
We are trying to learn what ppl here already know. Love & Co-existence. #wildlife pic.twitter.com/WKeHtWdiFS— Mudit Verma, IFS (@MuditKVerma) October 2, 2023
Working towards peaceful coexistence is not just a moral imperative for us but is also necessary for a more healthy and resilient planet.