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Pic Of A Burning Calf From Bengal That Won The Top Photography Award Is A New Low For Mankind

byNeha Tanwar
8th November 2017
3 minute read

Animals have pretty much lost their natural habitat as humans have taken over the planet and made it increasingly toxic from rising deforestation to the alarming rates of pollution and it’s only getting worse. The poor helpless animals have nowhere to go to where they can exist in their own world as we have conquered everything and destroyed it to suit our own needs.

This exact phenomenon was portrayed by a photo taken by Biplab Hazra which shows an elephant and her calf running away from an irate mob who flung flaming tar balls and crackers at the elephants subjecting them to potential injuries, just to scare them away from their own settlements.

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The heart-wrenching picture called ‘Hell is Here’ won the Sanctuary Wildlife Photography Awards 2017 and was shared on the Sanctuary Asia page with a caption that will jolt you awake and make you see the pitiful condition wild animals are in.

The heat from the fire scorches their delicate skin as mother and child attempt to flee the mob. In the lead, the cow’s expansive ears are angled forward as she stoicly ignores the crowd of jeering men. Behind her, her calf screams in confusion and fear as the fire licks at her feet. Flaming tar balls and crackers fly through the air to a soundtrack of human laughter and shouts. In the Bankura district of West Bengal this sort of humiliation of pachyderms is routine, as it is in the other elephant-range states of Assam, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Tamil Nadu and more. India is the world’s stronghold for the Asian elephant and boasts over 70 per cent of the global population of the species. But this achievement rings hollow as vital elephant habitats and routes continue to be ravaged, and human-elephant conflict escalates to a fatal degree. The ignorance and blood lust of mobs that attack herds for fun, is compounded by the plight of those that actually suffer damage to land, life and property by wandering elephants and the utter indifference of the central and state government to recognise the crisis that is at hand. For these smart, gentle, social animals who have roamed the sub-continent for centuries, hell is now and here.

 

As reported by New Indian Express, the picture taken in the Bankura district in West Bengal is just a snippet of what is a regular occurrence in these parts even though India boasts of being the stronghold for Asian elephants.

The cruelty depicted in the picture garnered a lot of condemnation from common people and celebrities alike who were grief-stricken by the brutality meted out to animals.

1. I stand with Pooja Bhatt!

2. The hypocrisy of humans is endless

3. It broke my heart too…

4. I agree

5. When will the cruelty stop?

6. Closing your eyes does not make the problem go away

7. It is time to wake up!

8. Karma is a bitch!

9. Scum of the Earth

The photographer has given a statement saying that the calf somehow survived the brutal attack by the mob and although, they might not have intended to set it on fire, the practice of throwing crackers on elephants is very common in the area.

You may be inclined to question why this picture won the award, it was because it points the arrow in the right direction i.e. towards the habitat destruction of innocent animals who are forced to go into human settlements because they have nowhere else to go. It is high time we wake up and smell the coffee because it is only going to get worse.

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