Maintaining the delicate ecological balance

The keeping of pets at home, such as parrots, dogs and cats, has been known for centuries. Several arguments have been advanced to explain the practice. One of them is the 'deficiency argument' which, though disproved by studies, says that some people keep pets, since they find themselves unable to sustain normal human relationships.

Another is the 'biophilia' theory, which points to the need human feel for communion with nature, which, also, fails under scrutiny. Yet another view, put forth by human geography expert Yi-Fu Tuan, suggests that pets are kept out of a desire to dominate others and feel in control.

Whatever be the reason, the fact remains that pet relationships benefit humans immensely; mentally, physically and emotionally. In fact, people become so attached to parrots, dogs and cats, that the pets even travel with families. Relationships with dogs, also known as man's best friends, can, in particular, become very intense. So much so, that my father advised me never to give my heart to a dog to break, lest the attachment results in unbearable grief when the inevitable occurs.

Not, mind you, that it stopped me. I have had dogs at home since the age of nine, and have repeatedly experienced both the joy of their companionship, as well as the intense grief when their end came.

Animals, birds and marine creatures have also figured prominently in the mythologies of ancient civilisations. The legendary white elephant 'Iravatam', and the cow 'Kamadhenu', are both owned by Indra, the Lord of the Devatas in Hindu mythology. Kamadhenu is venerated as the source of prosperity, activity and success, while Iravatam is the ride of Lord Indra, and also the provider of rainfall.

The Phoenix, a legendary bird that rises from its ashes to another life, represents resurrection or rebirth, and Pegasus, the winged divine horse, are also well-known Greek mythological characters.

In more recent times animals, especially dogs and horses, have figured prominently in stories and in movies. Most well-known among these are the famous Rin Tin Tin, Lassie, the female dog which first featured in a short-story, and later, in a movie, and the 'Silver', the horse of Lone Ranger, the legendary masked Texan hero.

The novel 'Moby Dick' is a story of a sailor's revenge over a whale, while the 'Jaws' series of movies have killer whales as their main characters. The 'Lady and the Tramp' is a touching romantic animation movie about two dogs in love. The Hindi movie 'Haathi Mere Saathi' featured an elephant as the prominent character.

The legendary Walt Disney, in his books and movies, used several birds and animals whose names have become bywords for children all over the world. I mean who has not heard of Donald Duck, Mickey Mouse? In the Panchatantra animals and birds were frequently used to depict characters with specific roles to play in the overall theme.

Comparisons are often made of the properties of things, with the traits of human beings, such as a person possessing the voice of a nightingale or the heart of a lion. Descriptions such as moving with feline grace or the soft underbelly being targeted by a hostile entity are also popular. Other such common expressions are' keeping the wolf at bay', meaning preventing an undesirable thing from happening, and shedding 'crocodile tears' to describe pretended or insincere grief.

Agencies entrusted with the responsibility of ensuring compliance, with ethical and moral values, by public functionaries and institutions, are often referred to as 'watch dogs', as dogs, when properly trained, are known to be effective in protecting people and property. Names of animals and birds are commonly also used for motor vehicles, Gazelle, Impala and Falcon etc. being some of the common ones.

The animal and bird kingdom also provides natural scavengers in the form of vultures which prey on carcasses and pigs which feed on carrion and refuse. Camels, mules and horses have also been popular means of transport, especially over rough terrain from times immemorial.

The use of pigeons as couriers is an age-old custom. With the passage of time came the use of horse driven wagons for transporting mail before the modern system of mail being moved by rail, road, ship or air came into being. So much are animals a part of the philosophy and thought, of the Chinese, that their calendar assigns an animal, such as a rat, a dragon or a dog, and its attributes, to each year.

The appearance, of Lord Vishnu, in Hindu mythology, in the shape of the Ten 'Avataras', or forms, has also been seen by responsible sources as a depiction of the Darwinian theory of evolution. Blavatsky, the co-founder of the Theosophical society, believed that the Avataras were an allegorical presentation of that theory.

Monier Williams, Professor of Sanskrit at Oxford University, even went to the extent of stating that, the Hindus were Darwinians centuries before Darwin, and revolutionaries long before the doctrine of revolution had been accepted by English Anthropologist Thomas Huxley, also known as Darwin's 'Bulldog'.

While J.B.S. Haldane, British scientist, and one of the founders of neo-Darwinism, also described the Avataras as giving a 'rough idea' of vertebrate evolution. Dr. C.D. Deshmukh distinguished civil servant and once Finance Minister of India remarked on the striking similarity between Darwin's theory and the Avataras.

The biosphere, clearly, is home to every known species of living beings which exist in harmony and communion with one another. Each species has a role to play in the maintenance of the ecological balance of the whole system. However sheer ignorance, poverty, sadistic forms of entertainment such as hunting for pleasure, among other causes, often lead to the dwindling of the numbers, and sometimes, even ultimate extinction, of some species.

Many conservation measures are also taken to deal with this concern. They include declaration of areas as protected sanctuaries and regulating hunting and fishing through the system of banning such activities in certain places and times to allow rejuvenation to take place. Much more needs to be done if the process of rapid extinction of important species is not to assume dangerous proportions.

The commendable work being done by the World Wildlife Fund to preserve wilderness, and reduce human impact on the environment, needs to be supported large heartedly by all concerned. All stakeholders such as country governments, international organisations academic and scientific institutions and the society at large, have an important role to play in preserving and protecting the rich legacy of biodiversity that nature has so bountifully endowed our planet with.

(The writer is former Chief Secretary, Government of Andhra Pradesh) 

(The opinions expressed in this column are that of the writer. The facts and opinions expressed here do not reflect the views of The Hans India)