Man-Animal Conflict or Harmony?
Man-animal conflict* is back in the news in a big way. After multiple rounds of hearings, the Supreme Court has directed the relocation of stray dogs from public places to confined shelters. At the same time, there is intense debate over leopards entering specific zones, potentially leading to attacks on human beings—something state governments want to declare as an emergency. *As per human law, erring leopards may be relocated to corporate-managed sanctuaries, depriving them of their natural habitats*. Worst, entire community is punished for the “offense of few” something that sounds discriminatory bias.
While the underlying concerns are real and human life is indeed at risk*, the broader picture remains gloomy. There is a growing realization that man-animal conflict is *entirely man-made* Yet there is no remorse, no acknowledgement, and no concern for species. Like a spoiled child punished by a strict schoolteacher, *animals are told to “behave.”* Within the human legal framework, they are denied natural justice without ever having an opportunity to be heard.
Even in the absence of conflict, animals remain at human mercy. There are *legally permitted shark-killing competitions, wildlife poaching abetted by authorities, illegal and unethical trafficking of animals treated as commodities*, and above all, the justification that animals can be consumed as a matter of individual choice— without recognizing that *they too have a right to survive* Deforestation is deemed necessary to create “space” for human activities, and acres of land can be destroyed overnight without regard for consequences or the impact on species*-. All this reflects nothing but human arrogance.
It is no different from the colonial attitude that we are rulers who decide the rules of the game. In the anti-colonial struggles across centuries, humanity learned that all people—across nations, skin colors, genders, and languages—are equal, with the same right to exist, the same needs, and the same aspirations. International conflicts may be political in nature, but not in principle. Yet we refuse to acknowledge that animals are *part of the same ecosystem*, with the same right to life as human beings.
We may speak of governance, legal frameworks, and global conferences to protect nature—sometimes as ineffective as global peace committees—but the underlying idea remains that it is “we” who decide everything. We, the superior community, whose interests dominate the discourse*. What we must realize is that our rules, governance, and frameworks are only subsets of natural laws. Alignment does not come through scientific studies, green-cover graphs, or air-quality indices measurement alone. It comes through understanding a universal truth: nature is self-sufficient, with its own systems of harmony and balance.
It is easy to quote saints and scriptures that teach us vasudhaiva kutumbakam—that the world is one family, that the same God resides in every creation, and that compassion is the universal value system. But true liberation will only be achieved when we begin respecting animals for what they are, recognizing the vital role they play in the ecosystem. True economic prosperity is not measured by rising share prices, but by the quality of life, the purity of the air and water we consume, and the inner peace we attain by living in harmony with nature.
Bol Madhavache 