New Delhi, Oct 7 (IANS) India’s wildlife conservation efforts have gained appreciation globally, with a notable foreign news magazine hailing various initiatives, including Project Tiger, Project Elephant, Project Snow Leopard, Project Dolphin, and Project Rhino, but its description of the country’s economic status drew vigorous rebuttal.
‘The Economist’ praised India’s efforts to conserve tigers, which were “heading towards extinction in the 1970s”, Asiatic lions, dolphins, elephants, etc., calling it an “example of the country at its finest”.
However, the publication also remarked: “Yet it is extraordinary that the people and politicians of a relatively poor country with limited state capacity and endless demands on its resources can come together to achieve something as selfless as protecting other creatures.”
Norway’s former Climate and Environment Minister Erik Solheim termed India’s animal protection efforts as “astonishing successful”.
In a post on X, he recalled his visit to the Gir forest in Gujarat.
“A few years ago, Gujarat opened a reserve to accommodate its expanding population of Asiatic lions. The cat, unique to India and Gujarat, is growing in numbers. I visited the region this June,” he said.
Quoting from the publication, Solheim said: “The Chief Minister of Assam (Himanta Biswa Sarma) recently said that his state had in the previous year recorded zero cases of poaching related to its large and growing population of rhinos.”
“Since 2022, India has been importing cheetahs from Africa in the hope of re-establishing a species that went extinct within its borders in 1952,” he added.
Further quoting from the media report, he cited “public sentiment” as one reason India is so good at protecting its animals.
“Hindu dharma is based upon the idea that humans are part of nature, not above nature. God is even half human, half animal as in the case of Ganesha and Hanuman. This matters also today,” the former Norwegian Minister noted.
However, conservation biologist Neha Sinha criticised ‘The Economist’ after the article referred to India as a “relatively poor country with limited state capacity”.
“Dismal and patronising tweet by the Economist. For the record, “poor people” are some of the most selfless people I have known,” she said in a post on X.
India’s former Foreign Secretary Nirupama Menon Rao echoed a similar view.
“Nations do not acquire compassion with wealth. It is hardly a luxury acquired with better living standards. It is intrinsic to you as a person, rich or poor. Why wear an expression of patronising surprise when a relatively poorer country than yours, effectively conserves and preserves its precious wildlife? The measure of moral imagination is not per capita income,” she said in a post on X.
Hitting out at the publication, economist Prof. Shamika Ravi drew attention to people mourning the death of a 45-year-old elephant in Kerala.
“Can you imagine such a farewell for an animal anywhere else in the world? Nature is a way of life in India. @TheEconomist,” she said on X.
According to the Indian government, today, India is home to the world’s largest wild tiger population, accounting for nearly 70 per cent of all wild tigers globally.
The country has more than doubled its scientifically assessed tiger population since 2006. The All India Tiger Estimation (2022) places India’s tiger population at 3,682. The 2022 All India Tiger Estimation covered 20 States and surveyed over 6.41 lakh kilometres on foot. It is among the world’s largest and most comprehensive wildlife assessments.
–IANS
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