[ Tongam Rina ]
Sudan, world’s last surviving male northern white rhino has died. The 45-year-old rhino was euthanized, following months of ill health on Monday at the Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya.
With the passing of Sudan, there are only two females- his daughter Fatu and granddaughter Najin left now as the International Union for Conservation of Nature in a 2011 assessment said that the subspecies is possibly extinct in the wild.
It is only a matter of time before the Northern white rhino perishes altogether, though conservationists are hoping for a miracle using the in-vitro fertilization on Southern White Rhinos.
Sudan’s death is a painful realization on the vulnerability of those who inhibit the wild, and a reflection how cruel human beings are. Humans, who have no hesitation in killing, using the most sophisticated weapons and destroying the habitats of those who cannot stand up for themselves.
At the rate we are going, Arunachal too will lose most of its precious gifts of nature. Though it might sound alarming, the hunting spree that we have embarked on will ensure the end of many precious species and habitat loss is already a reality because of unmindful destruction- all in the name of development.
Have we ever spared a thought for those who live in those trees as we chop downs hills? Have we thought of the ones that use, walk and crawl on the same earth as us? Perhaps, they don’t deserve our attention, forget about caring for them.
Traditionally, tribal people of Arunachal did not kill randomly. There was a whole strict code involved, right from hunting rituals to songs to appease the spirits of the forest. Most of all, there was a season to hunt.
Now, all seasons are seasons for game.
We drastically shed our rituals as we made way for new rituals and practices, traditionally not ours, and respect for nature and the wildlife diminished overnight. Guns are the modern tool for tribal men to show off their power, prosperity and violent streak -a laughable modern trend. However, it a reality because some people think it is manly to kill. Perhaps, it is time for us to go back to the basic tribal code of ethics where we did not kill for fun.