Saving wildlife to save mankind

Indiscriminate killing of wildlife and destruction of their natural habitats is eliminating many species from the world. The government should enact more stringent laws and enforce them to protect the endangered wildlife in Bangladesh.
Many people dislike unnecessary killing of animals. Humans, animals and plants are integral to each other. They are part of nature and the environment. But humans are mindlessly destroying plants and animals and thereby threatening themselves. The destruction of forests and other habitats is causing the extinction of various plants and animals every day. These losses are particularly severe in the areas of tropical forests which cover only 7 per cent of the surface of the globe, but which provide the living space for between 50 per cent and 80 per cent of all our wildlife. Many wild animals and birds such as pandas, bears, tigers, alligators, whales, wolves, eagles, falcons, kites and buzzards are faced with the threat of extinction today. Many animals die of starvation and due to drought, prolonged winter and climate changes.
The bird populations' decline has been accelerated by the destruction of their feeding and nesting places, by the collection of their eggs by humans, and, above all, by the widespread use of chemicals and pesticides which enter their food chains leading to sterility and mass deaths. Hunting of birds and animals is another cause of their extinction. Man kills birds for food and feathers.
In fact, indiscriminate killing of animals has already pushed many species into extinction or near-extinction. Destruction of many species' natural habitats adds to the misery of the animals and many are forced to leave their age-old dens for unsafe living. Displacement is often accompanied by the scarcity of food and the enhanced danger of being hunted. These displaced animals are exposed to many new dangers posed by man and predator animals.
We know that all the species are important for maintaining ecological balance. If one is lost, the whole natural environment faces the impact. In order to save the environment from being spoilt, we should protect our wildlife. The good news is that many countries are now taking actions to protect their endangered wildlife species. We definitely support the proposition that the government of the country should enact harsher laws to protect wildlife.
Many scientists and researchers have studied the problem of wildlife extinction and its effect on our ecological system. The animal species maintain the system in the wild; the elimination of various species from their habitats may jeopardise the ecological balance.
Conservationists are trying to create awareness among people about wildlife conservation. Environmental experts and activists are warning people of the grave consequences of wildlife extinctions, and our government also appears to be concerned about the urgency of the matter. Unesco has declared the Sundarbans as a World Heritage site.
If we understand the reason why people will protect wildlife, then we will better comprehend the issue of conservation. Killing of animals is a part of life in societies carrying the vestiges of primitive times. To many aboriginal and backward communities wildlife is a main source of food. On the other hand, predator animals are viewed as security threats by people in the mainland. They find those to be a great threat to their livestock. Birds, rodents and different types of animals also often damage their crops in the field. In many regions in the world, poachers kill elephants and rhinos and take away their tusks and horns to make ivory.
Awareness and advocacy campaigns and strict laws against killing of wildlife will bear positive results. These preventive measures will go a long way in checking trade in wildlife and their skins, tusks, bones, horns etc. It's worth noting that conservationist campaigns in the West throughout the 1980s have effectively reduced the use of expensive fur jackets --- a popular and fashionable item among affluent women.
 In the face of international criticism, the Japanese government has banned whale killing and sale of its meat. Governments around the world should not only enact rules to stop killing of animals, but also ban illegal trading in various animal body parts. Relevant laws should be enforced stringently. Conservation societies, forums and organisations can be used as partners. George Haycock, author of several books on wildlife, writes: Mankind must develop a concern for wild creatures and determination that these wild species will not perish". We should save our planet's wild creatures to save ourselves. To be kind to wild animals is to be kind to mankind. It's high time all of us understood the meaning of this universal truth.
The writer is Librarian at BGMEA University of Fashion & Technology.
atik@bift.info