So Cecil, a lion with a name gets killed, and there is world wide outrage, just like
when a tiger named Ustad was removed from the wild. So it's not a situation of a rose by any other name, because if either that particular lion or tiger had not been known to tourists, nobody would be protesting right now. I call it the "concern hierarchy". It affects everything from conservation to hunting to how and what we consume.
Cute and cuddly or beautiful is going to trump crawly, slithery, scaly and fishy. Sure the trophy hunting of Cecil was awful, and the outcry was warranted, but we need the outcry everyday. Snakes get slaughtered for just being snakes, 100 million sharks are killed annually, all of us casually snuff out insects by the billions. Would we care if the snake was named Cecil? Or Ustad? When wetlands and grasslands are cleared in India, who protests? There, we are not losing one animal but entire ecosystems and the valuable services they provide. Highways, mines, dams are ruining and killing wild ecosystems across India, putting in peril hundreds of tigers elephants, birds, snakes, rodents and so on, but where are our candlelight vigils?
Walter Palmer, the dentist who killed Cecil is reviled, but the Kentucky Department of the US Fish and Wildlife Service a while ago shot a cougar in Kentucky. It was the first one seen in over a hundred years there. They shot it because it was too close to the nearest human-infested area. No one protested. Cougars are regularly shot by farmers as they are seen as a threat to the livestock.
Wolves were extirpated across many parts of Europe and North America and even now annual wolf hunts get sanctioned. Right now there is one beginning in British Columbia. No outrage being registered as yet. Grizzly bear hunts, polar bear shootings, seal hunting are some other annual hunting events. Again, the outrage does not trend world wide.
When magnificent fish like swordfish are hooked and yanked out of the ocean, who cares? But do the same to a dolphin and the outcry is immediate. When crocodiles are hunted in Florida, who cries? But if a bunny rabbit is hurt, there is much tearing up.
While in India, hunting is banned, illegal hunts abound. The Ministry of Environment and Forests allows for certain animals to be declared vermin and shot. Often Nilgai and boars fall under this category. Warranted or not, it happens and there is no outrage. As Delhi expands, the ridge is vanishing. Nilgai are being hunted by feral dog packs and the citizens don't care. Wolves and jackals are routinely killed to protect livestock and although illegal to do so, it's not a case that will attract the same kind of outrage as tiger poaching.
If you like prawns and shrimps, and if they are wild caught, chances are they came from trawlers that drowned and killed several turtles and dolphin and other sea dwellers as bycatch. India is the second largest exporter of shark fins in the world. That's millions of sharks with their fins chopped off and dropped into the ocean to die.
It is a concern hierarchy and it needs to change if we hope to get a clear perspective to make our own informed choices. We stand at 7 billion people today. India will be the most populous country in the world overtaking China by 2022. As humans top every concern hierarchy, in a battle between numbers and nature, we have won. Sustainability is a wonderful word. Harder to put in practice, but if we don't widen our concern hierarchies, we are all going to lose.
(Swati Thiyagarajan is an Environment Editor with NDTV)Disclaimer: The opinions expressed within this article are the personal opinions of the author. The facts and opinions appearing in the article do not reflect the views of NDTV and NDTV does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.