Almost four months into the mayhem
brought about by COVID-19, the world is none the wiser about the exact source
of the virus which has brought us to our knees. Did it come from bats or
pangolins? After a possible mutation, did the virus directly get transferred to
humans or it happened through another animal? We still do not know. But one
thing is for sure. This catastrophe might, just might, make the humanity and
more importantly, the world leaders, to rethink the way we treat Mother Nature.
An article in CNN explains how the destruction
of natural habitats, illicit smuggling and the resultant stress on the animals
could lead to shedding of huge virus loads, especially in a wildlife market
environment such as the one in Wuhan. When wild animals are restricted, put in
small cages and weirdly stacked, there could be a scary mix of viruses from
different species which are under tremendous stress. China’s illegal trade in
wildlife over the past several decades is well-known and it has obstinately
withstood global opprobrium and censure. In 2003, in the aftermath of SARS outbreak,
China ordered the closure of all live animal markets and banned wildlife
farming. Unsurprisingly, the ban did not last long and soon the wet markets were up
and active just like before. Until now. It is believed that China is planning
to roll out a stringent ban on wildlife farming and trade across the country in
the near future. But can we trust China? Several newspapers have reported that
the wet markets have reopened in China only a few days back but this time with
security guards stationed to prevent visitors clicking uncomfortable pictures of bloodied floors and wild
animals in cramped cages.
With humanity in virtual lock down, it
seems that Nature is heaving a temporary sigh of relief. Like a golden thread
of hope amidst the all-pervasive gloom that is enveloping us, Nature is
bouncing back with her characteristic vigour. Pollution levels have dipped
across the globe and streams and rivers have begun to show a sparkle in their
flow. A senior forester in Chhattisgarh has observed that for the first time,
elephant herds have covered a long distance without troubling any villages on
the way. Now bird songs are more frequent and diverse near the balconies and
mornings are calmer and soothing. In Kerala, Uttaranchal, Maharashtra and
several other places, wildlife have slowly started venturing near the
habitations, emboldened no doubt by the total absence of human activities.
Their ancestors owned these places a few centuries ago, didn’t they?
As we hesitate to lower emissions and
dither on slowing down the pace of climate change, is this Mother Nature’s way
of compelling us to fall in line? We are so arrogantly sure about the
inevitability of the cutting down of forests at the altar of development that
we refuse to look at alternatives that could be more expensive but less
destructive. It is as if all of us have
buried our heads in the sand, not wanting to see the devastation wrought by the
Frankenstein monster of unregulated development, all the while hoping that
somehow the problem will get fixed on its own.
Now we have got more than a wrap on our knuckles. Sorry, we have been told. Things
cannot go on like this. We have been ordered to pause, reflect and slow down.
In the larger scheme of things, our
planet is just a pale blue dot and we are only one of the millions of species
inhabiting the earth. We need Nature for our own survival and let us not forget
that it is not the other way around. As a Native American once said, “When the
last tree has been cut down, the last fish caught, the last river poisoned,
only then will we realize that one cannot eat money”. This unprecedented human
calamity due to Covid-19 is clearly a wake-up call. There have been and will be extensive job losses and disruption of many a contented lives. There will be considerable pain ahead for most of us. But a little blame for this misfortune must be apportioned to ourselves. Haven't we been reckless? Haven't we been inconsiderate towards Nature? Haven't we been pursuing a policy of progress at any cost? As a WhatsApp forward aptly expressed our predicament - till
yesterday we were planning to reach to the Mars but now we are afraid even to step
out of our houses. It is time to shed hubris and become humbler.
