Stop "TERRORISM" against Wild Animals in India

December, 17th 2006, Sunday, Pirpanjar, Pulwama, Jammu & Kashmir (India)In what must surely rank as one of the most brutal and insensitive cases of animal torture in India, a Himalayan Black Bear (Moon Bear) was encircled by a group of villagers in Pir Panjar in Jammu and Kashmir who stoned, hammered and eventually set the animal on firealive.Sahara Rashtriya, a national channel, showed the video footage of this barbaric act and highlighted this gruesome incident with discussions and opinions from forest officials, district administration, ministers, wildlife experts and lawyers and aired footage of the killing for the entire evening.It made very painful viewing to see no one coming to the animal`s rescue. The Forest Department personnel and thepolice were present on the spot but chose not to act. The bear was cornered from all ends by these ruthless villagers who pelted boulders on its head, face, beat it with sticks and burnt it ALIVE !!!People from all over the country and outside have protested this barbarism and have called for action against the villagers who mobbed the animal and the negligent forest and police officials.The dead bear was paraded in a cart with hordes of villagers celebrating its death.Here are some reactions of Indian Wildlife Experts after watching the gurusome video:* Maneka Gandhi, Former Union Minister of Environment and Forests, & Chairperson, People for Animals (PFA- India) and Raj Panjwani, eminent wildlife lawyer of Hon`ble Supreme Court of India have expressed their outrage against the offenders and the irresponsible Forest and Police officials on National Television and have asked for all possible video evidence from the Rashtriya Sahara as they are going to court.*The Forest Minister of Jammu & Kashmir, has promised to take whatever necessary actions required against the negligent officials and the offenders. Surprisingly it was only after watching in on television that he came to know of this incident. He said, his officials kept this a secret and did not inform him for days.* Belinda Wright, Executive Director, Wildlife Protection Society of India (WPSI), " its absolutely horrific and the cruelest thing I've ever seen. We are monsters " !* Suparna Bakshi-Ganguly, Co-founder& Trustee, CUPA & WRRC- Bangalore, " The incident involving the villagers of Pir Panjar in Jammu and Kashmir and that of the burning and killing of a wild moon bear has shocked animal lovers, conservationists and general public.We appeal to you, as representatives of Government Departments, to take action on this incident and send a strong message that anti-conservation, anti-environment and anti-wildlife activities will not be tolerated. The Forest Department personnel and the police were present on the spot but chose not to act. If this be the case, we demand action as to why they committed such a dereliction of duty. In your role as Government servants, we appeal to you to examine this incident and give some guarantees that it will never be repeated." !Some more victims of TERROR in India:* An injured elephant, a victim of Human-Elephant conflict in the state of Assam was deserted by its herd. Nowhere to run it caused damage to human property and a few human lives. The unfortunate beast was later branded as Osama Bin Laden. Not only the villagers, even the Forest Minister of the state acknowledged him as LADEN- The Terrorist and issued a death warrant against him. It was finally shot dead on: 16th Dec` 2006This is not the first incident that humans have resorted to tagging wild animals as "TERRORISTS".* A few years back another so called 'Rogue' elephant , again a victim of human-elephant conflict was shot dead by the Forest agencies and then the villagers wrote in bold letters as "LADEN" in local language.* Most of the fringe areas and some inside the National Parks and Sanctuaries of India have been encroached upon by the land grabbers/ mafia.* Wild animals are elctrocuted with 220V live illegal electric fencing, for example near Sonai Rupai Wildlife Sanctuary in Assam.* Elephants which come to these encroached habitats are greeted with jute sacks dipped in kerosene on fire thrown on them from above a machan ( tree house ), in some parts of Assam.* Tigers and leopards are hacked to death near Laokhowa Wildlife Sanctuaryand other parts of Assam. After killing the public gets away with every body part of the animal.* An Indian Rhino was attempted for poaching by laying electric wires right inside the Assam Satate Zoo. But was saved due to the alertness of tha animals which raised alarm.It is not only Assam and Jammu & Kashmir, but the whole of India which seems to be after the wild animals. It is now only in the hands of the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests to come to its rescue.Please join us all in voicing for the existing wildlife of India so that this "TERRORISM " is stopped.