India's former Environment Minister Maneka Gandhi is bravely speaking out against an injustice: India's "lust for killing" wildlife. According to the former environment minister, the southeast country is indiscriminately culling monkeys, antelope, boars, peacocks and elephants. And it'll continue until we speak up.
As reported in Telegraph, Maneka Gandhi explains that “In Bengal they gave permission to kill elephants, in Himachal they gave permission to kill monkeys, in Goa they gave permission to kill peacocks. I don't understand this lust for killing." The recent move to list protected Rhesus macaques as "vermin," which will make it okay to kill them, prompted Gandhi's comments.
Sadly, most of these animals are dying because humans can't coexist with them. While there are many reasons for human-animal conflicts in India (and the world, frankly), agriculture is a dominating cause. Prakash Javadekar, the current environment minister, responded to Gandhi's remarks by denying that elephants and peacocks are culled and that culls occur "keeping the scientific facts in mind," reports Telegraph.
But labeling a protected species like Rhesus macaques as "vermin" doesn't align with sound conservation or science. Sign and share this petition urging India to stop the indiscriminate and unnecessary culls.
Photo Credit: Jean-Manuel Fernandez
