Today’s morning run was amazing because of the venue. Sanjay
Gandhi National Park (SGNP) aka Borivali National Park (BNP) is probably one of
the best places to go for a morning run in Mumbai. A lot of greenery, oxygen
rich atmosphere, no vehicular traffic and variations in elevation which make it
perfect for a nice challenging long run. The proximity to nature is something quite
unique about running here. Sighting herds of spotted deer is quite common. A friend
has talked about hearing the lions and tigers in the safari area roaring at
dawn. Another friend has seen a leopard crossing the road.
Another family of animals which one tends to see huge
numbers of is the monkey. One may spot the macaques and their bigger cousins,
the langurs flying over treetops, walking on the ground or just chilling. Monkeys
are commonly seen in most places in tropical countries having some forest
cover. A couple of traits are commonly seen in humans visiting such places. One
set of people go, “Awww these things are so cute and playful”. Another set of people
go, “These animals are dangerous, they are aggressive and will snatch food,
phones etc.”. Then there are those who feel it is their duty to feed all
creatures other than humans. They claim that they are the only kind of people who
love nature and animals and anyone who questions this are cruel individuals. Is
that really the case?
Check out the attached sign board. This is the famous Batu
caves in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The steps are lined with trees meaning a lot
of monkeys. Thousands of people visit these caves daily with some happily
feeding the monkeys, some clicking selfies with them and some screaming at the
monkeys’ “aggression”. It is strange that we humans despite our sharp
intellects, often end up shrouding logic and common sense with so called “compassion”.
If the people in question are genuinely compassionate, why is this compassion only
seen with animals? What sort of compassion do these animals really need? Do
they really want to be fed? Are these “compassionate” individuals aware of what
are the side effects their actions? The sign board from Batu caves is only the
tip of the iceberg. Stray dogs, pigeons, rodents, etc. They are all getting
used to processed, sugar rich foods which have some predictable effects on
their behaviour.
What do we need to show compassion for other animals? Do we need
to feed them? Or do we just need to live and let them live?
