About 400 wild animals and many human beings are dying due to the continuing man-animal conflict in the State every year. Time has come for us to end this conflict and to live in harmony with animals.
This is what speakers pointed out at the Wildlife Week programme held here on Monday by the Orissa Environmental Society (OES) in association with the Save Elephant Foundation Trust.
“We have to accept the concept of living in harmony with animals in very positive ways. Efforts should be made at both the Government and private levels to make people aware about importance of animals,” said the speakers.
They lamented that while many animals have been extinct; many others are on the verge of extinction only for the so-called developmental activities undertaken by human beings. Negative changes in animal habitations, poaching and massive exploitations have caused of rapid dwindling in their numbers, they said.
“Though laws and guidelines have been enforced across the world for protection and safety of the wild animals, yet they are not being implemented properly due to lack of interest in human beings,” they said.
The programme presided over by society president Dr Sundar Narayan Patra was attended by Additional PCCF Dr Anup Kumar Nayak and former Wildlife Conservator Jitashatru Mohanty as guests.
At the outset, society secretary Dr Jayakrushna Panigrahi delivered the welcome address and spoke about the obsevacne of the Wildlife Week and vice-president Dr lala AK Singh introduced guests.
Among others, former VC Prof Madhab Chandra Dash, Prof Satyananda Acharya, former PCCF Dr Bijay Ketan Patnaik, former MlA Bibhudhendra Pratap Das and Er Wadha Jha spoke. All present supported the society’s proposal to the State Government to give the second biosphere status to the Mahandragiri mountain ranges of the State.
The programme concluded with a vote of thanks proposed by the Elephant Foundation Trust’s Er Prakash Chandra Jena.