A devastating tragedy
It was alarming and distressing to read about the death of the pregnant elephant in Kerala, who died because she ate a pineapple with a cracker in it (“Bitter politics over Kerala elephant killed with explosives”, Gulf News, June 6). The root cause of this is human civilisation. We have encroached upon forests and this has affected the habitat of most wild animals. Then we cry when they eat our crops. The population of elephants has declined due to poaching, loss of habitat and predators.
With the decline in forests, we have lost a lot of different species of wild animals. All wild animals and plant species are important elements of biodiversity. Let us learn to protect it. Deforestation has caused a huge imbalance in Nature. Human intervention is the main reason for the loss of these animals.
It’s disturbing to see the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) remarks on this issue. They are trying to communalise this incident for political gain.
From Mr Eappen Elias
Dubai
Animals need to be protected
How do you define the word cruelty (“Man arrested in Kerala elephant death case, efforts on to nab more accused”, Gulf News June 5)? It is a behaviour that harms or injures another. One can also use the words, savagery or brutality to exemplify cruel behaviour. The recent report of an elephant dying in Kerala can be called a brutal incident. Poachers, smugglers and encroachers are rampant everywhere. One hungry elephant is bait. This hungry elephant wanders out of the wilderness in search of food and finds a pineapple. But this is not an ordinary pineapple. It is full of firecrackers. The elephant eats it and the crackers burst inside her. According to reports, despite the pain the elephant was in, it rushed to a river and died standing. She was also pregnant.
Some say she was offered the fruit in a village; others say she came upon the fruit by chance. Forest department officials rushed to save the elephant but to no avail. Even if the pineapple was a trap laid down for wild animals, it still amounts to some kind of cruelty against animals. When will all this stop? When will human beings understand that we share this Earth with other living beings?
From Ms Aruna Mathur
New Delhi, India
A working mother’s dilemma
I am thankful that I am staying in Dubai, where the government is taking so many precautions to ensure the safety of its people against COVID-19. After reopening most of the public and private sectors in the city, it is a sigh of relief for many employees and industries going back to work.
But in all this, it’s a huge concern for working mothers who have to go back to work too. They have to make adjustments and find a place to leave their children. Ideally, parents would leave their children at a daycare, but in this pandemic, working mothers are worried about the safety and health of their children. Should stay back home and continue working, or they should go back to office?
From Ms Tejal Shah
Dubai
Going to school in September?
When schools reopen, I think parents need to be given a choice whether they want their children to learn from home or go to school, given the current global pandemic (“Coronavirus: UAE private schools ready to reopen in September; no official directive yet”, Gulf News, June 4). Some will wait for a vaccine but others might not want to opt for a new vaccine because of any long-term effects. There will always be a difference in opinion, but people need to be allowed to choose. It makes sense to let people decide what works best for their family.
From Ms Vikki Aitken
UAE
Facebook comment
Editor’s note: Is there a news report that you feel strongly about? Something that has to be addressed in the community and requires resolution? Email us on readers@gulfnews.com.
