Still Wild At Heart

Everybody likes wild beasts, albeit behind bars or behind a safe enclosure or in the very least from a safe distance. But in our land we do not keep much distinction between what is wild and what is not. This is not just because we are still very much an agrarian society, a few giant cities notwithstanding……

Our passions too are nothing short of the wild, for have anybody heard of an insensible desire to own and make use of the sons and daughters of the wild for making money without even considering the dangers involved: in this case the elephants. The strangest fact is that the government too takes a stake in it. Perhaps it is an established precedent and it would take some little while to change it. But that is what governments are for, is it not, to take unpopular decisions and implement them if necessary for the general well being.

All these thoughts came to me while going through the accounts of the destruction caused by tusker because he was really pissed of by something. It could be the behavior of his mahouts or it could have been anything else. He was loaned to a temple by another prosperous Temple for the annual festivities. He suddenly went berserk and chased his mahouts and others into the compound of a nearby house. The people took refuge inside the house and the tusker not liking it in the least, pulled the house down and some nearby buildings too. He went like that for some five hours or so, before being brought under control. Luckily he did not kill anybody on that day. But that is not a rare case at all.

Some of our greatest murderers are tuskers. Certain stars among them have a long and unblemished record in this business, killing every time they get furious. They are never taken to the court and tried and they have no untouchability because of that among the people. From the next day itself people approach them for blessings, and when they are running wild everybody is so delighted that they have a great time in running after the beast and watching the destruction in progress from a distance till it is finally tamed.

The poor beast provides great enjoyment, even when it kills. A little while ago a news channel showed us live the terrible mauling one of the mahouts was being subjected to, by the beast he had controlled till then. The incident was gory and blood curdling. The tusker was toying with the human being even after he was long dead. It makes a good news story no doubt, but it makes sorry viewing. I often wonder what prompts people to take up such jobs when there are several less deadly ones in the land and that too available. Perhaps it is the thrill of being the master of a big beast that is behind it.

The elephants are said to be intelligent animals. I suggest that they be taken to court every time they go wild and be tried. May be, just may be, they might get a hang of it and behave more decently towards us humans!

But the sorry thing is, most of these animals are being subjected to extreme torture by their masters to keep them under control and make them do things they do not want to do. When they break loose, the culprits in the torture incident, mostly the first mahout gets it very raw and very thorough.

We never learn our lessons do we?