ON THE EDGE OF EXTINCTION - A - THE TIGER (Panthera tigris)

[peter]

(08-21-2019, 08:09 PM)Shadow Wrote: Interview of Valmik Thapar from 2012. 

Quote: 
"Tiger defender all his life. Author. Filmmaker. Naturalist. Fighter. Television presenter. He has been all these and more. Having lived several lifetimes in one, on the eve of National Wildlife Week 2012, Valmik Thapar speaks to Bittu Sahgal, long-time friend and compatriot, about his life, mission and the very future of India."

*This image is copyright of its original author

Photograph by Gertrud and Helmut Denzau.

*This image is copyright of its original author

Photograph by Valmik Thapar.

*This image is copyright of its original author

Photograph by Valmik Thapar.

Whole interview:
https://www.sanctuaryasia.com/people/interviews/136-interviews/9075-special-interview-with-valmik-thapar.html?fbclid=IwAR3y4AI5spZFyrc4BNMqHsEQWT-W7FxGl73sakPtnY3Hds_L1YSzs7MNn44

If a passionate, productive and experienced man like Valmik Thapar, regarding conservation in India, concludes all is lost as a result of the ever-present strive for power, the future looks very bleak indeed.

Although he's convinced things are different in other countries, reality says nearly all use the same system. My guess is it will produce more or less similar results everywhere sooner or later. The only logical outcome of this operation is the production of billions of (human) parodies, a never-ending struggle for power and, in the end, total destruction.    

I saw the first results all around me in western Europe some decades ago, concluded it would never change and decided for music well before I graduated. This decision enabled me to keep in touch with things that, in my opinion, matter. 

It's a great pity human evolution resulted in an eternal race to get to control and status. The system producing just that can only result in a one-dimensional view of life, mono-cultures, spiritual degeneration, overpopulation and, inevitably, destruction. Life is much more than that. Although not religious, I'm convinced humans are able to create things of beauty. I'm also convinced they can protect things that matter. I'm not sure about the home of the Soul of Man, but I keep thinking it's close to the Soul of all Animals. Could be somewhere in a sea of forest yet to be discovered.

One can only hope that those reading the interview will decide to read a bit more about the natural world and conservation. Many of them will no doubt be inspired by the early naturalists and people like Thapar, Ullas karanth, Arseniev, Pikunov, Miquelle, Kerley, Goodrich and countless others dedicating their lives to protect those making their home in the emerald forest and the deep blue sea. Reply