Choosing Man over Animal

A recent crocodile attack in Mumbai has proven that it is impractical to conserve wildlife in the city.

A few days ago, a crocodile killed a man at Powai Lake in Mumbai. Vijay Bhure, 32, was fishing when the predator dragged him into the water. In March, an elephant at the Byculla zoo killed a man who had broken into the enclosure and provoked it. Leopards often stray into residential areas surrounding the Sanjay Gandhi National Park. 

There is a pattern to the follow-up to such events. There are the usual statements about man encroaching on animal space. After the crocodile attack, environmentalists pointed fingers at the Rs 40 crore shore beautification project at the lake. Since its start in 2007, there have been five crocodile attacks. Damage is collateral. The decayed body of a crocodile was found two months ago. The lake had sloping shores, on which the crocodiles basked and bred. But these were eliminated as part of the drive. According to Sunish Subramanian, founder of the Plant and Animal Welfare Society in Mumbai, a spot near Powai police station where the crocodiles laid eggs was also destroyed due to the dumping of debris.

Krishna Tiwari, head, City Forest Project, Bombay Natural History Society, adds, “The lake has also shrunk over the years, so it’s natural that the crocodiles venture out of their territory. The water is contaminated, which means few fish left for the crocodiles. This forces them to prey on humans and livestock.”

Bittu Sahgal, editor of Sanctuary Asia magazine, recommends precautionary measures to prevent incidents like Bhure’s death: “Forbid swimming or walking along lake edges. Colonies next to the national park must enclose compounds with scientifically designed leopard-proof barriers. And, they must keep localities free of garbage around which dogs [that leopards hunt] breed.”

The point is this. Are these feasible, given Indian nature and its bureaucracy? Is the BMC going to be prompt about putting up signs? Are builders going to care about the ecosystem and crocodile eggs? 

It is time we accept the truth. Mumbai is never going to be a great wildlife city. Its parks are a joke. The few animals it has are poorly looked after. Mumbai should retain a manageable quantum of wildlife and shift the remainder to a more suitable place, where it is possible for animals to co-exist with humans.

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