India, the Hotspot of Human Animal Conflict
In our relentless pursuit of development and urbanization, we seem to have forgotten that humans are not the epicenter of life on earth. We share our space with a variety of species on earth. However, without respecting their boundaries, we have shamefully encroached on their land. Today, we have in front of us a jungle of concrete that has destroyed wetlands, grasslands, etc. resulting in a huge loss of habitat for a variety of wildlife. This habitat loss has far greater consequences than one can imagine. It results in an ever-increasing human-animal conflict. India has become the hotspot of human-animal conflict and hundreds of people are affected by it annually. According to the Ministry of Environment, Forests, and Climate Change, 125 humans died in conflict with tigers between 2018-2020 and 1,503 humans died in the human-elephant conflict between 2018-19 and 2020-21. These numbers are bound to increase if we do not respect their boundaries and continue encroaching on their land.