(IN): SOS for the protection of India`s Wildlife from being robbed

July 7, 2008

Please sign the petition below.

There is a strong lobby of Scientists and Environmentalists who are trying

their best to get the Scientists PARDONED after he was caught in a national

park of West Bengal. India illegally collecting some species.

They have been writing from the Chief Minister of WB to the Prime Minister

of India to get him released.

We all know that you cannot take out even a single dead leaf from the Park

without permission or authority.

Can we allow our protected areas to become playgrounds for a section of the

people?

A petition has been drafted to appeal to the Hon`ble Prime Minister of India

to seek his intervention to not allow PARDON to the offender if found guilty

of a violation and allow the law to take its course.

Please read the petition below, sign and circulate it.

" SOS for the protection of India`s Wildlife from being robbed "

http://www.petitiononline.com/soswild/petition.html

Indian wildlife laws are one of the strictest in the World and should be

respected by every citizen whether Indian or Foreign.

Thanks,

Azam Siddiqui

--

United against elephant polo

http://www.stopelephantpolo.com

http://www.freewebs.com/azamsiddiqui

July 8, 2008

Dear Edwin,

I have to respectfully differ with you on this. Most

of the research on insects involving collection of specimens is of little

tangible value. Collecting animals for taxonomic research has seen the

killing of hundreds and thousands of animals, some of which are now

endangered. I don't think we are in any way wiser for this kind of

gratuitous slaughter. Many ornithologists have shot thousands of birds for

collection of samples. If the scientist concerned is of repute, he should

have known the rules better than to collect specimens in a designated

national park. This case appears to be quite different from your own case

and this is why I have signed the petition.

I have watched, from the sidelines, how furious wrangling goes on among

scientists over trivial things like naming animals and classifying them. The

most important consideration of habitat protection is often forgotten in

these exercises revolving around the collection of samples and designation

of species status.

I would like to see the law take its own course in this instance and if the

concerned scientist is put behind bars, it will serve him right.

Regards and good wishes,

On 7/7/08, Edwin Wiek <edwin.wiek wrote:

>

> Hi Azam,

>

> I don't think it is a good thing for anyone to sign a petition like this.

>

> Do all the rules have to be the same for everyone? Maybe... But whenever

> someone is breaking the law I think the intention is a very important

> consideration. Was this man actually " robbing " India's wildlife or merely

> collecting samples to find out more about wildlife, doing research? He did

> not get caught taking out highly endangered rhinos or tigers for financial

> gain, did he?

>

> I remember a case last year of Dr. Marc van Roosmalen in Brazil, he got

> arrested for doing something similar studying primates, an international

> outcry followed. I myself got locked up twice for helping (we like to call

> it rescue) wildlife in Thailand, and some people told me I had no right to

> do do this either, the Thai chief of police then bailed me out with his own

> money as he thought my intention was good and found it ridiculous for me to

> be in jail, however it was still against the law.

>

> Bottom-line is, don't you think you should give him some credit for his

> reputation, the intention and objectives? A heavy fine should do the trick

> and send a clear warning, a jail sentence seems too harsh to me, given the

> above reasons.

>

> Edwin Wiek

> WFFT Thailand

>

> _____

>

> aapn <aapn%40> [

> aapn <aapn%40>] On Behalf Of AZAM

> SIDDIQUI

> Monday, 07 July, 2008 1:30 PM

> aapn

> (IN): SOS for the protection of India`s Wildlife from being

> robbed

>

> Please sign the petition below.

>

> There is a strong lobby of Scientists and Environmentalists who are trying

> their best to get the Scientists PARDONED after he was caught in a national

> park of West Bengal. India illegally collecting some species.

> They have been writing from the Chief Minister of WB to the Prime Minister

> of India to get him released.

>

> We all know that you cannot take out even a single dead leaf from the Park

> without permission or authority.

> Can we allow our protected areas to become playgrounds for a section of the

> people?

>

> A petition has been drafted to appeal to the Hon`ble Prime Minister of

> India

> to seek his intervention to not allow PARDON to the offender if found

> guilty

> of a violation and allow the law to take its course.

>

> Please read the petition below, sign and circulate it.

>

> " SOS for the protection of India`s Wildlife from being robbed "

> http://www.petition <http://www.petitiononline.com/soswild/petition.html>

> online.com/soswild/petition.html

>

> Indian wildlife laws are one of the strictest in the World and should be

> respected by every citizen whether Indian or Foreign.

>

> Thanks,

>

> Azam Siddiqui

>

> --

> United against elephant polo

> http://www.stopelep <http://www.stopelephantpolo.com> hantpolo.com

> http://www.freewebs <http://www.freewebs.com/azamsiddiqui>

> .com/azamsiddiqui

>

July 8, 2008

The law was broken and this ³scientist² could have just done his research

onsite, without collecting and killing the ³samples.² With the relatively

few animal protection laws in the region that are prosecutable, we should

all support the laws on the books and the prosecution of those that ignore

the rule of law (unless of course the laws are anti-terror and mobster and

are against animal activists:)). What I find so striking here is the irony

behind putting people behind bars vs. putting animals behind bars. In the

case of humans its ridiculous or unfair, in the case of animals its for

protection and for conservation. What¹s up with that!

Jigs

Tue, 8 Jul 2008 13:06:33 +0530

<edwin.wiek

Cc: AZAM SIDDIQUI <azam24x7, <aapn >

Re: (IN): SOS for the protection of India`s Wildlife from

being robbed