(IN) Karmapa appeals for wildlife conservation

[Guest guest]

*Karmapa appeals for wildlife conservation*

 

-Wasfia Nazreen

 

*Dharamsala: June 29th:* What better way to start the week than attending a

talk by His Holiness the 17th Gyalwa Karmapa on the preservation of

wildlife! That was how the day started for upper TCV students here on

Monday, June 29th- an awareness event co-organized by Wildlife Trust of

India (WTI) and Care for the Wild International (CWI).

 

“Animals are not our enemies. We are all interdependent; every animal has a

role to play in the ecology by being a part of the food chain. If you remove

one layer, the entire chain is affected. Even while talking in the interest

of human beings, by saving wildlife, you are ultimately helping yourself,”

said the 17th Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje, who just celebrated his 24th

birthday on Friday.

 

Dr Barbara Maas, Chief Executive of CWI, who was supposed to be at the event

but at the last moment had to cancel due to physical illness, said through a

pre-recorded message, “One of the key principles of Buddhism is compassion

towards all sentient beings. Yet, the life of each and every animal killed

for its skin and body parts ends in an act of violence. Cumulatively, this

violence has consequences not only for the fate of individuals but for that

of whole species. The list of animal species threatened with extinctions as

a result of human behaviour grows longer every year. It currently stands at

over 7,200. If our own species continues to extinguish others, it will spell

disaster for us too, because we are part of nature and cannot survive in

isolation.”

 

The event was a part of the Tibetan Conservation Awareness Campaign (TCAC),

a WTI-CWI project aimed at spreading conservation awareness among Tibetans.

The campaign was launched by His Holiness the Dalai Lama on April 6, 2005 to

address the involvement of Tibetans in wildlife crimes and the use of

wildlife articles in Tibetan medicines and traditional dresses.

 

The importance of this campaign has been highlighted by the recent arrest of

four alleged Tibetan wildlife traders in eastern Nepal late last week. About

23 deer traps and parts of Impeyan pheasant (*Lophophorus impejanus*) – the

national bird of Nepal listed in Appendix I of CITES (Convention on

International Trade in Endangered Species), were among the articles

reportedly seized from their possession.

 

In 2006, a conservation message by His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama had

generated tremendous emotional response, culminating in several instances of

wild animal skin burning by Tibetans across Tibet as well as in Dharamsala.

The skin burning episodes- an indication of Tibetans shunning use of wild

animal articles, continued sporadically, with latest incidents reported as

recent as April this year.

 

Vouching farther support to the Dalai Lama’s previous appeal, the Karmapa

added: “From the Buddhist viewpoint, we say every sentient being is a mother

sentient being. We believe in bringing no harm to others including animals,

but the ground reality is that this is being neglected. Some may believe

that the environment is so huge that it cannot be affected by the action of

one person. However, individuals can make lots of differences; the kind of

difference, whether positive or negative, depends on the character and

belief of humans.”

 

The organizers of the event feel that Tibetan leaders wield tremendous

amount of influence on Tibetan people, therefore, they are approaching

leaders of various Tibetan sects for their blessings and support on the

campaign to conserve wildlife, as stated by Vice Chairman of WTI, Mr Ashok

Kumar.

 

Over the years, TCAC field officers of Tibetan origin have visited urban

areas as well as remote rural areas to spread the message of His Holiness

the Dalai Lama and to spread conservation awareness among Tibetans. Till

date, the TCAC campaign has reached 53 Tibetan settlements, 68 schools and

106 monasteries across India, in addition to a few in Nepal.

 

“We have observed a visible increase in awareness levels within the Tibetan

community, but obviously our work is far from complete (as proven by the

arrest last week in Nepal). The words of His Holiness the Karmapa will help

fortify our campaign and benefit the cause by leaving a lingering message in

the minds of young Tibetans and adults alike,” Kumar added.

 

The two-hour programme concluded with the phenomenal documentary “A shawl to

die for” which traces the history of Shahtoosh weaving in Kashmir, India to

its links to the Tibetan antelope Chiru found on the Chang Tang plateau of

Tibet. In the past Chirus were killed so Shahtoosh, it’s fleece, can be

extracted to make the thousands of dollars worth shawls. The international

ban on Shahtoosh was critical for the survival of the endangered Chiru,

however, it gave birth to a new disaster- for the thousands of traditional

Shahtoosh workers in Kashmir who are now failing to obtain a livelihood.

While the film explores the struggle of conservation vs livelihood, it also

documents interventions brought in by a community project initiated by

Wildlife Trust of India and International Fund for Animal Welfare, supported

by the British High Commission. Even though the solutions implemented by

this project have been steadily implemented, the challenge now remains to

ensure and measure its growth and success.

 

Ultimately, it very much depends on the commitment and awareness of the

Tibetan community in general to finally and for good stop the smuggling of

Shahtoosh. The documentary educates on promoting other alternatives for

fashion such as the use of Pashmina shawls.

 

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