Target: Dr. Harsh Vardhan, Indian Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change
Goal: Demand harsher penalties for villagers who harm elephants.
A baby elephant was severely burned and terrorized after it was struck with a flaming bar of tar in the east Indian state of West Bengal. An award-winning photograph captures the exact moment when photographer Biplab Hazra says a mob of “jeering men” threw the balls of tar and firecrackers at the calf and his or her mother, in an apparent attempt to drive them away. This is only the latest in a series of violent conflicts between elephants and humans in the region that must be addressed.
Elephants in India are in crisis as their natural habitat dwindles, while farmlands and urban areas expand. As a result, herds of wandering elephants frequently enter populated areas and cause damage or threaten human lives. Attacks by mobs, such as the one shown in the photograph, are seen as retribution for the losses the elephants are said to cause.
There is no excusing the vile behavior shown in the photograph. No animal deserves to be burned or tortured, especially as the result of human-caused problems like habitat destruction. Sign this petition to demand that Indian officials enact harsher penalties for causing harm to elephants and do more to protect what remaining land these creatures have available to them.
PETITION LETTER:
Dear Minister Vardhan,
A photograph showing a mob attacking an elephant mother and her calf underlines the growing crisis that elephants face in India. As their forest habitats are destroyed, these creatures are forced to wander over large areas to find food and water, bringing them into conflict with humans when they enter populated areas. There have been many reports of humans torturing and hurting elephants in an effort to keep them away, and this photograph is disturbing evidence that even young calves are being targeted by violent mobs.
Elephants will continue to enter villages and towns as long as they cannot find enough food or water in their natural habitats. Therefore, I urge you to do more to conserve their remaining habitat and to enact harsher penalties against those who would cause them harm.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo Credit: Biplab Hazra via Instagram
It just isn’t right in any way. It cannot be justified. We must be an example to ourselves and the rest of the world to stop such inhumane treatment. Regardless of our religion we must realize that who created all living things? Look at the whale, giraffe, magnificent elephant, birds so beautiful and so perfect all with maternal instincts. That is proof to me that something so big is above all. We must do something! Please help stop this cruelty.
The trouble is the human population keeps growing. We need to restrict everyone to replacement birth only worldwide. All environment problems are caused by humans.
I hope someone helped the baby instead of just using it’s pain to capture a picture
Yes i want to know what was done to help this mother and her baby. I swear if someone just took pictures and did nothing else, that is just well i cant even put any words together that make sense. Im so outraged over this.
Agreed!! If anyone knows if the baby and mother are ok, please let us know!!
Its the human population out of control and destroying mother earth and all its creatures!!
This breaks my heart so unfair to our wild friends…people please wake up
Please leave the animals ALONE!
We can’t keep allowing these acts to keep happening ,these poor animals have no where to go for help,attacking the babies is crazy,we need to live together peacefully, please wake up before it’s too late
I’m for for rounding up the guilty people who did this and burning them.
Please, please protect these endangered animals!Pass ENFORCEABLE regulations that punish people who harm, poach or kill them. It’s up to us! They can’t protect themselves!
Someone should through fire balls at them and watch them burn!!!
This needs to come to a stop.
This needs to be stopped.
I tried to sign your petition,but It won’t accept my email!
It disgusts me that people even THINK doing this to an animal is ok. let alone actually committing the act. You are pure evil if you can do something like this to a living creature is ok. Hell has a special place saved for you monsters.
I tried to sign also but it kept saying email problem? seeing this makes me disgusted at humans! Karma will get them!
This is sick and needs to be treated as such by implementing harsher penalties on the culprits.
I am literally crying. This is absolutely heartbreaking. These are such noble creatures. What kind of piece of shit could ever even think of doing this? I hate people. They absolutely suck. This is despicable! There are no words.
You know people are the most heartless, barbaric creatures ever! When they’re not busy murdering their fellow men, then its the animals and invornment.
It also won’t except my email ?
This is heartbreaking, how can people be so evil! This is unbelievable that this is happening! Arrest them and burn them alive!
These people are the worst animals God ever put on this earth. Heartless shit. Mother Nature will always find a way to heal itself and it’s quite obvious the problem is Humans. We will get removed from this earth soon enough and then the earth would be a much better place.