Monday, May 27, 2019
Day 3: Natural Beauty
Peacocks strutting around, flaunting their brilliant feathers. Deers grazing in the green grass, feasting with their herd. Monkeys watching from above, leaping from branch to branch. Birds chirping merrily, soaring through the skies. Elephants trumpeting in the distance, lazily transversing the land. Everywhere we looked, we saw nature's magnificence uniting creatures of the Corbett National Park, granting them freedom, peace, and harmonious coexistence. We were amazed to witness this utopian animal haven, but simultaneously lamented the rarity of such pristine places for most animals in India.
In our safari, animals would die at the claws of the tiger, as Mother Nature intended. However, as we were driving around in Rishikesh and New Delhi, we saw stray animals die because of the horrific conditions that humans created. Starvation and dehydration have plagued the population of animals in India, while humans stroll past without raising an eyebrow. In the last 30 years, 14,000 square kilometers of forest have been destroyed, depriving animals of their homes, forcing them to live on the streets.
The stark contrast between the environment of the Corbett National Park and the streets of India led us to reflect on the importance of the preservation of nature. We need to ensure that we protect the few beautiful places that remain in India.
-Kahaan and Connor
-Kahaan and Connor
