Karmapa appeals for wildlife conservation

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 areultimately 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.” Read Article

By Wasfia Nazreen