In the end all it remains is — PLASTIC

The dead with plastic at the — Jorbeer Conservation Reserve -(Photo by me)

A recent trip to Jorbeer Conservation Reserve at Bikaner made me wonder, in the end all that will remain is — PLASTIC. Well before I make turn this write up into a question which you may feel to ask yourself if you make it to the end is — How much harm can we human cause to mother earth and its inhabitants? I will come back to this question again in the end, but for now let’s hear what I have to tell you about this very different wild life experience, my first of a desert wild life I want to tell.

So it happened, a trip to Bikaner in summers was planned, ya don’t ask why I do it, i have my reasons. I visit places off season, that is something I do. On reading about Bikaner, and if there is any wild life we can explore I came across Jorbeer. The first word which came to my mind was disgust. A place which is basically a dump yard for animal carcass, has turned out to be a conservation center and a place loved by raptors and scavangers of the world.

In the season, when people who are interested in these kind of birds this place offers a plethora of sightings. My disgust turned into inquisitiveness after reading the many articles on this place. I found some courage and connected with Dr Jitu, who is a well known birder of Bikaner. After talking to him, i felt well maybe it will be fine we should visit, and it would be a learning for the children.

Our day started early and as the road led to our destination the desert started showing us its colors. We saw quite many desert animals, and yes the raptors. — Garden Lizard, Desert Gerbil, Chinkara, Desert Fox, Ibis, Black kite, Egyptian vulture — juvenile, subadult, ashy brown lark, rufous lark, horned lark, sand grouse, gray francolin, twany eagle, short toed snake eagle, white eye buzzard, monitor lizard, legger falcon, spiny tail lizard, great gray shrike, green bee eater, brahminy myna, indian robin, sparrows, babblers, swallows, egrets, parakeets, peacock, peahen, common raven were our sightings, in two safaris.

Some captures if Desert Wild Life interests you

Garden Lizard — captured by Neeal my son

Gray Francolin with plastic- captured by me

Desert Fox — captured and shared by Dr Jitu

Spiny Tail Lizard — Captured by Mr Gautam(Dr Jitu Team)

Ashy Brown Lark — Captured by Mr Gautam (Dr Jitu Team)

Egyptian Vulture — Juvenile(Captured by Neeal my son)

Chinkara -Indian Gazelle — captured by Dr Jitu

Kair Flower — captured by me

As, our jeep trekked the roads of Jorbeer many stories and science was shared with us by Dr Jitu. He told us about Mr Seva Ram, about him I had heard last year when again in June, I went to Jodhpur and went to Khican- a place famous for Demosille Crane. We also saw at Jorbeer many dogs, which cause a ruckus for the wild life there. But thanks to human we have managed to make Indian vultures almost extinct. So how does the dead decay, when scavengers are themselves dead — the answer by the Municipal corporation — introduce dogs.

That is not all the atrocities we have caused. Considering our sensitivities, we were only shown the dumpyard from a distance, we did manage to see some of it but couldn’t get the courage to see all of it. Somewhere as we crossed people had arrived to skin the dead animals. I was astonished to know even the bones of animals are sold by kilos which in turn gets used to make various products we consume or our pets in form of pet food.

So what remains — well every part of the animal after being used — what remains is THE PLASTIC.

Platic humps from the dead — captured by me

Dr Jitu, told us that from one one dead animals almost 20 kgs of plastic is found. And that is what remains of them, plastic, of which no one has any use. There were humps and humps of it spread out. His concerns were well placed. And I who find myself as someone who cares for the environment felt ashamed because no i haven’t yet got rid of the plastic in my life or my home. My children school run every month a plastic drive where we need to send any plastic to them for recycle and every month — i still have plastic to give it to my son and daughter, something i don’t like.

I felt ashamed seeing this, listening to this, witnessing the dumps and dumps of plastic in a dump yard of the dead. So my question back to you is — How much harm can we human cause to mother earth and its inhabitants? Think, ponder, and please STOP. One planet, one earth, millions of species and only 1 specie which is running on a sprint with the goal to destroy it all.

STOP. CHANGE. HELP. RAISE AWARENESS. PLANT THE TREE.

SAY NO TO THAT PLASTIC.

I Seek I Travel — thats me!