E-Paper
Humiliation of the Black Baron
The Peregrine’s esteem in natural history was extolled in W Kenneth Richmond’s words: “of perfect proportions and finely-cut features, daring and intelligence; spectacular performance in the air and matchless execution in the chase --- it has them all, a natural aristocrat”
Falcons are the fastest creatures that ever lived, and the Peregrine is the speed king of them all when it comes to the spiralling dive on an unwary pigeon flying far below. The Peregrine patrols the skies so high that it could be at heaven’s door. With its dark, menacing eyes, cruelly-hooked, black-tipped beak, and blue-blackish wings, the Peregrine is a veritable “Black Baron” of the blue yonder. An avian counterpart in legend to the German World War I ace-of-aces, Manfred Von Richthofen, who was dreaded by British pilots as the “Red Baron”.
The Peregrine’s esteem in natural history was extolled in W Kenneth Richmond’s words: “of perfect proportions and finely-cut features, daring and intelligence; spectacular performance in the air and matchless execution in the chase --- it has them all, a natural aristocrat.” In Iran, Arabic and Indian cultures, the rather handsome and smaller, darker race of the typical Peregrine is referred to as the Shaheen (the king of birds).
Given the above profile, and the Peregrine’s protected status under domestic laws and international treaties that India is a signatory to, what could be a more tragic and deplorable spectacle than see this “king of wings” scamper about on the ground like a stray puppy. On Makar Sankranti, a migratory Peregrine was found scampering in his Pathankot garden by Dr Manish Goyal with damage to the right wing from the banned, notorious Chinese plastic kite string. Its talons were entangled in the string too.
Dr Goyal summoned the rescue team of the Punjab Wildlife Preservation department led by Sukhdeep Singh and it responded speedily. The Peregrine was captured and treated. The good news is that it recovered and soared to its kingdom on Saturday, far from the madding crowds.
A perilious passage lies ahead for the plucky Peregrine to its summer breeding grounds in the northern latitudes.
Tale of tails from the 19th hole
Good intentions may pave the way to hell for an unwitting beneficiary. A video gone viral on Whatsapp golfer groups revealed a surreal spectacle: a Sambar at the table and feeding off the plate of a retired officer of the PARA SF (who had fought in the “Area Bumps” of Kargil War) at Chandimandir’s Shivalik Golf Club-SEPTA.
Divested of its natural shyness and distrust of humans, the Sambar was evidently much at ease with the veterans, and was as well behaved as the eminently “clubbable” dogs that slink around the luncheon tables at the Chandigarh Golf Club (CGC) lawns! Not a bark or a snarl is ever heard from the CGC dogs, or an indulgence in “snatching” incidents, as these canny mutts realise that instinctive behaviour would invite summary ejectment from the high table of tricity gentlemen and watering hole of the beaux mondes.
Provisioning wild animals with alien human foods may be an innocent act, fun-filled and guaranteeing salience in the competitive world of viral reels. But it only endangers animals’ digestive health and renders them over-familiar to homo sapiens. This could be exploited by unscrupulous elements. Proximity to humans brings with it attendant risks of frequenting areas populated with stray dog packs that maul deer.
Ironically, well-meaning golfers and course management authorities are intolerant of the same wild animals when they rake and dig fairways and greens, and besmirch the manicured vista.
True and scientifically-oriented intentions in favour of wild animals would entail sacrifices to preserve their natural habitats, rather than throwing tidbits at guileless creatures and flashing gleaming smiles into handy cameras.
vjswild2@gmail.com
