Photo by Zahangir Alom / Marine Mammal Commission / National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration - Freshwater Dolphins and Porpoises. Marine Mammal Commission, Public Domain
When the humans were locked away, animals across the world came out to play. Or at least to look for some food after the tourists they were dependent on for their daily meals stopped showing up at their usual spots. Coronavirus has been considered temporarily triumphant for all living things except the humans—as skies clear up, CO2 emissions reduce and rare animal species “reclaim the streets”. But what happens now that humans are slowly starting to feel less paranoid about leaving their homes and venturing out?The #NatureisHealing meme may have jokingly declared that humans are the virus, but when horrifying videos of humans torturing animals show up, the dark joke gets all too real. In yet another mindless animal abuse video, some men in Kolkata in India can be seen torturing a Gangetic dolphin for no reason whatsoever. The endangered Gangetic dolphins, which love their peaceful natural habitat in the river, were spotted being back in sight some time ago, as human activities in and around the river slowed down amid the pandemic lockdown.The depressing video that was uploaded by a man named Rafik Saihk on Vigo Video—a short video social network—showed a bunch of men holding a dolphin by its snout and tail as it flails around, with the men ultimately throwing its bloodied body back in the river. "The mammals have very sensitive skin and the way it has been handled, as shown in the videos, it is likely to be dead despite being released into the water”, environmentalist Biswajit Rowchowdhury told The Times of India, stressing how delicate a job rescuing dolphins is.
Advertisement
Police are now on the lookout for the men in this viral video, but this is yet another example that can’t help but make us feel that humans are garbage.
There is nothing cool or amusing about messing with a harmless animal, especially at a time when kindness also deserves to be featured on the list of essentials. Coronavirus lockdowns have given us the unexpected opportunity to undo the damage we’ve already done to nature and wildlife. But the way forward from here is to find a way to co-exist with all creatures, not to torture them because we’re bored garbage people. Just leave animals the fuck alone already.Follow Shamani Joshi on Instagram.