THE MADNESS OF EATING AND DESTROYING EVERYTHING BEQUEATHED TO US BY NATURE

By:
Ajukura, Fidelis O.
ajukurafidelisobi@gmail.com
17th October, 2023.

What exactly is wrong with us? Right from the prehistoric time, we have constituted ourselves as threat to our natural environment by destroying everything therein. Our ignorance and refusal to understand the environment where we live has been most discomfiting. The black man has never been concerned in protecting and improving the aesthetic worth and value of his environment. His major concern has always been 'what to eat now'. It doesn't matter if the entire environment is destroyed, his priority is 'now' - eat today and die tomorrow. What foolishness! It is shocking that a large expanse of bush can be burnt down in order to kill a rat or rabbit for the purpose of food. Dangerous explosives and chemicals are often used in water bodies in order to catch fish. Whatever happens to the water thereafter is inconsequential. Trees are felled every day with renewed vigour without any plan for replacement. By destroying our forests, we destroy an array of different plants used in the creation of a variety of medications for humans.

Black man, out of his thoughtlessness has ruined the pristine environment that God almighty has given to him - he descends on everything within his environment without reservation, as if there will be no tomorrow. Today, we look at the beauty of certain foreign locations and wish they're ours. The truth is that we have never bothered to preserve the beauty of our own environment. Our stomachs are like gods that we must worship anytime they groan. In fact, we think through our stomachs.

Our environment is all that we have. For this reason, we must protect it with our might. In nature, everything is connected to each other through the food chain which ends up with us, humans. If we eat all the wildlife and destroy the forests, we are going to be the biggest losers because it will put us at the risk of extinction. Nature has carefully arranged everything such that destroying them will be catastrophic to our own existence. For instance, butterflies, birds, bees etc promotes pollination and save native plant species for herbivores animals which in turn serve as meat to carnivores animals that end as food for man. When we begin to kill antelopes, impalas etc in their numbers this, obviously will create a deficit of food sources to wild cats. When this happens, it affects the population of the wild cats and other carnivores animals including man who is at the end of the food chain.

Few days ago, the news of a young man from Ogbolobolo community in Ahoada West Local Government Area of Rivers State who killed a large animal known as manatee surfaced in the social media space. The young man was celebrated by his community for having killed such a mighty animal. In the olden days, such act of bravery would have launched the young man straight into the cult of warriors. The meat of such a mighty animal is shared according to the prescription of the peoples custom. In eating the meat, nobody cares if it's the last of its kind in the environment. They're just satisfied that they have eaten meat. What thoughtlessness! Like the manatee, many endangered animals that are at the verge of extinction have been consumed with great relish in the past. Only few months ago, a whale that was washed ashore in a Bayelsa coastline was reduced to nothing within minutes by the community people. In Rivers State, a giant marlin fish valued at over $2m was eaten by members of the community. Beside these, several other endangered species like; sea-turtles, dolphins, sharks etc have been caught and eaten.

For how long are we going to continue like this? Destroying our natural environment as well as eating up endangered animals will never do us any good. Instead, it will dislocate our heritage and culture. Above all it will threaten our own existence.

Let us learn to preserve/protect our forests and wildlife today!