All The Little Animals

"All The Little Animals" is a 1999 British movie starring Christian Bale as a mentally challenged person. He along with John Hurt give burials to animals that are killed by cars. John Hurt even curses all the cars. They call these burials "The work". They do it because of their affinity for animals. In a scene, Hurt sprinkles cheese pieces on the floor. He says, "Its for the mice. After the mice feed on them, the remains are scavenged by cockroaches." He further adds, "People kill mice to prevent them from stealing. I feed them." Its a curt dialog but it means a lot.

Which is the most deadliest living thing on earth? Is it the Black Mamba, HIV or Hepatitis B? No. The answer is we, the human beings. We are directly or indirectly responsible for the extinction of 50 to 55 thousand species every year. Still we claim to be devout, children of god etc etc. We truly suck. We cut trees because of which so many birds and insects lose their habitat. We run apiaries and plunder bees. We run slaughterhouses and mercilessly consume meat. And yet we call ourselves cultured, dignified and amiable. Being deadly and on the top of the food chain, I feel responsible. I feel it is important to sprinkle those cheese pieces every day on the floor. I revere my sister and mother for their kinship with animals.



Every morning they feed all kinds of birds ranging from Crows, Mynas to Seven Sisters. We keep a bowl of water on our roof top. All the birds happily take bath and drink water. Just a bowl of water and a peck of food can make a difference of life and death for those poor birds.

Recently Squirrels are thriving at our home. They primarily consume Sapotas and nuts. We have a Sapota tree exclusively for Squirrels and Bats. I never feel that we are doing some kind of a service to those little animals. Its just fun. It makes me feel wonderful to see them enjoy their sumptuous meal. For human beings its more the state of survival but for them its survival.

With our population increasing exponentially, animals are fast losing their habitat. Helping them to survive in the urban environment would make a lot of difference. If not for the ecological importance, we should help them to survive at least for the sake of biodiversity.