KATHMANDU, MAY 09

We find an extremely poisonous plant in Nepal's forests, and it's called angeri. It's toxic in that if goats or cows eat angeri shoots – although animals seem to know whether or not a plant is safe – they usually die of swollen bellies. That's why stockmen keep an eye on the presence of the plant – which is fairly common – so that their livestock does not feed on it and returns home unscathed.

However, it's not always practical to keep tabs on every animal; some end up eating these shoots and die of inadvertent poisoning.

A redolent plant, simali (votex negundo), may be found next to the angeri. It is absolutely harmless and even possesses medicinal properties. Besides, it's a good mixer!

Its branches mix up amicably with those of the angeri; its roots share the same water, minerals and oxygen underneath.

Birds do not make any discrimination between the two: they chirp in green language swinging on their branches, or build nests and make nestlings within. Yet, angeri may kill, and simali may heal!

Nature continues to be an amazing show for human beings to ponder over, eternally.

We hardly have an inkling of oodles of enigmas within the pulsing rhythm of nature.

Simple questions like why green flowers are rare (while the leaves are all green!) or why ferns are not blooming plants have no easy answers.

While a death cap mushroom administers a coup de grace to its consumer, a white button mushroom is considered a delicacy.

Why should the former be a poisonous one, and the latter perfectly edible? The best answer might be: nature alone knows it, or it's simply nature!

These are stories from a jungle.

Now, let's leap from a green jungle to a so-called civilisation embodied by cities–befittingly called a concrete jungle. Here, poison flies in the air!

The colourful meadows in the streets are made of plastic wraps and bags. Stray animals, especially cows, are seen feeding on them – the only delicacy available to relish. Left with no choice, and perhaps stressed out like modern townies, the cows seem not to know the plastics from the plants!

Some are shell-shocked to see the cows eating plastic; they blithely deduct that the bovines can digest it.

Sadly, the truth is no animal can digest plastic! They may even stop eating regular food if they keep eating plastic and end up dying a slow and painful death.

Plants or plastics – the poison is no longer present in real and concrete jungles alone: it has gatecrashed into our kitchens, too. Are we poised to give it a cold shoulder?

A version of this article appears in the print on May 10, 2022, of The Himalayan Times.