One morning, a well-off woman went to her kitchen garden to collect some vegetables. All of a sudden, a crow attacked her as if it felt insecure.

From April to July, crows are very aggressive and attack us if we approach their nests or offspring.

The woman who was attacked by the crow got angry and decided to remove its nest from the nearby tree. This incident has forced me write something about animal rights as an environmental activist.

The tree was laden with ripe lychees. She got one of the boys to destroy the nest.

She scolded the bird, saying that the tree belonged to her. The boy destroyed the nest and threw the chicks in the field. He was wearing a helmet to stay safe from crow attacks. After a while, two to three crows swooped down and flew away with their chicks as if they were changing their habitat.

The moment was very emotional. The scene was like a tenant family that is evicted from a house by an angry landlord.

Indeed, nature is common to all. The earth is the common abode of all living things, isn't it? The harsh statement made by the woman frequently flashes in my mind, that is, 'this is my area, and the tree is mine'.

The woman had said proudly that she could chop down the tree since she had the land certificate.

Human beings are superior to other living creatures and tend to consider the earth as their own property.

Even animals are free to choose a comfortable place for taking shelter like all of us. We are an integral part of the biomass, since we share the same water, the same air, the same land and the same sun.

Nature has not provided anyone the right to possess any land. Division of land is a manmade thing for personal benefit. Animals and birds never pick up a quarrel for a piece of land, but we are ready to go to any extremes if someone tries to encroach upon our land.

Actually, we are not as tolerant as animals.

Animals are not safe at all from human attacks. During this time of the year, especially female crows lay eggs and nurture their young.

They don't like the presence of humans near their nests and the young ones.

This incident taught me two lessons - a mother is the best example of unconditional love, and nature cannot be the sole property of human beings.

The appalling woman didn't give a second thought before destroying the nest.

She didn't even think about her children who were once toddlers and couldn't walk properly without her support.

A version of this article appears in the print on August 5, 2022 of The Himalayan Times.