Puffins on Inner Farne Island
We recently went to the Farne Islands on a boat trip. I had been before but not during the nesting season. The islands were absolutely covered with nesting birds; Puffins, Terns, Gannets, and more. The terns vigorously defended their nests, swooping and diving at us when we approached. The whole islands were teaming with life. It is very easy to see the gillemots, they stay on their nests even when people approach close up. The terns swoop at people trying to drive them away from their eggs and young. It is easy to see these birds as inspirational examples of parenthood and devotion to the young. For them the people approaching are seen as real risks, standing up to a ‘predator’ is a matter of life and death.
Gillemot Remains on Nest
We should not forget that the huge nesting population of these islands is fed by the fish in the surrounding ocean. Some birds will eat other’s eggs and young given half a chance. The beauty of these islands is sustained by “nature red in tooth and claw”, the circle of life. How do we as Hindus reconcile the beauty of nature with the death and suffering necessary to sustain it? Why do Hindus practice ahimsa, non-harm, towards all creatures when nature itself involves violence?
Western Hindu 