Five years in prison for a couple of dead deer? There will be many Salman Khan sympathisers who would respond with outrage to news of the actor having to pay such a heavy price for what he may well have been regarded as a lark in the woods with a gun. To them we would just say that the crime Salman Khan has been convicted of carries a maximum sentence of seven years under the wildlife laws of the country. It is another matter that most hunters of protected species have been allowed to get away.

The actor’s unhappy brush with the law should go towards creating a more informed public response to wildlife conservation in the country. India is a storehouse of biodiversity, being home to 350 species of mammals, 1,224 species of birds, 408 species of reptiles, 197 species of amphibians and 2,546 species of fish. What’s more, it has 172 species that are currently on the endangered list. This constitutes 2.9 per cent of the world’s threatened species. But the great treasure of natural wealth has not made for an informed public guardianship of it. This newspaper has had innumerable occasions to report on the appalling depletion and wanton destruction of our wildlife. Tigers disappear from the Sariska tiger sanctuary, poachers have a free run of Ranthambore, rare birds are killed in Nal Sarovar. A couple of months ago, our correspondent’s report on the poaching of six rhinos in the prestigious Kaziranga Wildlife Sanctuary provided an inkling on just why such incidents occur. Of the 700 poachers who have been arrested here over the years, only one has been convicted. This, in a sentence, tells you why wildlife conservation is a non-starter in the country. It also tells you why exemplary punishment — such as that which has just been meted out to Salman Khan — is so important.

We need to raise the bar on wildlife conservation in India, improve our laws and their efficacy, raise public awareness on the issue and educate ourselves, both as consumers and as trustees of the country’s biodiversity.

editor@expressindia.com