Divine intervention for leopard

WESTERN religions seem indifferent, even hostile, to nature conservation. Perhaps they see environmentalism as too secularist in outlook.

Nor does the thought that wild creatures are our blood relatives sit easily with aspirations to an eternal destiny. ‘I’m no kin to the monkey and the monkey is no kin to me’ the American fundamentalists chant.

Eastern religions have a different perspective. Their doctrine of re-birth sees connections between all living things. Now papers have appeared claiming Buddhist monks are protecting one of the world’s iconic animals and that sacred forests offer safe havens to birds.