From: Vasily V. Grebennikov, 763-A Springland Drive, Ottawa ON K1V 6L9, Canada.
Phone: 613-260-3794, Email: v_grebennikov@mail.ru

Mr. Rajamani Lakshmi Narayan
High Commissioner for India to Canada
10 Springfield Road
Ottawa, ON K1M 1C9
Phone: 613-744-3751
Fax: 613 744 0913
Email: hicomind@hciottawa.ca

September 18, 2008

Subject: Czech entomologists sentenced in Darjeeling for collecting insects


Dear Mr. Rajamani Lakshmi Narayan,

In June 2008 two Czech entomologists, Dr. Petr Švácha and Mr. Emil Kučera, were arrested in the state of West Bengal for allegedly collecting endangered insects for sale on Chinese medicine market. The court in Darjeeling sentenced Dr. Švácha to $500 fine, while Mr. Kučera was sentenced to three years in prison. More on this story can be found on Internet or in the documents attached to this letter.

As a professional entomologist and a person who knows personally one of the accused, I most strongly disagree with this decision. This feeling of disagreement forced me to organise the demonstration in front of the Indian High Commission for Canada.

As a professional entomologist and a PhD holder, I am convinced that protection of individual insects is a misleading practice mistakenly mirroring protection of elephants and tigers. With a few most notable exceptions, no insect species can be exterminated by human collecting. This practice is in fact counterproductive, as it refocuses public attention from the real major cause of species extinction, which is gross habitat destruction by human activities. I would suggest that critical scientific review of the India’s Biodiversity Act, the document used to sentence these entomologists, should be undergone to make it more scientifically based.

I would also question whether it is morally correct to sentence entomologists based on misleading practice of protecting insect individuals. This court case in Darjeeling was closely watched by at least twelve hundred people who signed petition to release Dr. Švácha (http://www.petitiononline.com/wgircn2/petition.html). As one of them, I developed an utter concern of how these two insect-minded biologists were handled by the Indian law. One of these “criminals”, Dr. Petr Švácha, is a prominent figure in the scientific entomology and the Editor of the “European Journal of Entomology”. Moreover, Dr. Švácha played an important role in my professional development and I am honoured to consider him among my most esteemed teachers in science and, I would add, in interpersonal skills. I write you this letter to share my taste of utmost bitterness resulting from how the law of your country treated a person I cherish.

Today, on September 18, similarly aimed demonstrations will be taking place in front of Indian Governmental properties in many countries. By doing so the world entomological community wants to send a message to the Indian Government that the case of Švácha and Kučera should serve as a turning point to cease misleading practice of inhibiting insect research in India by putting scientists in jail. I would greatly appreciate if you help me communicate this message to the authorities in your Government who are capable to initiate scientifically-based revision of the seemingly markedly inadequate and counterproductive India Biodiversity Act.

COLLECTING INSECTS IS NOT A CRIME!

FREE ŠVÁCHA AND KUČERA!

Sincerely yours,

Vasily V. Grebennikov,

Entomology Research Scientist, PhD, author of some 30 scientific papers in peer-reviewed journals, former Associate Editor of the journals “Zootaxa” and “The Canadian Entomologist”, and, the most important, a proud pupil of Dr. Petr Švácha who was sentenced by a court in Darjeeling for collecting insects for research purposes.


print on A4
auf A4 ausdrucken

back to start
zur Startseite