We like to believe the pleasant fantasy that we’ve more or less conquered nature. And, in some critical ways, we have.
For instance, to stay warm in the winter, we no longer need to huddle around a fire; we merely turn up a thermostat. We have shelter to keep us from the elements. We have manicured lawns and gardens that are meticulously landscaped so as to prevent weeds from taking root.
Once in a while, however, we’re reminded just how close nature remains. And while that can be beautiful, it can also be quite dangerous.
According to the Deccan Herald of India, a 10-year-old boy in the state of Gujarat was mauled to death by a langur monkey on Nov. 13. The boy was identified as Dipak Thakor.
According to reports, the attack took place as Thakor was playing with his friends in the village of Salki.
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“His intestine was ripped out in the attack. He rushed to his house and was taken to a hospital where doctors declared him dead on arrival,” an official said.
It was the third monkey attack in the village in a week.
“There is a large troop of monkeys in the village, including four adults,” said Vishal Chaudhary, a forest official.
Chaudhary said his department had “rescued two langurs in the past one week, and set up cages to trap another.”
This sort of thing doesn’t just happen in India, either.
Consider the case of a far luckier Texas woman, Peggy Jones, who made headlines this summer when she was attacked nearly simultaneously by a snake and a hawk.
“The snake was squeezing so hard, and I was waving my arms in the air,” Jones said at the time. “Then, this hawk was swooping down clawing at my arm over and over.”
“I just kept saying, ‘Help me, Jesus! Help me, Jesus!’” she added.
And, lo and behold, she was lucky enough to escape after the hawk pulled the snake off her arm.
Sadly, the attack in India didn’t end as happily, but both remind us of the incredible power of nature — no matter how far we try to remove ourselves from it.
God’s creation is great and mighty — but with power comes danger, be it in suburban Houston or Gujarat. And that danger can still turn deadly, no matter how much mastery we think we have over our environment.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.
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