In Buddhism, it is considered auspicious to release a newly blossomed life.
Thus, many pilgrims and Buddhist practitioners make a habit of buying animals to release them into nature.
But do you see the ethical scam?
A Buddhist custom exploited, turning into an ethical scam...
In India, and especially at pilgrimage sites, you’ll often see vendors selling small birds trapped in tiny cages, exposed to the scorching sun, packed tightly together without water or food.
They lure you in by telling you that buying and releasing these animals will grant you excellent karma.
Of course, that seems obvious.
However, this practice only encourages more and more vendors to capture wild animals, so that we may “release” them again.
You understand how vicious this cycle is, don’t you?
An eco-enterprise combining preservation and tradition
In Bodhgaya, there is now another way.
In recent years, the Butterfly Park has been created.
It is located in the western part of a beautiful park adjacent to the Mahabodhi Temple.
The Butterfly Park was designed to allow Buddhist practitioners to engage in the practice of life release—this time with butterflies raised in a breeding facility—rather than encouraging the capture of wild animals.
The second aim of this park is to initiate conservation measures for butterflies, one of the main groups of pollinating insects and an integral part of the trophic web.
A carefully designed space with a breeding center and an interpretation center
The park includes a breeding center providing a safe, controlled environment where butterflies can reproduce and complete their life cycle with minimal predation and parasitic risk. These favorable conditions contribute to a much higher survival rate compared to butterflies released in the wild.
An open interpretation center informs visitors about the importance and significance of butterflies through creative and interactive displays.
The butterfly habitat is enriched with around 60 plant species, serving either as host plants (food sources for caterpillars) or nectar plants (food for adult butterflies).
More than 60 butterfly species have already been recorded here, some of them particularly rare and charismatic. They can be seen fluttering from flower to flower, engaging in their daily routines while supporting the ecosystem.
Among them are iconic species such as the Lemon Emigrant, Common Jay, Indian Jezebel, Blue Mormon, Common Rose, Plain Tiger, Blue Tiger, Plains Cupid, Psyche, Common Crow, Leopard Lacewing, Striped Tiger, Common Ciliate Blue, Commander, and the Grass Demon.
A connection to the Tree of Enlightenment...
Finally, the Bodhi Tree under which the Buddha attained enlightenment—scientifically known as Ficus religiosa—has a long-standing link with butterflies.
The butterfly species known as the Common Crow, a regular visitor of this sacred tree, uses it to complete its life cycle.
Voilà! That’s it!
On our next journey to Bodhgaya, we’ll be staying right next to the park, giving you the chance to release butterflies as many times as you wish!
See you very soon !
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