IMAGINE a fox or a python shows up on the campus of a public or private university in Bangladesh. What will happen? It’s likely that this non-human entity will be chased and beaten to death. The reason? I can’t think of one except the cruelty that characterises some of us as Bangladeshis.
Universities are places of higher education and learning for humans. However, the presence of non-humans in these institutions is a sign of ecology, diversity and sustainability. It’s a reminder that the earth does not belong to humans only. If we can respect the co-existence of wildlife, we may foster more respect for fellow humans. It can be a source of reflection, learning and wisdom. We can gain knowledge from nature and ecology, outside teachers, technology or textbooks.
The non-human existence adds to the beauty and diversity of the university campus. This can be part of what is called edu-tourism. Visitors will remember a university more with non-human presence than one with its absence.
I have experienced this myself as I have had the opportunity to visit several universities in different parts of the world. Having been educated at a Bangladeshi university, initially, I thought I might find only stray dogs in a university if it had a campus and if the institution were not just a collection of buildings in an urban jungle.
So, what non-human presence has impressed me and where? Let me start with my home institution, the University of Queensland, in Brisbane in Australia. I have been at this university since 2005. Located on the Brisbane River just a few kilometres away from Queensland’s capital city, it has got one of the most beautiful campuses not only in Australia but also in the world. This beauty is the collective outcome of many things. However, a visitor may be amazed by the free and unrestricted movements of certain non-human entities on campus.
In my early student days at the university, it was almost a routine for us to spend some part of the afternoon at the lake. It was home to many species of birds including ducks and pelicans. Visitors including children loved to see turtles swimming around and play with eels. The eels would come close to humans, expecting human food, although feeding was forbidden. The lake together with the university was flooded several times since 2011, calling for its renovation. The natural character of the lake has been further enhanced by the recent ecological intervention.
If you are lucky as a visitor, you may see a traffic queue on one of the roads running through the campus. This may be because the drivers are giving way to a small platoon of ducks and ducklings crossing the road. There has been no incident of these slow-moving creatures being run over by cars. It is also unthinkable that they could be the target of our carnivorous desire.
Turkeys are a nuisance on campus. It is their routine work to scavenge piles of mulches and spread them on walkways using their all-powerful legs. Campus cleaners never think of punishing them even though they add to their workload.
The university has created a natural habitat for certain species such as curlews, so they feel at home on campus. As I walk to my designated parking lot every day, I look around to find one. Some days I am lucky; other days I am not.
Just outside the building that houses our department, I often come across possums climbing up or down the tree at the back entrance. They become active at night. They are probably used to human presence as we are also used to them.
There are signs around the campus about nesting birds so visitors can be ‘bird alert’. Around the eateries, other signs warn people about crows and ibises which may claim a share of their food. They are shooed away by people but are never punished for their insatiable appetite for human food.
The very mention of Australia reminds one of the unique Australian animal, kangaroo. You don’t need to go to a forest or zoo to see them. You can meet them on campus and have a silent and decent interaction with them. If you go to Central Queensland University or the University of the Sunshine Coast, you will see a troop of them gathered in one of the open fields. You can get very close to them. They are unlikely to show wildness unprovoked.
My most memorable campus experience was at Stonybrook University in Long Island in New York. As I was about to enter the university accommodation I was provided, I was greeted by the running around of a cute squirrel at the main entrance. I saw many of them during my short visit for a conference.
I was most impressed when I saw a deer staring at me as I was doing my usual morning walk. Construction of buildings and infrastructures in this forest area has not threatened the existence of wildlife.
Some Asian universities have also ensured the continued existence of non-humans on campus. One is Universitas Brawijaya in an education city called Malang in Indonesia. As I walked around the campus in the early morning, I found cats sitting or moving around the whole campus. I don’t remember having seen any dogs. Maybe the absence of dogs has facilitated the presence of cats.
I had more intimate experiences with the feline species at another university in neighbouring Malaysia. I was hosted as a visitor for over a week by International Islamic University Malaysia. This university has multiple campuses. I was at its main campus in Gombak which is located in the northeast of Kuala Lumpur.
This university campus is sheltered by mountains on all sides. Although I didn’t see any wild species, I was occasionally greeted by squirrels sprinting around. Perhaps, because of the weather, I was not lucky enough to meet monitor lizards that I heard roam around the campus. However, it is cats that gave me a pleasant time.
As I walked around the campus to find my ways, I found these little creatures everywhere — walking, sleeping or playing. They are so well behaved and social. I saw students stroking them in an affectionate manner.
One day, I was waiting for a taxi at the main entrance of the institution to travel to another university. I was sitting on a chair, and another next to me was empty. A cat jumped onto the chair and gave me company.
Something more memorable happened another day. As I was eating my lunch in a crowded eating area, a cat jumped onto the table. I thought it was after food, but it had no such intentions in its appearance or expression. It just sat there like a well-behaved child while I finished by Malaysian Laksa.
In Bangladesh, Jahangirnagar University has a special reputation for sheltering migratory birds during winter. These non-human migrants attract human visitors on campus. Hopefully, the university authorities can maintain this annual visit of non-human and human beings.
I haven’t had a chance to visit Chittagong University which is likely to ensure the co-existence of human and non-human on campus.
The non-human presence in higher education institutions can be a source of reflection, attraction and sustainability. Universities are expected to commit to some of these attributes more than other institutions.
Obaidul Hamid is an associate professor at the University of Queensland in Australia. He researches language, education and society in the developing world. He is a co-editor of Current Issues in Language Planning.
