Syllabus: GS3/ Environment
Context
- The Kerala government has urged the Union Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change to amend the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 (WLPA), so it can be allowed to kill wild animals that foray into human habitats.
Kerala’s Demands to the Union government
- Amend WLPA, 1972 to allow culling of “man-eating” or dangerous wild animals without excessive procedural delays.
- Declare Wild Boars as Vermin under Section 62 of the Act, permitting their hunting in designated areas for a limited time.
- Remove Bonnet Macaques from Schedule I, thus allowing wildlife authorities to take direct action like capture and relocation.
Reasons for increase in human-wildlife conflict
- Degraded Habitats: Deforestation, developmental activities, and agricultural expansion have shrunk and fragmented wildlife habitats.
- Rise in Certain Animal Populations: Explosion in the population of wild pigs and monkeys, especially bonnet macaques, has worsened the conflict.
- Human Activities: Grazing of cattle in forest areas and changes in cropping patterns attract wild animals.
- Ecological Imbalances: Decline in top predator species due to historical hunting policies has led to an unnatural increase in herbivorous species.
| The Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 – The WLPA, 1972 contains six schedules that assign different levels of protection: 1. Schedule I & II: Provide the highest protection to species like tigers, elephants, etc. Offences under these schedules attract the most stringent penalties. 2. Schedule V: Lists species classified as ‘vermin’, such as common crows, fruit bats, rats, and mice, which can be hunted without restriction. Procedure to declare Vermin – State Government’s Request: A state government can request the Central Government to declare a wild animal as vermin if it is causing significant issues like property damage, crop damage, or posing a threat to human life or livestock. – Central Government Notification: The Central Government can, by notification, declare a wild animal (except those in Schedule I and Part II of Schedule II) as vermin for a specific area and time period. – Loss of Protection: Once declared vermin, the animal loses its protection under the Wildlife Protection Act and can be hunted or culled without penalty. |
What are the Concerns?
- Ecological Disruption: Mass culling creates vacuum in the food chain and affects predator-prey balance.
- Risk to Non-target Species: Traps for wild boars have caught tigers and leopards in states like Karnataka.
- Lack of Data: Many decisions are made without comprehensive data on species population, crop damage, or conflict hotspots.
- Ethical Concerns:
- Sanctity of Animal Life: Unjustified or mass culling raises moral concerns about the right to life of wild animals.
- Species Discrimination: Labelling certain animals as ‘vermin’ can lead to systemic extermination based on human convenience, not ecological necessity.
- Welfare Violations: Lethal traps and inhumane killing methods often cause unnecessary suffering to both target and non-target species.
Source: TH
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