Amid concerns expressed in the Rajya Sabha over reports that 'Nilgais' had been killed in Bihar, Environment Minister Anil Madhav Dave on Monday sought to put the records straight, saying the Centre had not given any permission to the States for culling of wild animals.
Dave clarified that States "utilise the powers vested with them under Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 to mitigate human-wildlife conflict". These include scientific management of population by translocation of animals, fertility control of animals, construction of barriers, improvement of habitat, use of deterrents.
He further said that declaring a species as vermin is only for a limited period of time and only in areas outside forest, adding that the losses borne by farmers in crop raids by animals, cannot be ignored either.
He furnished details on the basis of which Bihar had proposed to get Nilgai and Wild Pig declared as vermin while Himachal Pradesh had sought similar status for Rhesus Macaque. Other States, including Maharashtra and Gujarat has placed similar requests for Nilgai, besides Uttarakhand for wild pig.