Problematic wildlife causing damage to human property and crops can now be declared vermins for a specified period in a given area, following which they can be culled without restriction. The Environment Ministry has released advisory in this regard in the context of managing human wildlife conflict.
The species under Schedule I & Part II of Schedule II which are listed as endangered are however exempted from this advisory. If implemented, it will apply to animals as blue bulls, wild boars that destroy crops but also to animals like wild dogs, chitals, sambars, langurs, and many species of birds that damage crops.
According to the advisory, States have been asked to send proposals to declare wild animals or their herds as vermin if they pose threat to human property/ crops, or if they have become so disabled or diseased as to be beyond recovery. While declaring animals as vermin, officials will not have to give any justification to hunt them as is the case with Schedule I animals like tigers and leopards.
Sections 11(1) (a)/ (b) of Wildlife Protection Act 1972, has already empowered the Chief Wildlife Wardens for hunting of any problem wild animal if it cannot be captured, tranquillised or translocated.
Further, Section 62 of WlPA also empowers Centre to declare wild animals other than those listed under Schedule I & II to be vermin for specified area and period. But no such proposals have been received by the Environment Ministry so far.
However, according to sources in the Ministry, despite specific advisories and guidelines from time to time for animals like tiger, leopard, bluebulls etc, the State Governments are not equipped to deal with the situation. There have been suggestions from many quarters that species like bluebull and wild boar should be put in Schedule V (vermin) of the WPA so their populations can be culled.
The sources further pointed out that to mitigate man-animal conflict outside the protected areas the Centre had even sought proposals to grant aid for managing man animal conflicts as a part of the annual plan of operations under the centrally-sponsored scheme for Integrated Development of Wildlife Habitats.
According to sources in the Ministry, the advisory comes in the wake of similar issues being raised by certain MP’s in Parliament, particularly in connection with the depredation of crops by wild boars and blue bulls. However, care must be taken that protected species should not be hunted in the name of elimination of vermins under political pressure.