Kerala has sought an amendment to the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 to allow it to kill (Schedule 1) wild animals posing a threat to human life and properties. 

Wildlife Protection Act 1972

• WPA is a landmark piece of Indian legislation aimed at protecting wildlife and their habitats by providing a legal framework for wildlife conservation and management and regulation and control of trade in wild animals, plants and products made from them.
• Protected Areas Under the Act: Five types of protected areas have been constituted under the Act,
  • Wildlife Sanctuary, National Parks, Conservation Reserves, Community Reserves and Tiger Reserves
• Key Initiatives for Wildlife Under the Act:
  • Project Tiger: It was launched in 1973 to conserve the population of tigers. 
  • Project Elephant: It was launched by the central government in 1992 to protect and conserve elephants.
  • Wildlife Corridors: A total of 88 corridors were identified under the Act.
    • Example: India’s first urban wildlife corridor is  going to come up near the Asola Bhatti wildlife sanctuary between New Delhi and Haryana. 
• Provision in The Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 for Culling of Wild Animals:
  • Section 11(1)(a) of the Act: It empowers the Chief Wildlife Warden to grant permits for the hunting of animals listed in Schedule I if they become dangerous to human life or are incurably diseased.
  • Section 11(1)(b): It allows the chief wildlife warden or any authorised officer to grant permits for hunting wild animals listed in Schedule II, III, or IV if they become dangerous to human life or property or are disabled or diseased beyond recovery.
  • Section 62: It grants the central government the power to declare any wild animal, other than those specified in Schedule I and Schedule II as ‘vermin’ for any area and a specified period.
    • Once declared “vermin”, the species loses all legal protection, allowing unrestricted hunting.
  • Other provisions: The government also needs to follow the advisory of the Tiger Conservation Authority and Project Elephant Scheme while dealing with human-wildlife conflict.
• Wildlife Protection Act Amendment 2022
  • Protection: The Act seeks to increase the species protected under the law and implement CITES.
  • Categories: The number of schedules has been reduced to four from 6 earlier:
    • Schedule I: Contains animal species enjoying the highest level of protection
      • Examples: Chinkara/Indian Gazelle, Andaman Horseshoe Bat, Asiatic wild Dog/Dhole
    • Schedule II: For animal species subject to a lesser degree of protection
      • Examples: Nilgai, Spotted Deer/ Chittal, Indian Hedgehog       
    • Schedule III: For protected plant species
      • Example: Tree Turmeric, Neelakurinji, Blue Vanda
    • Schedule IV: For scheduled specimens under CITES
      • Example: Red Pandas, Otters etc
      • The Act permits the use of elephants for ‘religious or any other purposes’

Negative Impacts of Culling

• Collateral Damage: Methods of lethal control of human-wildlife conflict endanger the targeted species but traps and snares often prove fatal for non-targeted animals.
  • Example: Protected animals like tigers, leopards and bears were getting caught in traps placed for culling of wild boars in The Nagarhole National Park in Karnataka
• Increased Conflict: Mass unscientific culling disrupt the power hierarchy among the species as when the alpha member of the pack dies, the babies or sub-adults might cause havoc and create more conflict.
  • Example: The rhesus macaque population in Himachal Pradesh has reduced by 33.5 per cent as per the 2020 census yet,the conflicts have been increasing.
• Ecological Imbalance: Mass targeting of a certain species causes serious ecological imbalance as it would create a vacuum in the food chain, thereby negatively affecting the ecology.
• Population Genetics: Culling based on specific traits can create strong selection pressures, potentially removing beneficial traits from the population and reducing genetic diversity.
• Escalation of Retaliatory Killings: A government policy supporting culling can enhance illegal retaliatory killings of other wildlife species also when there is lack of information and awareness available threatening vulnerable species.
  • Example: Illegal poisoning of elephants in Palakkad due to crop raiding incidents highlights rising conflict-driven killings.
• Zoonotic Disease Risk: If the culled animal is not handled and disposed off properly, it can result in an increased risk of zoonotic diseases as culling 
• No Real Population Benefit: Several studies have shown that the population of the targeted animal has increased significantly after a brief decline period as the removal of some individuals makes space for more food and increased reproduction rates in those left.
• Ethical Concerns: Culling is widely seen as an inhuman and cruel practise involving poisoning, shooting or electrocution of animals taking away their right to life and their right to their habitat.

Way Forward

• Non Lethal means of Human-Wildlife Conflict Management: Non Lethal means like livestock guarding animals, deterrents and repellents, diversionary feeding and sterilisation have proven to be more effective than lethal ones.
• Maintain a Scientific Database: To maintain a database on the extent of crop damage and conduct scientific surveys or censuses on problem-causing animals and conflict patterns.
  • Example: Collect site-specific scientific information and design targeted mitigation plans empowering local communities to install and maintain on a sustained basis bio-fencing and power fencing around vulnerable areas.
• Community Involvement: Local communities need to be empowered with the knowledge and resources to manage conflicts effectively and offered a sustainable livelihood alternative reducing their dependence on natural resources and minimize conflict.
  • Example: Community-led crop protection measures in Wayanad reduced elephant raids by 30%.
• Habitat Management: Protecting and restoring wildlife habitats through protected areas, buffer zones, and wildlife corridors can reduce human-wildlife encounters by allowing animals to move freely and reducing habitat fragmentation.
• Technological Method: To use modern technological methods such as automated wildlife detection and warning systems through SMS based alerts, wildlife tracking through drones and rapid response so as to monitor and reduce conflicts, saving crops, property, and human lives.
• Employ Deterrents: Employing unpleasant deterrants like sound or using bright flashy lights or unpleasant smell discourage wildlife from approaching human areas.
  • Example: Using playbacks sounds like tiger growls or elephant vocalizations to deter crop raiding.
• Compensation Policy: Providing Crop insurance for wildlife damage should be included in the National Crop/Agricultural Insurance Programme as it will offset the losses faced by farmers while recognising wildlife as a part of the shared countryside.

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