Kerala seeks amendments to the Wildlife Protection Act from the Centre

Kerala's Requests to the Union Government

Revise WLPA, 1972 to permit culling of “man-eating” or hazardous wild animals without unnecessary procedural hold-ups.

Designate Wild Boars as Vermin under Section 62 of the Act, allowing their hunting in specified zones for a restricted duration.

Remove Bonnet Macaques from Schedule I, enabling wildlife authorities to directly capture and relocate them.

Causes of the rise in human-wildlife conflict.

Deteriorated Habitats: Logging, construction projects, and agricultural growth have reduced and broken up wildlife habitats.

Increase in Specific Animal Numbers: Surge in the wild pig and monkey populations, particularly bonnet macaques, has intensified the conflict.

Human Actions: Livestock grazing in wooded regions and alterations in farming methods draw wild animals.

Ecological Imbalances: The decrease in apex predator populations from past hunting policies has caused an abnormal rise in herbivore species.

The Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972

– The WLPA, 1972 comprises six schedules that designate various levels of protection:

Schedules I & II: Offer the highest level of protection to species such as tigers, elephants, and others. Violations under these schedules carry the severest penalties.

Schedule V: Enumerates species deemed ‘vermin,’ including common crows, fruit bats, rats, and mice, which may be hunted freely.

Process for declaring Vermin

– Request from State Government: A state government may ask the Central Government to classify a wild animal as vermin if it is causing substantial problems such as property destruction, crop loss, or threatening human safety or livestock.

– Central Government Notice: The Central Government may, through a notice, classify a wild animal (excluding those listed in Schedule I and Part II of Schedule II) as vermin for a designated region and time frame.

– Loss of Protection: When labeled as vermin, the animal no longer has protection from the Wildlife Protection Act.

What worries people?

Ecological Disruption: The balance between predators and prey is impacted by mass culling, which leaves a void in the food chain.

Danger to Non-target Animals: Tigers and leopards have been captured in wild boar traps in Karnataka and other states.

Absence of Data: A lot of decisions are made without thorough information on conflict hotspots, crop damage, or species populations.

Moral Issues:

Animal life's sanctity: Mass or unwarranted culling raises ethical questions regarding wild animals' right to life.

Species Discrimination: Designating some animals as "vermin" can result in their systematic eradication for reasons of convenience rather than ecological necessity.

Welfare Violations: Both target and non-target species frequently endure needless suffering as a result of lethal traps and cruel killing techniques.