Kerala Legislative Assembly on February 14 unanimously passed a resolution urging the Union Government to amend relevant sections of the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972 to address the escalating human-animal conflict (wild Boar) in the state.
Key points
- Section 11 of the 1972 Act regulates hunting of wild animals. As per clause (1)(A) of the section, the Chief Wildlife Warden (CWLW) of a state may permit hunting or killing of Schedule I (mammals) animal.
- However, he can only order the killing of a wild animal specified in Schedule I (mammals) if has become dangerous to human life or disabled or diseased beyond recovery.
- The section gives powers to the CWLW to order killing of such a wild animal, if it cannot be tranquillised or relocated after capturing.
- Kerala wants to amend the Section 11 (1) (A) so as to devolve the above-mentioned powers of the CWLW to Chief Conservators of Forests (CCF) instead.
- Kerala also wants the Centre to declare wild boar as vermin, as per section 62 of the Wildlife Protection Act.
Vermin animal
- According to this section, the Union Government can notify any wild animal as vermin for a period of time in an area/state.
- An animal is declared as vermin when it poses threat to life and crops. Nilgais were declared as vermin across 20 districts in Bihar for a year in 2015.
- The Centre cited “large-scale destruction of agriculture” as the ground for declaring monkeys (Rhesus macaque) vermin in Shimla municipality in 2019.
