Union Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change issued gazette notification to cull Nilgai (Boselaphus tragocamelus) & Wild Boar (Sus scrofa) Ungulates ‘Least Concern’ animal under Schedule III & Schedule I of the International Union for Conservation of Nature & Natural Resources/IUCN Red Data Book for Threatened Animal List on December 1, 2015 after Bihar Government sent a proposal to categorize Nilgai & Wild Boar a ‘Vermin’ in the wake of immense destruction & devastation caused by these species to the farmers & agricultural yields which shall remain in force for 1 year from the date of gazette notification.
Legal Status of ‘Vermin’ in India
Wildlife Protection Act 1972 means ‘Vermin’ under Section 2(34) as wild animal species specified in Schedule V.
Section 11 assigns hunting of wild animals to be permitted in certain cases & subject to provisions of Chapter IV the Chief Wildlife Warden may permit any person to hunt such animal or cause such animals to be haunted listed under Schedule I, Schedule II, Schedule III, or Schedule IV in case such animal has threat to human life, health & property or they become disable or diseased.
Section 62 of the Wildlife Protection Act allows the Central Government may, by notification declare any wild animals other than those specified in Schedule I and Part II of Schedule II to be vermin for any area and for such period as may be specified therein and so long as such notification is in force, such wild animal shall be deemed to have been included in Schedule V.
Current Confrontation on Nilgai Culling
Union Cabinet Minister for Women & the Child Development Menka Gandhi raised serious dissatisfaction to the Union Minister for State for Environment, Forest & Climate change permitting to cull Nilgai in Bihar. Being a wildlife activist she has been fighting for animal’s rights since so long publicly criticized Prakash Javadekar for accepting Bihar Government’s proposal for declaring Nilgai a ‘vermin’. Though MoEFCC issued gazette notification on December 1 last year allowed culling Nilgai in 31 Districts as well as Wild Boar in 10 Districts in Bihar. Menka’s remark came after more than 250 Nilgai have reportedly been culled in the Great Ganga Tal region of Mokama in Bihar in 2016. The State Government hired professional sharp shooters from Hyderabad to shot Nilgai down.
Now Bihar Government ordered back to shot Nilgai hiring sharp shooters from Hyderabad. Since 2016 to till now, human-nilgai conflict in Gangatic basin in Bihar, has been prevailing & the Government didn’t address this issue seriously except ordering to shoot these innocent animals.
Bihar Government & Human-Animal Conflicts
Forest cover has been shrinking rapidly over a decade or more in the State of Bihar & neighboring State of Jharkhand imposing an explosive population rise of Nilgai & Wild Boar. Depleting forest area & food scarcity forced them to migrate in the farmlands. Animal-Human conflicts became a day-to-day encounter. State Government has been sleeping since last 2 decades & I don’t think that Government has ever adopted primary preventive & mitigation measures to avoid such ongoing animal-human conflict. Since last two decades, Nilgai has intruded in 31 Districts & Wild Boar has expanded up to 10 Districts. State Government was aware of the ongoing conflict between Nilgai & humans. So far the Government never set up a group of expert team for studying such animal behavior & their reproductive cycle that could have been instrumental for tackling such conflictive encounters. The State Government failed providing preliminary training & methods to prevent such animals ruining their farmlands & crops. When there are serial methodologies to mitigate such conflicts like chain fencing, chemical contraception, trained wild dogs or bringing such animal to the wildlife sanctuary where they become the part of the natural food chain. Since last 15-20 years the State didn’t loss the forest cover only but wetlands have continuously been degraded & depleted where Nilgai & wild boars have their homelands.
While presenting annual budget (2013-2014), then Finance Minister Sushil Modi set up reward funds for shooting Nilgai & one who would kill Nilgai, shall be awarded Rs 500 per animal. But Nilgai is supposedly a sacred & holy animal & killing is considered as sin. This reward has been expanded to over Rs 1000 during different fiscal years thereafter.
Why is this uproar now?
Though Union MoEFCC has issued a gazette notification dated December 1 2015 for a year to cull Nilgai & Wild Boars in 31 & 10 Districts respectively, why is this hue & cry going on now? Nilgai & farmers conflict in Bihar is decades older. This uproar could be seen as a part of scoring political points when Prime Minister Modi’s ministers have come across head on collision on this Nilgai’s culling issue. Animal activists have contributed nothing on ground zero & they have no idea about the damage done so far. Explosive Demographic transitions have forced the farmers in Patna, Nalanda, Lakhisarai, and Vaishali to stop staple & commercial crop farming. I found most of the wild activists are merely opposing because they have a conducive environment where they can target the Central Government without talking of decade’s failure of the Bihar Government.
Intensity of crisis has turned into a menace for the farmers. Now it’s time to think what measures should be adopted to bring down this conflict peacefully without culling & haunting such innocent animals. There is a time to think that we have destroyed such animal’s habitat & if they are migrating to the plain they aren’t responsible for this transition. They have been forced to change their landscape & ultimately the cost of blind unsustainable development & growth story has been coming to end not only with Animal-Human conflict but its bringing deep rooted marginalization of ecosystems & biodiversity.
This is a tragedy came after the State Government orders to shoot nilgai & wild boars, the State Biodiversity Board,Bihar is working on a mission mode to set up Panchayat Biodiversity Committees in the whole State & now the killing order to Nilgai & wild boar in Muzaffarpur is itself raising questions over the credibility of Government’s intention to set up such limbless committees.