Declaring Wildlife as Vermin: Legalising Hunting?
This piece finds place on Conservation India . Thanks Ramki. Uttarakhand, Bihar and Himachal Pradesh have had – in recent months – notifications issued by the Central Government stating that select species of wildlife have been declared as vermin in specified areas. In other words for a specified period, in these areas, the wild pig in Uttarakhand, wild pig and Nilgai in Bihar and Rhesus Macaque in Himachal Pradesh are shifted to schedule five of the Wildlife Protection Act. Besides, Maharashtra and Telangana have had culling orders issued by the Chief Wildlife Wardens. The latter has even appointed a panel of hunters! These decisions – for species that are damaging human life or property (including crops) – appear to be ad hoc and random. To begin with, the National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) has not met in recent months so the chances of an issue as critical as this having been discussed by the country’s apex body are next to nil. These notifications and orders have impo