yet again ... getting lost ... then enjoying self-discovery ...

The lack of research on the topic is stark. The situation is complex and one that warrants time and attention from multiple stakeholders. A few months ago, the Union environment ministry asked states to submit proposals if they wanted to declare as vermin certain wildlife species that were causing harm to crops, property or human life. Declaring theses species as vermin would allow state and forest authorities to kill these animals without attracting penal provisions under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. Subsequently, three states were given permission to designate as vermin species that were proving to be a nuisance to humans. These were   wild pigs   in Uttarakhand,   nilgais and wild pigs   in Bihar and   rhesus macaques in Himachal Pradesh. A species can be declared vermin under Section 62 of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. Once this happens, the species moves to Schedule 5 of the Act and loses protection under the law. The recent mass killing of nilgais in Bi

Where the 'vermins' fight for survival... This article finds place in Deccan Herald on 7 th June 2016. Thanks are due to Deccan Herald , FIAPO and all the people who have been patient with my questions and helped increase my understanding on the topic. So what exactly is the situation when a species is declared ‘vermin’, I asked a lawyer working on environmental issues. We were discussing the recent government orders ( and notifications ) that allow hunting of select species. It is akin to a rat in your house — in other words, you can kill, eat or sell the species, I was told. So — for example — I can actually catch a nilgai ( in districts of Uttarakhand where it is declared a vermin ), tie it in front of my house, even beat it and it could not be questioned by law, I asked just to confirm. You are correct, came the reply. The Pocket Oxford Dictionary refers to vermin as ‘mammals and birds harmful to game, crops’. The Wildlife Protection Act in India has 2 pro