Lok Sabha Question No. 4015 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2018-08-10
Subject: Menace of Stray Animals
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT,  FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: PREM SINGH CHANDUMAJRA, KURUPPASSERY VARKEY THOMAS, M. CHANDRAKASI

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4015

TO BE ANSWERED ON 10.08.2018

## Menace of Stray Animals

## 4015:   PROF. PREM SINGH CHANDUMAJRA:

PROF. K.V. THOMAS:

SHRI M. CHANDRAKASI:

Will  the  Minister  of ENVIRONMENT,  FOREST  AND  CLIMATE  CHANGE be  pleased  to state:

- (a) the details regarding rate of decrease in the population of animals and increasing rate of human-animal  clash,  especially  attacks  on  human  beings  by  elephants,  stray  dogs  and monkeys, etc.;
- (b) whether  the  Government  received  complaints  regarding  attack  of  street  stray  dogs  in different parts of the country, if so, the details thereof along with the number of such cases reported during the last two years and the current year;
- (c) the  national  policy  on  breeding  and  rearing  of  different  categories  of  animals  like  pet animals, domestic-animals, wild-animals, etc.;
- (d) whether  guidelines  have  been  issued  to  deal  with  monkeys,  street  dogs  and  other  stray cattle in the country and about sterilization of these animals, if so, the details thereof; and
- (e) the details regarding permissible methods of sterilization/contraceptive on these animals in the country?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER  OF  STATE  IN  THE  MINISTRY  OF  ENVIRONMENT,  FOREST  AND CLIMATE CHANGE (DR. MAHESH SHARMA)

- (a)&(b) Management of wildlife is the responsibility of the concerned State/UT Governments. In respect of stray dogs, Central Government has enacted the Animal Birth Control (Dogs) Rules, 2001 to control the population of stray dogs through sterilization  and  immunization  of  stray  dogs  to  control  rabies  through  local bodies/Panchayats.

There  are  no  reports  indicating  the  rate  of  decrease  in  the  population  of  wild animals  and  increasing  rate  of  human-animal  clash,  especially  attacks  on  human beings by elephants, stray dogs and monkeys. However, the deaths of human beings by elephant attack are given in Annexure .

- (c) The Government has notified Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Dog Breeding and Marketing) Rules, 2017 with the objective to make dog breeders and their marketers accountable and to prevent any cruelty inflicted in this process. Ex situ and In situ conservation of wild animals including breeding in Zoos and Protected Areas of the country are permitted in States and UTs.
- (d) & (e) The Government has enacted the Animal Birth Control (Dogs) Rules, 2001 and as amended  in  2010  mandating  the  responsibility  on  the  local  bodies  to  carry  out Animal  Birth  Control  Programme  to  control  street/stray  dog  population  and  for prevention of rabies. This Ministry is implementing the Central Sector Scheme of Birth  Control  and  Immunization  of  stray  dogs  through  Animal  Welfare  Board  of India by providing grant-in-aid to the animal welfare organisation and local bodies for implementing the animal birth control programme.

The Ministry has issued guidelines in context of human-wildlife conflict to all the State Governments/Union Territory Administrations dated 24 th December, 2014 and 1 st June,  2015,  wherein  the  States  have  been  requested  to  take  pro-active  steps including  exercise  of  powers  under  the  Wild  Life  (Protection)  Act,  1972  for mitigation of human-wildlife conflict and also to send proposals to this Ministry, to declare appropriate animals as vermin, specify the area of applicability and period thereof, after objective assessment of the situation.

Further,  Ministry  has  approved  a  pilot  project  on  the  immuno-contraception  for controlling the population of wild animals responsible for damage and destruction of crops, namely; elephant, wild boar, monkey, and nilgai.

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## HUMAN DEATHS CAUSED BY ELEPHANTS

| S.No.   | State             |   2013-14 |   2014-15 |   2015-16 | 2016-17   | 2017-18   |
|---------|-------------------|-----------|-----------|-----------|-----------|-----------|
| 1       | Andhra Pradesh    |         3 |         2 |         0 | 2         | 6         |
| 2       | Arunachal Pradesh |         7 |         1 |         1 | NR        | NR        |
| 3       | Assam             |        87 |        54 |        31 | 91        | 72        |
| 4       | Chhattisgarh      |        23 |        32 |        53 | 74        | 74        |
| 5       | Jharkhand         |        56 |        53 |        66 | 59        | 84        |
| 6       | Karnataka         |        33 |        53 |        47 | 49        | 22        |
| 7       | Kerala            |         7 |        20 |         6 | 33        | 15        |
| 8       | Maharashtra       |         0 |         3 |         1 | 0         | 0         |
| 9       | Meghalaya         |        10 |         5 |         6 | 5         | 7         |
| 10      | Nagaland          |         0 |         1 |         1 | 1         | 0         |
| 11      | Odisha            |        67 |        64 |        63 | 65        | 100       |
| 12      | Tamil Nadu        |        52 |        31 |        47 | 43        | 49        |
| 13      | Tripura           |         0 |         1 |         0 | 2         | 0         |
| 14      | Uttar Pradesh     |         1 |         1 |         0 | 3         | NR        |
| 15      | Uttarakhand       |        10 |         7 |         7 | 4         | NR        |
| 16      | West Bengal       |        69 |        89 |       112 | 84        | 60        |
| Total   |                   |       425 |       417 |       441 | 515       | 489       |

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## Annexure