Lok Sabha Question No. 3630 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-08-08
Subject: Poaching/Killing of Wild Animals
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT,  FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: Badruddin Ajmal

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3630

TO BE ANSWERED ON 08.08.2022

## Poaching/Killing of Wild Animals

## 3630. SHRI M. BADRUDDIN AJMAL:

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

- (a) whether a large number of cases related to poaching/killing/death of rhinos and elephants in Assam specially in Kaziranga National Park come to notice every year;
- (b) if  so,  the  number  of  such  cases  registered  and  the  number  of  wild  animal killed/poached  during  the  last  three  years  including  current  year,  year-wise along with the cause of death/killing; and
- (c) the steps taken by the Government in this regard?

## ANSWER

MINISTER  OF  STATE  IN  THE  MINISTRY  OF  ENVIRONMENT,  FOREST  AND CLIMATE CHANGE

(SHRI ASHWINI KUMAR CHOUBEY)

- (a) As  per  the  information  received  from  the  State  Government  of  Assam, poaching/killing  of  rhinos  has  been  controlled  significantlyin  all  rhino bearing  Protected  Areas  in  Assamsince  2019.The  number  of  cases  of elephant poaching in the State has also been insignificant since 2019.
- (b) In view of (a) above, the question does not arise.
- (c) The  steps  taken  by  the  Government  to  control  poaching  include  the following:
- i. Legal  protection  has  been  provided  to  wild  animals  against hunting and commercial exploitation under theprovisions of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972.
- ii. Endangered species of animals including tiger, elephant,rhinoceros,lion, etc. are listed under Schedule -I of the Wild  Life  (Protection)  Act,  1972  thereby  according  them  the highest degree of protection.
- iii. The  Wild  Life  (Protection)  Act,  1972,  provides  for  stringent punishments  for  wildlife  offences.  The  Act  also  provides  for forfeiture  of  any  equipment,  vehicles  or  weapons  that  is  used for committing wildlife offences.
- iv. The  Wild  Life  Crime  Control  Bureau  has  been  set  up  to strengthen the enforcement of law for control of poaching and
- illegal trade in wildlife and its products by gathering intelligence,  coordinating  with  the  States/UTs  and  also  with border and trans border authorities.
- v. Protected Areas, viz., National Parks, sanctuaries, conservation reserves  and  community  reserves  covering  important  wildlife habitats  have  been  created  all  over  the  country  under  the provisions of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 to conserve wild animals and their habitats.
- vi. Financial  and  technical  assistance  is  provided  to  the  State/ Union  Territory  Governments  under  the  Centrally  Sponsored Schemes of 'Development of Wildlife Habitats', 'Project Tiger' and 'Project Elephant' for providing better protection to wildlife and improvement of its habitat.
- vii. The Central Bureau of Investigation has been empowered under the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 to apprehend and prosecute wildlife offenders.
- viii. The  Ministry  has  initiated  Rhino  DNA  Indexing  System  to counter  poaching  threats  to  one-horned  rhinoceros  and  aid population management.
- ix. Special Rhino Protection Force has been created in Kaziranga National  Park  with  the  help  of  NTCA.  This  force  istrained  to combat  the  problem  of  poaching  of  rhinoceros,  elephants, tigers, etc. in Kaziranga, Assam.

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