Lok Sabha Question No. 2362 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-12-18
Subject: Wild Animal Attack
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT,  FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: Reddeppa Nallakonda Gari, Dinesh Lal "Nirahua" Yadav, S. Jagathrakshakan

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

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION No. 2362

TO BE ANSWERED ON 18.12.2023

## Wild Animal Attack

## 2362.    SHRI N. REDDEPPA:

## SHRI DINESH LAL YADAV 'NIRAHUA': SHRI S. JAGATHRAKSHAKAN:

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

- (a) the list of violent animals which damage the crop under Wild Animal Conservation Act, 1972;
- (b) the provision for granting compensation for damage caused to crops and humans by such animals;
- (c) the amount of compensation granted by the State Governments during the last two years, State-wise;
- (d) the steps taken by the Government to mitigate the damages caused to humans and crops as well as property by the wild animals including elephant as well as for the conservation of wild animals;
- (e) whether a comprehensive understanding of climate in conservation practices will help in establishing patterns of conflict and in predicting conflict between humans and wildlife; and
- (f) if  so,  the  details  of  the  initiatives  proposed  to  be  taken  by  the  Government  to  build singular  conflict  mitigation  programmes  across  various  National  Parks  and  privately owned forests and if not, the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER

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

(SHRI ASHWINI KUMAR CHOUBEY)

- (a) Wild  animals  are  listed  in  Schedule  I  and  Schedule  II  under  the  Wild  Life (Protection) Act, 1972. There have been reports indicating that damage of crops by animals like Blue Bull, Wild Pig, Elephants, etc. in the States. Section 11 of the Act  empowers  the  Chief  Wild  Life  Warden  to  permit  any  person  to  hunt  wild animal that has become dangerous to human life or property (including standing crops).
- (b) to (d) The States/Union Territories make ex-gratia payments for loss of livestock, crops

and human life including injuries due to human-wildlife conflicts as per the norms, which vary from State to State. The details of amount  paid as ex-gratia  in such cases are not collated at the level of the Ministry. However, as per the information available  in  the  Ministry,  the  details  of ex-gratia paid  during  last  two  years  for victims died due to tiger attacks is as Annexure- I.

The  important steps taken by Government  for  protection of wildlife and management of human-wildlife conflict are as follows:

- i. The Ministry has issued advisory on 06.02.2021 to all States/UTs to deal with human wildlife conflict situations.
- ii. The  Ministry  has  issued  Guidelines  to  States/UTs  on  3 rd June,  2022  on managing Human Wildlife conflict including damage to crops.
- iii. The  Central  Government  provides  financial  assistance  to  State/Union Territory Governments under the Centrally Sponsored Schemes 'Development of Wildlife Habitats and 'Project Tiger and Elephant' for management  of  wildlife  and  its  habitat  in  the  country.  The  activities supported  under  the  scheme  include  construction/erection  of  physical barriers  such  as  barbed  wire  fence,  solar  powered  electric  fence,  biofencing  using  cactus,  boundary  walls  etc.  to  prevent  the  entry  of  wild animals  into  crop  fields,  including ex-gratia payment  for  depredation caused by wild animals.
- iv. The Ministry has released species specific guidelines on 21.03.2023  for mitigation  of  Human  -Elephant,  -Gaur,  -Leopard,  -Snake,  -Crocodile,  Rhesus Macaque, -Wild Pig, -Bear, -Blue Bull and -Blackbuck Conflict as well  as  Guidelines  for  cross  cutting  issues  such  as  cooperation  between the forest and media sector in India; occupational health and safety in the context  of  human-wildlife  conflict  mitigation;   crowd  management  in human-wildlife conflict related situations and addressing health emergencies  and  potential  health  risks  arising  out  of  human-wildlife conflict situations.
- v. Government of India has issued Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)/guidelines  to  manage  Human-Tiger/Human-Leopard  /HumanElephant conflict.
- vi. A network of Protected  Areas namely  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.
- vii. The Wild Life (Protection)  Act,  1972  provides for stringent  punishment for violation of its provisions. The Act also provides for forfeiture of any equipment,  vehicle  or  weapon  that  is  used  for  committing  wildlife offence(s).
- viii. Alerts and advisories were issued by WCCB on poaching and illegal trade of  wildlife  to  the  concerned  State  and  Central  agencies  for  preventive action.
- ix. The  local  communities  are  involved  in  conservation  measures  through

eco-development activities which help the forest departments in protection of wildlife

- (e) and (f) The  Ministry  of  Environment,  Forest  and  Climate  Change  has  released  the National  Wild  Life  Action  Plan  (2017-2031)  on  2 nd October  2017.  The  Action Plan  provides  a  dedicated  Chapter  on  'Integrating  Climate  Change  in  Wildlife Planning' and provides for priority projects to address impacts of Climate Change on wildlife.

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## Annexure referred to in reply to part (b) to (d) of the Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 2362 due for reply on 18.12. 2023 regarding 'Wild Animal Attack'

The details of ex-gratia payment for human deaths due to tiger attack, as reported by States

(Rs. In lakhs)

| S. No.   | State             |   2021 |   2022 |
|----------|-------------------|--------|--------|
| 1        | Andhra Pradesh    |    0   |    0   |
| 2        | Arunachal Pradesh |    0   |    0   |
| 3        | Assam             |    0   |    0   |
| 4        | Bihar             |    5   |   30   |
| 5        | Chhattisgarh      |    0   |    0   |
| 6        | Jharkhand         |    0   |    0   |
| 7        | Karnataka         |    7.5 |    7.5 |
| 8        | Kerala            |    0   |    0   |
| 9        | Madhya Pradesh    |    0   |    4   |
| 10       | Maharashtra       |  420   | 1395   |
| 11       | Mizoram           |    0   |    0   |
| 12       | Orissa            |    0   |    0   |
| 13       | Rajasthan         |    0   |    0   |
| 14       | Tamil Nadu        |   12   |    0   |
| 15       | Telangana         |    0   |    0   |
| 16       | Uttar Pradesh     |   43   |   34   |
| 17       | Uttarakhand       |    4   |    4   |
| 18       | West Bengal       |   16   |    4   |
|          | Total             |  507.5 | 1478.5 |

***