Lok Sabha Question No. 2378 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-08-04
Subject: Human-Animal Conflict
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: Shri Baijayant Panda

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2378

TO BE ANSWERED ON 04.08.2025

## Human-Animal Conflict

## 2378.   SHRI BAIJAYANT PANDA:

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

- (a) the  names  of  top  five  States  that  have  recorded  the  highest  number  of  humanwildlife  conflict  incidents  during  the  last  three  years,  including  the  number  of human and animal casualties reported in each State;
- (b) the  details  of  primary  wildlife  species  involved  in  these  conflicts  and  whether these  incidents  correlate  with  patterns  of  habitat  fragmentation,  deforestation,  or land-use change;
- (c) the key steps taken to safeguard both local communities and wildlife in conflict zones;
- (d) whether the Government is working on ecological restoration, wildlife corridors, or rehabilitation to address the root causes and support animal welfare and if so, the details thereof; and
- (e) the  details  of  any  long-term  assessments  or  expert  consultations  conducted  to guide sustainable human-wildlife coexistence?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE (SHRI KIRTI VARDHAN SINGH)

(a)

- to (e) Management of wildlife including mitigation of human-animal conflicts is primarily the responsibility of the concerned State Government/Union Territory  administration.  As  per  the  information  received  from  the State/UT  Governments,  the  details  of  loss  of  human  over  the  last  five The  common  species  involved  in  these  conflicts  are Tiger,  Leopard,  Elephant,  Black  Buck,  Bear,  Crocodile,  Indian  Gaur,

years due to attack by tigers and elephants are provided at Annexure-I and Annexure-II. Indian Porcupine, Wild Boar, Nilgai and snakes.

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

- i. The  Central  Government  provides  financial assistance to State

Governments/Union  Territory  Administrations  under  the  Centrally Sponsored Schemes, 'Integrated Development of Wildlife Habitats' for management of wildlife and its habitat including management of human-wildlife  conflict  in  the  country.  The  activities  supported under the schemes include construction/erection of physical barriers such as solar powered electric fence, bio-fencing, boundary walls etc. to prevent the entry of wild animals into crop fields, payment of exgratia relief to the victims of human-wildlife conflicts.

- ii. An advisory on dealing with human-wildlife conflict has been issued by  the  Ministry  in  February  2021.  The  Ministry  has  also  issued guidelines to State Governments/Union Territory Administrationson 3 rd June,  2022  on  managing  human-wildlife  conflicts  including damage to crops.
- iii. The Ministry has also issued species-specific guidelines to deal with human-wildlife conflict situations on 21.03.2023.
- iv. The  Section  11  (1)  (a)  of  the  Wild  Life  (Protection)  Act,  1972, empowers the State/UT Chief Wild Life Wardens to grant permits for hunting  animals  falling  in  Schedule  I  of  the  Act,  which  become dangerous to human life. Further, The Section 11 (1) (b) of the Act empowers  State/UT  Chief  Wild  Life  Warden  or  any  authorized officer  to  grant  permits  for  hunting  of  wild  animals  falling  under Schedule-II  of  the  Act,  if  such  animals  have  become  dangerous  to human life or property.
- v. A network  of  protected  areas  namely,  National  Parks,  Sanctuaries, Conservation Reserves and Community Reserves covering important wildlife  habitat  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. The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) and the Wildlife Institute  of  India,  in  accordance  with  Section  38O(1)(g)  of  the Wildlife  (Protection)  Act,  1972,  have  identified  32  major  tiger corridors in the country . The NTCA Guidelines (2012) and Standard Operating Procedures guide tiger and habitat management. Similarly, the Ministry has also identified 150 elephant corridors in the country in  2023.  The  Ministry  along  with  the  State  Governments  and  UT administrations has initiated the preparation of Regional Action Plan to address the long term conservation and management of elephants in the contiguous landscape.

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## Annexure referred to in reply to part (a) to (e) of the Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 2378 due for reply on 04.08.2025 regarding 'Human-animal conflict'.

## The details of human deaths during last five years due to tiger attacks, year-wise and State-wise

| S. No.   | State          |   2020 |   2021 |   2022 |   2023 |   2024 |
|----------|----------------|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|
| 1        | Assam          |      0 |      0 |      0 |      0 |      4 |
| 2        | Bihar          |      1 |      4 |      9 |      1 |      2 |
| 3        | Chhattisgarh   |      0 |      0 |      0 |      3 |      0 |
| 4        | Jharkhand      |      0 |      0 |      0 |      0 |      0 |
| 5        | Karnataka      |      0 |      1 |      1 |      8 |      2 |
| 6        | Kerala         |      2 |      0 |      0 |      0 |      0 |
| 7        | Madhya Pradesh |     11 |      2 |      3 |     10 |      6 |
| 8        | Maharashtra    |     25 |     32 |     82 |     37 |     42 |
| 9        | Mizoram        |      0 |      0 |      0 |      0 |      0 |
| 10       | Odisha         |      0 |      0 |      0 |      0 |      0 |
| 11       | Rajasthan      |      0 |      0 |      0 |      0 |      0 |
| 12       | Tamil Nadu     |      1 |      3 |      0 |      1 |      0 |
| 13       | Telangana      |      2 |      0 |      0 |      0 |      1 |
| 14       | Uttar Pradesh  |      4 |     11 |     11 |     25 |     10 |
| 15       | Uttarakhand    |      0 |      1 |      3 |      0 |      5 |
| 16       | West Bengal    |      5 |      5 |      1 |      0 |      1 |
| Total    | Total          |     51 |     59 |    110 |     85 |     73 |

## Annexure referred to in reply to parts (a) to (e) of the Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 2378 due for reply on 04.08.2025 regarding 'Human-animal conflict'.

## The details of human deaths during last five years due to elephant attacks, year-wise and State-wise

| S. No.   | State             |   2019-20 |   2020-21 |   2021-22 |   2022-23 |   2023-24 |
|----------|-------------------|-----------|-----------|-----------|-----------|-----------|
| 1        | Andhra Pradesh    |         4 |         6 |         4 |         5 |         6 |
| 2        | Arunachal Pradesh |         0 |         2 |         2 |         0 |         0 |
| 3        | Assam             |        75 |        91 |        63 |        80 |        74 |
| 4        | Chhattisgarh      |        77 |        42 |        64 |        69 |        51 |
| 5        | Jharkhand         |        84 |        74 |       133 |        96 |        87 |
| 6        | Karnataka         |        30 |        26 |        27 |        29 |        48 |
| 7        | Kerala            |        12 |        20 |        25 |        22 |        23 |
| 8        | Maharashtra       |         1 |         0 |         0 |         2 |         5 |
| 9        | Meghalaya         |         4 |         6 |         3 |         3 |         7 |
| 10       | Nagaland          |         0 |         0 |         0 |         1 |         1 |
| 11       | Odisha            |       117 |        93 |       112 |       148 |       154 |
| 12       | Tamil Nadu        |        58 |        57 |        37 |        43 |        61 |
| 13       | Tripura           |         2 |         1 |         2 |         2 |         1 |
| 14       | Uttar Pradesh     |         6 |         1 |         0 |         4 |         4 |
| 15       | Uttarakhand       |         9 |        13 |        12 |         4 |         8 |
| 16       | West Bengal       |       116 |        47 |        77 |        97 |        99 |
|          | Total             |       595 |       479 |       561 |       605 |       629 |