Lok Sabha Question No. 3698 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-03-24
Subject: Wildlife Attack
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: Shri E T Mohammed Basheer

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

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3698

TO BE ANSWERED ON 24.03.2025

## Wildlife Attack

## 3698.   SHRI E T MOHAMMED BASHEER:

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

- (a) whether it has come to the notice of the Government that the Human-Animal Conflict is increasing;
- (b) if so, the details of the steps taken by the Government to address this issue;
- (c) whether the  Government has made any study on the reasons for increase  in HumanAnimal conflict, if so, the details thereof; and
- (d) the details of casualties caused due to wildlife attack, State-wise?

## ANSWER

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

- (a) to (c) Incidences of human-wildlife conflict have been reported from various parts of the country. The information available with the Ministry indicates state wise fluctuating statistics  with  regard  to  human-wildlife  conflict  in  the  country.  The  reasons  for human-wildlife conflict include:
- i. Degradation of the habitat, depletion of the natural prey base, resource use in the wildlife habitat by human beings for various reasons like grazing, fuelwood, grass removal and exploitation of wild fruits , etc.
- ii. Increase in population of wild animals due to sustained protection efforts.
- iii. Changing crop patterns,  presence of  stray  dogs  and  cattle  in  forest  fringe areas etc.

The important steps taken by Government for protection of wildlife and to address human-wildlife conflict include the following:

- i. 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
2. 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.
- ii. An advisory on dealing with human-wildlife conflict has been issued by the Ministry in February 2021. The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has also issued guidelines to States/UTs on 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 humanwildlife conflict situations on 21.03.2023.
- iv. The Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 provides regulatory functions for dealing with human wildlife conflict situations.
- 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 Ministry has enhanced the amount of ex-gratia relief in case of death or permanent  incapacitation  due  to  wild  animal  attacks  during  December  2023 from  Rs.  5  lakhs  to  10  lakhs  under  the  Centrally  Sponsored  SchemeDevelopment of Wildlife Habitats.
- vii. In  accordance  with  provisions  contained  under  Section  33  of  the  Wild  Life (Protection) Act, 1972, the Ministry  has issued  guidelines  for  the  process  of management planning for protected areas and other landscape elements.
9. (d) As per available reports in the Ministry, the details of human deaths due to attack by tigers  and  elephants  during  the  last  five  years  in  various  states  are  given  at Annexure-I and Annexure-II.

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Annexure-I Annexure referred to in reply to part (d) of the Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 3698

due for reply on 24.03.2025 regarding 'Wildlife Attack'.

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        | Karnataka      |      0 |      1 |      1 |      8 |      2 |
| 5        | Kerala         |      2 |      0 |      0 |      0 |      0 |
| 6        | Madhya Pradesh |     11 |      2 |      3 |     10 |      6 |
| 7        | Maharashtra    |     25 |     32 |     82 |     37 |     42 |
| 8        | Tamil Nadu     |      1 |      3 |      0 |      1 |      0 |
| 9        | Telangana      |      2 |      0 |      0 |      0 |      1 |
| 10       | Uttar Pradesh  |      4 |     11 |     11 |     25 |     10 |
| 11       | Uttarakhand    |      0 |      1 |      3 |      0 |      5 |
| 12       | West Bengal    |      5 |      5 |      1 |      0 |      1 |
| Total    | Total          |     51 |     59 |    110 |     85 |     73 |

Annexure-II Annexure referred to in reply to part (d) of the Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 3698 due for reply on 24.03.2025 regarding 'Wildlife Attack'.

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 |

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