'Centre has not given any permission for culling of wild animals'

Centre has not given any permission to states for culling of wild animals, Environment and Forests Minister Anil Madhav Dave on Monday said as concerns were expressed in Rajya Sabha over reports that nilgais had
been killed in Bihar.

"The ministry has not given permission for culling of wild animals," Dave said in reply to questions in the House.

States, he said, utilise the powers vested with them under Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 to mitigate human-wildlife conflict that include "scientific management of population by translocation of animals, fertility control of animals, construction of barriers, improvement of habitat, use of deterrents etc."

The minister said "declaration vermin for a limited period is a response only for dealing with overpopulation in some areas, outside forests."

He stressed that the concerns of small farmers, whose crops are affected in situation of man-animal conflict should also be factored in.

Addressing concerns over nilgai, Dave, who took over the charge of the ministry recently, said the number of wild animals has not gone down.

He also gave details as per which Bihar had proposed to get nilgai and wild pig declared as vermin while Himachal Pradesh had sought the same status for rhesus macaque.

Other states which had given similar requests include Uttarakhand for wild pig, Maharashtra for nilgai and wild pig and Gujarat for nilgai.