Wildlife Act Unchanged: Central Government Stands Firm Amidst Kerala's 'Vermin' Request

The Central Government has decided not to amend the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972, to provide states with more authority in managing wild animal attacks. This response came after repeated requests from Kerala to declare wild pigs as 'vermin' due to increasing human-wildlife conflicts and crop damage.

The Central Government has clarified that it has no intentions to amend the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 to extend more power to states in managing wild animal attacks. This declaration was made in response to an inquiry by CPI-M Rajya Sabha member, V Sivadasan.

Union Minister of State for Environment, Kirti Vardhan Singh, asserted that wildlife protection and human-wildlife conflict management is primarily the responsibility of state and Union Territory governments. He detailed that under Section 11 of the Act, state chief wildlife wardens have the authority to permit hunting of certain wild animals if deemed dangerous.

Kerala has been urging the Centre to categorize wild pigs as 'vermin' due to rising human-animal conflict, but the Central Government remains firm on its stance, advising the state to use existing provisions. In response, Kerala has allowed licensed hunting of wild boars under a special order, extended for another year as of May 2022.

(With inputs from agencies.)