The Kerala government has demanded empowering States with the power to declare as vermin those wild animals that lead to loss of lives and damage crops and have been witnessing an unchecked population growth.
The demand was put forth among a set of recommendations sent to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Science, Technology, Environment, Forest and Climate Change which has been examining the Wild Life (Protection) Amendment Bill, 2021.
The move comes against the backdrop of the Centre rejecting repeated requests made by the State government to declare wild pigs as vermin.
According to Forest Minister A.K. Saseendran, the State also expressed its strong objection to the inclusion of pet animals under the purview of the proposed legislation. As many as 1,342 species, including those that are nurtured and sold as pets by private individuals and small-scale traders, have been proposed to be brought under a separate list in order to strictly regulate such activities through registering transfer and ownership.
The government also called for retaining the provision that enables the owners of captive elephants that possessed ownership certificates to transfer ownership and relocate the animals. The demand was made after considering the possibility of elephant owners finding it difficult to bear the financial expenses required for ensuring the welfare of captive elephants.
The other proposals include instituting a national insurance scheme for loss of lives and crop damage by wild animals and to allocate adequate funds for undertaking studies required to mitigate man-animal conflicts.
