Call for Wildlife Act Reform Amid Human-Animal Conflict
Jose K Mani, head of Kerala Congress(M), urges central government to amend Wildlife Act to address human-animal conflict. Despite demands from Kerala's government and MPs, no revisions have been made. Mani highlights current legal repercussions for killing threatening wildlife and calls for clear guidelines.
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Jose K Mani, the chairman of Kerala Congress(M), has called for amendments to the Wildlife Act to tackle the ongoing human-animal conflict. Mani, who is also a Rajya Sabha MP, emphasized that the central government has not responded to repeated requests for changes, despite the pressing situation.
Currently, under the Wildlife Protection Act, it is not considered a crime to neutralize wild animals that threaten human settlements, but individuals who do so face non-bailable charges filed by the Forest Department. Mani argued for clarification on these laws to prevent unjust prosecution.
He, along with other MPs, approached Union Minister for Environment, Forests and Climate Change, Bhupender Yadav, requesting a directive to permit the killing of dangerous wild animals. However, no action has been taken by the central authorities so far.
(With inputs from agencies.)
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