Man-Animal Conflict

Man-Animal Conflict

News: The Male Tiger (name T23) has been responsible for the death of four persons in villages around Mudumalai Tiger Reserve (TN). Efforts to capture the animal had been unfruitful and after locals protest, TN Chief Wildlife Warden has ordered to hunt the Tiger T23 as a last resort

Causes:
• People are increasingly encroaching into the country’s traditional wild spaces and animal sanctuaries, where people compete with wildlife for food and other resources.
• Animal usual corridors blocked by highways, railway tracks, and factories. This results in ecological dislocation of sorts, wherein endangered wild animals like tigers either cause distress or land themselves in trouble
• ‘Human-Wildlife conflict mitigation measures are dysfunctional, haphazardly implemented, and therefore not effective
• Wildlife experts estimate that 29 percent of the tigers in India are outside the protected areas. Wildlife experts claim that territorial animals do not have enough space within reserves and their prey do not have enough fodder to thrive on.

Impact of Human-Animal Conflicts:
• Livestock depredation impacts ecosystem and biodiversity
• Loss of human life
• Impacts local communities who depend on forest
• Injuries to wildlife

Way forward:
• WWF India had developed the ‘Sonitpur Model’ during 2003-2004 by which community members were connected with the state forest department. They were given training on how to work with them to drive elephants away from crop fields safely. Afterward, crop losses dropped to zero for four years running. Human and elephant deaths also reduced significantly.
• Advisory for management of Human-Wildlife Conflict (HWC) approved by Standing Committee of National Board of Wildlife (SC-NBWL):
• Empower gram panchayatsin dealing with the problematic wild animals as per the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
• Utilize add-on coverage under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojnafor crop compensation against crop damage due to HWC.
• Augment fodder and water sources within the forest areas.
• The advisory prescribes inter-departmental committees at the local/state level, adoption of early warning systems, creation of barriers, dedicated circle wise Control Rooms with toll-free hotline numbers which could be operated on a 24X7 basis.