In this screenshot from a video filmed by a villager, a herd of wild elephants is seen in the Dhansiripar sub-division of Chümoukedima and the adjoining Beisumpuikam village in Peren district.
Dimapur, July 23 (MExN): During the last two fiscal years, Nagaland reported two deaths due to 'attack by wild animals,' according to data provided by the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) in the Parliament.
The State recorded one death each in 2022-23 and 2023-24, with elephants identified as the ‘culprits,’ reflected in a written reply by Union Minister of State (MoS) MoEFCC, Kirti Vardhan Singh, in the Lok Sabha on July 22.
However, no human casualties were reported in the remaining period as per the data provided by the Ministry up to 2023-24.
Across India, the number of human deaths caused by elephant attacks increased from 583 in 2022-23 to 606 in 2023-24, with Odisha leading with 154 deaths, followed by 99 in West Bengal and 87 in Jharkhand among the states.
Among the North-East states, Assam reported the highest number of deaths at 74 in 2023-24.
Additionally, India recorded 82 deaths due to tiger attacks in 2023, with Maharashtra reporting the highest at 35, followed by Uttar Pradesh with 25. This marked a decrease from 110 deaths in 2022.
There were no data regarding death of wild animal.
In the reply, the MoS noted that the protection and management of wildlife is primarily the responsibility of state governments or union territory administrations.
However, the Ministry provides financial assistance to states and UTs for wildlife conservation and habitat development under centrally sponsored schemes such as 'Development of Wildlife Habitats', 'Project Tiger', and 'Project Elephant,’ he said.
This includes ex-gratia relief payments for loss of life and property caused by wild animals.
An advisory issued on February 6, 2021, emphasided coordinated interdepartmental actions, identification of conflict hotspots, adherence to Standard Operating Procedures, and the establishment of rapid response teams and committees at state and district levels.
Another guideline issued on June 3 focuses on managing human-wildlife conflicts related to crop damage.
Furthermore, the Ministry released species-specific guidelines on March 21, 2023, for mitigating conflicts involving elephants, gaur, leopards, snakes, crocodiles, rhesus macaques, wild pigs, bears, blue bulls, and blackbucks.
The MoS highlighted that the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 was recently amended in 2022 to rationalise the listings of wild animals in Schedules I and II appended to the Act. Presently, there are no proposals to include additional wild animals in Schedule I.
Regarding compensation, the Central Government increased ex-gratia relief under the centrally sponsored schemes from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 10 lakh for deaths or permanent incapacitation due to wild animal attacks as of December 2023.
The scheme also provides Rs 2 lakh for grievous injuries and up to Rs 25,000 per person for minor injuries, with states and UTs adhering to prescribed cost norms for property or crop losses.
