VERMIN

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Context: The Wildlife Institute of India (WII) is working to develop immuno-contraceptive measures for population management of species that have become problematic for humans in many parts of the country.

Details:

• The new measures will be able to reduce reproduction in the species by making the female sterile. This will be done by injecting a vaccine made from a hormone derived from the ovary lining of pigs.
• The Union Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) approved the 10-year research project for developing the immuno-contraception in 2016.
• The MoEF&CC had approved a project of Rs 10.65 crore for WII, Dehradun, to put an end to this problem.
• The project deals with population management of species involved in human-wildlife conflict.
• It includes a study on immune-contraceptive measures for population management of four species namely elephant, wild pig, Rhesus macaque and Nilgai.

Need:

• Nilgai antelope and wild boar have become a menace in many areas of India, destroying crops and causing human-animal conflict.
• In May 2022, the forest department of Kerala gave permission for the culling of wild boar while Bihar went ahead with the same for Nilgai and wild boar in August after it was found that the two animals had become a menace for locals and were leading to destruction of life and property.

WPA 1972:

• The Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, states that the central government can “declare any wild animal other than those specified in Schedule I and Part II of Schedule II to be vermin for any area and for such period as may be specified therein and so long as such notification is in force, such wild animal shall be deemed to have been included in Schedule V.”

The vermin conflict:

• The damage to the national economy due to crop depredation by wild animals has never been computed. But for lakhs of farmers around India’s many protected forests, it is the biggest challenge to livelihood (not to mention the occasional threat to life).
• Since 1972, the WLPA has identified a few species — fruit bats, common crows and rats — as vermin.
• Killing animals outside this list was allowed under two circumstances:
• Under Section 62 of WLPA, given sufficient reasons, any species other than those accorded the highest legal protection (such as tigers and elephants but not wild boars or nilgais) can be declared vermin at a certain place for a certain time.
• Under Section 11 of WLPA, the chief wildlife warden of a state can allow the killing of an animal, irrespective of its status in the Schedules, if it becomes “dangerous to human life”.
• The state governments took the decisions under Section 62 until 1991 when an amendment handed over the powers to the Centre.
• The purpose was apparently to restrict the possibility of eliminating a large number of animals at a species level as vermin. Under Section 11, the states could issue culling permits only locally and for a few animals.
• In recent years, however, the Centre has started using its powers under Section 62 to issue sweeping orders declaring species as vermin at even state levels, often without any credible scientific assessment.
• For example, nilgais were declared as vermin across 20 districts in Bihar for a year in 2015. The Centre cited “large-scale destruction of agriculture” as the ground for declaring monkeys (Rhesus macaque) vermin in Shimlamunicipality in 2019.
• The issue has since entered the realm of centre-state politics. Since last year, Kerala’s requests for declaring wild boars as vermin have been turned down repeatedly by the Environment ministry.
• That is why the House was divided on the issue, with members from Kerala highlighting the growing number of wild boar attacks in the state, and others seeking a more tempered and scientific approach in declaring a species as vermin.

WII:

• The Wildlife Institute of India (WII) is an autonomous natural resource service institution established in 1982 under the Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate change, Government of India.
• WII carries out wildlife research in areas of study like Biodiversity, Endangered Species, Wildlife Policy, Wildlife Management, Wildlife Forensics, Spatial Modeling, Ecodevelopment, Ecotoxicology, Habitat Ecology and Climate Change.
• WII has a research facility which includes Forensics, Remote Sensing and GIS, Laboratory, Herbarium, and an Electronic Library.
• The founder director was V. B. Saharia while the first Director was Hemendra Singh Panwar who remained the director from 1985 to 1994.
• Trained personnel from WII have contributed in studying and protecting wildlife in India.
• The national tiger census or the All India Tiger Estimation, is done by WII along with NTCA and state forest departments.
• The institute is based in Dehradun, India. It is located in Chandrabani, which is close to the southern forests of Dehradun. It is close to Rajaji National Park.
• The training of the direct recruits of the India Forest Service Officers and also those who are recruited as the State Forest Officers is done here itself.

Aims & Objectives:

• Build up scientific knowledge on wildlife resources.
• Train personnel at various levels for conservation and management of wildlife.
• Carry out research relevant to management including the development of techniques appropriate to Indian conditions.
• Provide information and advice on specific wildlife management problems.
• Collaborate with international organizations on wildlife research, management and training.
• Develop as a regional centre of international importance on wildlife and natural resource conservation.

https://www.downtoearth.org.in/news/wildlife-biodiversity/wildlife-institute-of-india-working-on-vaccine-to-reduce-vermin-populations-awaits-further-funding-87522