The Rajasthan government’s recent announcement that it would amend the Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972 to allow killing of Nilgai (blue bull) has environmentalists up in arms who say that such a move would push the animal to near extinction.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Rajendra Singh Rathore had on July 26 made a statement in the State Assembly that the government would amend the Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972 to move Nilgai ( Boselaphus tragocamelus ) from Schedule III of the Act to Schedule V, and empower sarpanchs to authorise its killing. This came in the wake of complaints by farmers that Nilgais caused heavy damage to their crops in the night.
While the amendment would have to be approved by the Centre since it is a Central Act, environmentalists point out that killing was no solution to the problem and the government should, instead, find innovative ways to deal with the issue.
Blue Bulls are herbivorous animals who move around in herds in the night causing extensive damage to the crops, particularly in fields close to mountains. Villagers have to stay awake to guard against the animals. “It is humans who have spoiled environmental equations. Panthers were helpful in maintain the delicate food chain and ecosystem by feeding on Nilgai, but panthers are killed by villagers,” said Vijai Kumar Salwan, former IFS officers and ex-Director of Ranthambore and Kaleodeo National Parks.
In 1976, Rajasthan had placed foxes and jackals in Schedule V as they were considered a “nuisance” but were listed in Schedule II in 1988 after they were poached indiscriminately and reached the verge of extinction. Animals in Schedule II cannot be hunted and the law prescribes heavy punishment for those found guilty.
Environmentalists fear that blue bulls could face the same fate as foxes and jackals if they were shifted from Schedule III to V. Mr. Salwan suggested fencing of fields or using chemicals along the boundaries of the fields as a way of keeping blue bulls at bay. Vaishali Sharma, president of Mission Tiger Land and Lakes Society — an NGO based in Kota — has written to Union Environment and Forests Minister Prakash Javadekar and Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje. In her letter, she stated that empowering sarpanchs with the authority to allow killing of blue bulls would only expedite the process of its extinction.
