The Delhi High Court has asked the Central government to submit the status of financial approval of a pilot project to manage the population of animals involved in human-wildlife conflict using immune-contraception method.
A Bench of Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice C. Hari Shankar gave the direction while hearing a 17-year-old case to curb monkey menace in the Capital.
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Man-animal conflict
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The project is an initiative of the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change aimed at mitigating human-wildlife conflicts in a scientific manner.
It has identified four species — monkey, nilgai, wild pig and elephant — as the focal species involved in the conflict. “A number of meetings have since been held involving Wildlife Institute of India (WII), Emeritus Scientist Dr. S.K. Gupta of National Institute of Immunology (NII) and Ministry officials for finalising the pilot project,” the Centre’s counsel told the High Court.
The counsel submitted that the proposal titled “Population Management of Species involved in Human-Wildlife conflict” for ₹19.95 crore is to be implemented over a period of five years.
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“The administrative approval has been obtained for the same and financial approval is awaited. The matter is in active consideration of the Ministry,” the counsel added.
In March 2007, the High Court had recorded the problems of the monkeys in the city carrying several communicable diseases including tuberculosis.
“The problem being created in the city on account of monkey menace is stated to be assuming alarming proportions,” the High Court remarked earlier this month.
The Animal Welfare Board of India had told the HC that surgical sterilisation of animals could be counter productive making them more ferocious and also leave a human imprint. It had pushed the idea of sterilisation by way of immune-contraception.
Trial stage
The NII had told the court that the development of vaccine of immune-contraception so as to control the population of the animals including monkeys is at the trial stage.
While the immuno-contraceptive vaccine is extensively used in other countries, especially in the African continent, the HC was told import of the vaccines is much expensive which may not be financially viable. “Given the seriousness of the problem being faced all over the country, this matter brooks no delay,” the court had remarked.
Advocate Meera Bhatia, who is representing the residents of the New Friends Colony in the case, told The Hindu that the number of monkeys has grown exponentially over the year, yet the authorities have failed to act.
Monkey catchers
In 2007, the High Court had assigned the civic agencies here the task of catching the monkeys and relocating them to Asola-Bhatti Wildlife Sanctuary near Tughlaqabad in Delhi.
But earlier this year, South Delhi Municipal Corporation told the High Court that it did not have any monkey catchers and sought to be relieved from the duty.
The Bench has been monitoring the progress made to ensure a proper place for survival of the monkeys. It has posted the case for further hearing on January 16 next year.