BENGALURU: The state government has raised the compensation amount for human deaths caused by wild animals from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 7.5 lakh. According to state forest department, during 2018-19, 21 people lost their lives in conflict with wildlife.
Man-animal conflicts have been on the rise, especially incidents involving leopards and elephants. In the last few weeks, four people have lost their lives while at the same time, four have died in suspicious circumstances.
The Chief Wildlife Warden had asked the state to increase the compensation amount from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 10 lakh. At a meeting of the State Wildlife Board in January 2019, the then chief minister had agreed for a rise in compensation for human deaths.
This was in the background of people being agitated as wildlife had been spilling over to human settlements frequently. In the last few months, incidents involving leopard attacks have been seen often in Chikkamagaluru and Tumakuru.
With rising conflict, leopards have been captured but whether it is the right one has been a big question mark. On Saturday, one more leopard was found dead in Chikkamagaluru district. The postmortem of the decomposed body revealed 3-4 wound marks.
Its forelimb had been fractured while its hind limbs cut.
On January 9, a five-year-old boy was killed by a leopard in Manikuppe-Gubbi range of Tumakuru even as the authorities had captured a leopard but not the one which had allegedly killed two people in the last three months in the district.
Wildlife conservationists say that increase in compensation is welcome. However, there was a need to follow correct practices in the capture of dangerous animals.
“There is need for formation of a technical expert committee at the circle level comprising wildlife vets, experts, NGOs and rescuers. The matter should be discussed as also studies of behaviour of animals before their capture. Otherwise, the wrong animal will be captured. Now once again, 15 cages have been placed in various places after the boy’s death in Tumakuru,” says a wildlife conservationist.
