COIMBATORE: Even as wild animals such as tigers, elephants and leopards are protected under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, the ex gratia compensation paid to families of victims killed in wild animal attacks varies significantly from one state to another. While the centre provides the legal framework for wildlife protection, state governments decide upon the quantum of compensation and financial assistance, resulting in wide disparities across the country.
Sources say Maharashtra provides Rs 25 lakh as compensation to the next of kin of a person killed in a wild animal attack, the highest in the country. While Karnataka provides Rs 20 lakh, Kerala offers Rs 15 lakh and Tamil Nadu Rs 10 lakh to families of victims killed in attacks by wild animals.
Tamil Nadu is placed in the same compensation category as several other states, including Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya.
Similarly, Kerala provides compensation of up to Rs 1 lakh for injuries caused by wild animals and up to Rs 4 lakh for damage to houses, among the highest compensation offered by states in these categories. In comparison, the Tamil Nadu Forest Department provides only Rs 59,100 for major injuries and none for minor injuries.
Tamil Nadu's compensation for crop damage (Rs 25,000 per acre) and property damage caused by wild animals (Rs 95,000) is also lower than the assistance offered by several other states.
The state-wise compensation details were shared during the National Workshop on Human-Wildlife Conflict held at the Central Academy of State Forest Service (CASFOS) in Coimbatore recently. The workshop brought together senior policymakers, forest officials, scientists, researchers, technology experts and conservation practitioners from across the country to discuss strategies to mitigate human-wildlife conflict. It was inaugurated by Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav.
P Kandhasamy, general secretary of the Tamil Nadu Farmers' Association, urged the Tamil Nadu government to constitute an expert committee to revise compensation for families of those killed in wild animal attacks and for damage to crops such as banana and coconut.
"The forest department currently provides only Rs 25 per damaged banana tree and Rs 500 for a coconut tree, which is inadequate considering the actual losses suffered by farmers," he said
Dr Ramesh, Nodal Officer at the Centre of Excellence at the Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History (SACON), said the institution would study the reasons behind the variation in compensation across states and submit recommendations to the centre on the feasibility of evolving a uniform compensation framework across the country.
Chief Wildlife Warden Rakesh Kumar Dogra was unavailable for a comment.
