Meena calls for action plan to solve man-animal conflict

New Delhi, Jan 23 (UNI) Minister of State for Environment and Forests Namo Narain Meena has called for an action plan and comprehensive strategy for tackling man-animal conflict.

Speaking at a national workshop on 'Human-Leopard Conflict Management' here today, the minister said there was a need for a re-look at out existing strategies in this regard.

Man-animal conflict was one of the challenging issues facing wildlife managers in the country, he said.

Man-animal conflict had assumed a variety of forms including monkey menace in urban areas, crop raids by ungulates and wild pigs, depredation by elephants and cattle and human lifting by tigers and leopards, Mr Meena stated.

The minister also called for increasing financial assistance to the states for paying compensation to the villagers for the damage caused by the wild animals.

Various reasons had been attributed to the increase in human-leopard conflict. Depletion of the natural prey base, degradation of the habitat, suitability of man modified habitats to leopard, presence of stray dogs and cattle in forest fringe areas were some of them.

Crops like sugarcane and tea estates provided excellent cover for leopards that facilitates their existence close to human beings and thus escalates the conflict.

Such conflicts resulted in livestock depredation, predation on domestic dogs and killing and mauling of human beings.

Perhaps, the most unfortunate part of the whole thing was the fear, dislike and the wider social insecurities it generated among the minds of people.

The problem was acute in Himachal Pradesh, Uttarkhand, Assam, Jammu and Kashmir, Maharastra and Gujarat.

UNI