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D.O. No.47/2010-COAWBI
13th December, 2010
Sub: Permits issued by Himachal State Wildlife Depatment for killing of Monkeys, Blue Bulls (Neel Gais) and Wild Boars – reg
As you are aware that the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) has been constituted as a nodal central statutory agency under Section 4 of Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1960 and is vested with the mandate of prevention of cruelty to animals and promoting their welfare.
It has come to the notice of the AWBI that the Himachal State Wildlife Department has issued permits for killing of Monkeys, Blue Bulls (Neel Gais) and Wild Boars and in furtherance of the same approximately 3000 permits have since been issued.
You are well aware that the Act mandates issuance of such permits only in emergent conditions where ample data / proof is available and reliable statistics of damage to crops, life and property exists. The permits cannot be issued merely because the powers are vested for their issuance. Due application of mind and a rational assessment / analysis of other available options such as relocation and creation of sanctuaries for these animals should have been carried out.
The reports of the AWBI notified Animal Welfare organizations and their representatives functioning in Himachal Pradesh have reported and informed the Board that in fact no such imminent danger exists calling for such an extreme and cruel action on the part of State Wildlife Department. Animal Welfare activists from all over the country and infact the entire World have raised their protests against these killings in Himachal Pradesh.
It appears that the entire exercise of granting permits by the state wildlife department is politically motivated and has been engineered by some political group in view of forthcoming Panchayat elections in the state targeting the vote bank.
It is surprising that the State Wildlife Department which is statutorily mandated to protect and conserve the wildlife is actively aiding and abetting such an illegal and cruel activity promoted for political gains. The Board has directed the notified Animal welfare Organizations operating in the state to monitor and record every individual killing that may take place under the above permits. The Board will initiate criminal proceedings under the
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Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, Wildlife Protection Act and Indian Penal Code against the person/s indulging in any such killing under the permits so issued by your Department. In addition, the Board will also inform the Ministry of Environment and Forests to initiate immediate action against the permission issued by your Department for killing of wildlife without exercising the alternative options of their relocation / creation of sanctuaries for their protection.
You are therefore requested to withdraw and cancel all such permits issued by you immediately. You are further requested to consult the nodal Ministry of Environment and Forests and the Animal Welfare Board of India before resorting to such extreme measures. A copy of this communication is being sent to MOEF, Govt. of India .
Please note that in a civilized society the man-animal conflicts if any, are required to addressed in a rational and scientific manner rather than resorting to old, cruel and barbaric methods. I’ll close my letter with a quote from Mahatma Gandhi the father of our Nation, “The Social Development of a nation is judged by the way its people treat their animals”.
Yours Sincerely
(Dr.R.M.Kharb)
Maj. Gen(Retd), AVSM
Chairman, AWBI
Shri A. K. Gulati
Chief Wildlife Warden
Govt. of Himachal Pradesh
Dept. of Forest Farming and Conservation,
1st Floor, Khalini, Shimla – 171001, H.P.
Fax: 0177-2224192 / 2223038
Copies to:
1. PS to Hon’ble Minister, MoEF
2. Hon’ble Chief Minsiter, Govt. of Himachal Pradesh, Shimla.
3. Shri A.K. Srivastava, IGF Wildlife, MoEF
4. Shri Hem Pande, Joint Secretary (AW), MoEF
5. Director, Animal Welfare Division, MoEF
Niyati Parikh / TNN