Wildlife Institute of India working on vaccine to reduce ‘vermin’ populations

February 8, 2023
Posted by: OptimizeIAS Team
Category: DPN Topics

Wildlife Institute of India working on vaccine to reduce ‘vermin’ populations

Subject : Environment

Section: Environment laws

Context: The Wildlife Institute of India (WII) is working to develop immuno-contraceptive measures for population management of species that have become problematic for humans in many parts of the country.

More on the News:

The new measures will be able to reduce reproduction in the species by making the female sterile. This will be done by injecting a vaccine made from a hormone derived from the ovary lining of pigs.
The Union Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) approved the 10-year research project for developing the immuno-contraception in 2016.
The project deals with population management of species involved in human-wildlife conflict. It includes a study on immune-contraceptive measures for population management of four species namely elephant, wild pig, Rhesus macaque and Nilgai.

Vermin

The Wild Life (Protection) Amendment Bill, 2021 brings in a major change by reducing the number of schedules from six to four. It proposes to remove Schedule V completely.
Originally, the WLPA, 1972 currently has six schedules that assign varying degrees of protection to animals and plants.
Under Schedule I and II of the Act, for instance, animals and birds such as tigers and elephants are offered the highest protection.
Schedule V lists species classified as ‘vermin’, such as common crows, fruit bats, rats and mice, which may be hunted freely.
Though the act does not define the word ‘vermin’, WLPA’s 62^nd section grants the central government the power to declare any wild animal (other than those specified in Schedule I and Schedule II) as ‘vermin’ for any area and a specified period.

Background:

The category of ‘vermin’ in the WLPA has distinct colonial origins. The British Raj brought to India the ideas of desirable animals (suitable for hunting and subsequent consumption being considered game) and problematic animals (considered vermin).
British legislation was the first to mandate the extermination of vermin as seen in India under the WLPA, 1972. These were the Tudor Vermin Acts that allowed eradication of nuisance animals or agricultural pests.

Vermin:

Vermin are usually considered problem or nuisance animals that attack humans, crops, livestock or property.
In order to prevent human-wildlife conflicts, several states in the past have petitioned to declare various animals to be ‘vermin’, including elephants, Indian porcupine, bonnet macaque, common langur and barking deer.
In 2016, the Centre declared rhesus monkeys in Himachal Pradesh, wild boar in Uttarakhand and Nilgai in Bihar to be ‘vermin’.

The Vermin Acts included The Preservation of Grain Act, 1532, which created an official list of ‘vermin’ animals. These included owls, otters, foxes, hedgehogs and others that were seen as bad omens or competitors of food with humans.

Dangers of Mass Culling:

Ecological Imbalance due to blanket permission & financial incentives by Govt to eradicate vermin population
Exacerbate Human Wildlife Conflictg.: unscientific killings of rhesus monkeys disrupt the power hierarchy among them and babies or sub-adults might not know how to behave and, thus, might cause havoc and create more conflict.
Endanger targeted species and fatal for non-targeted species (traps and snares)
long-lasting impact on the ecosystem and biodiversity.