After over seven decades of independence, no policy to compensate wild animals' attack victims

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Wild animals attacking livestock another worry for nomads, farmers

Akshay Azad

Jammu, Feb 13: The successive state governments have so far failed to legislate any policy in the last over seven decades, to compensate thousands of farmers and nomads, who lost their livestock in the wild animals' attack.
The Wildlife department provides compensation for the human loss but there is no policy to compensate for the loss of livestock in attack of wild animals.

Sheeps killed in leopard attack in village Karnah of district Kupwara: Pic courtesy: Kashmir Patriot

Mohammad Shrief of village Chakka of Ramban had lost over 20 sheep and goats on January 5 when leopard barged into his cowshed at around 12 of night.


"After listening cries, I along with some other members reached the cowshed but till then the beast had killed over 20 livestock", Shrief recalled, adding that the Veterinary officer, Patwari, Police official visited his house and compiled a report mentioning the killing of only 18 livestock.

Shrief further said, "Some sheep were pregnant but Revenue officials wrote only 18. Some lambs which were in their tender age died in coming days after losing their mothers in the attack. Shrief says that though the actual loss was over Rs. 2 Lakhs but Revenue official had made compensation claim of only Rs. 1.04 Lakhs that too he didn't get so far.

Moshin Khan of Ghatta Bhaderwah had lost over 1500 birds when leopard had barged into his poultry farm in January 2018. "After completing all the formalities and furnishing the report of Revenue department, police department, wildlife department, veterinary department, I didn't get any compensation", Moshin rued, adding that the Revenue department and Wildlife department shift responsibility to each other for paying the compensation but none gave anything in last one year.

Similar in the story of several villagers of panchayt Deon, block Purmandal of district Samba who have lost several animals in leopards' attack. Niab Sarpanch Mohan Singh of Deon panchayt said that in the last over five years the leopards have killed over 500 livestock including cows, goats and sheep.

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"The population of leopards have recorded an increase along with their frequent attacks in our panchayat. Out of 500 animals killed in the attacks, only one or two villages got compensation that too Rs. 1000 per animal", Singh said, adding that the procedure to get that meagre compensation was also very cumbersome.

"If animal is killed in jungle by the leopard, then there will be no compensation as jungle belongs to leopard. If the leopard killed an animal in registered land of the farmer, then the farmer is eligible for compensation", Singh said, adding, "then started official procedure, fraught with corruption, in which every official take money to give certificate including Revenue, Police, Veterinary etc.
Mohan Singh argued that for getting Rs. 1000 compensation, why a farmer would waste time as well as money by bribing the departmental officials.

Rashid Ahmed, whose caravan of over 500 livestock, used to migrate from village Basantpur of district Kathua to Marwah valley of district Kishtwar, said that during annual migration, time and again wild animals killed their livestock but they didn't even apply for compensation as officials of various departments were not available there along migratory route, which traversed through jungles.

"Most of nomads silently bear the losses and don't even apply for compensation as it's merely wastage of time and money", Rashid said, adding that the attack of wild animals on livestock has increased in the last few years.

Chief Wildlife Warden Suresh Gupta said that the department was meant for the protection and management of wildlife. "We provide compensation if the wild animal kill or injured some human being but there is no policy to compensate for the losses of livestock in wild animals' attack", he said, adding that it was not possible to compensate for the losses caused by wild animals to livestock on crop.

Even the department is not compiling data about attacks of wild animals on livestock. On January 20 last year, the then Forest Minister Choudary Lal Singh had informed the Legislative Assembly that 30 people were killed and 253 were injured in attacks by wild animals in the state over the past two years. Moreover, a compensation of Rs 83.70 lakh was given to the next of kin of the deceased persons, while Rs 1.05 crore was provided to those injured by wild animals, but there was no data of livestock killed or injured by the animals.

A senior official of Forest department pleading anonymity said that 70 % population of state lived in villages out of which 40 % lived in or near jungles. "These people depend on livestock for their livelihood but it is unfortunate that state has so far no policy to compensate the attacks of wild animals on livestock", he said, adding, 
"In other states of the country including Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttrakhand, governments have framed as well as amended the policies to compensate for wild animals' attack but J&K has no such policy".
Senior High court Advocate Shah Mohammad Choudhary, who was also member of Gujjar Bakerwal Advisory Board, expressed concern over the absence of any policy to compensate the nomads and farmers for livestock losses in wild animals' attack.

"The primary job of legislators is to legislate new legislations, policies and remove the obsolete laws but unfortunately our legislators are busy to inaugurate toilets, bathrooms, roads etc", Shah Mohammad rued, adding that such legislations must be framed by government so that farmers as well as population depend on livestock would be compensated. He further said at present the Deputy Commissioner might provide compensation out of some available funds.

Deputy Commissioner of Kupwara -where on the intervening of February 11 and 12, a leopard had killed over twenty sheep of a nomad in Thama hamlet of Karnah tehsil- Khalid Jehangir said that there was no provision to provide compensation for the loss of livestock in wild animals' attack.

He further said that compensation could be provided in case of natural calamity or in case of some other losses but not for the loss of animals in wild animals attack.

Similar views were shared by District Development Commis-sioner Rajouri Aijaz Khan, who said that DDC has SDRF funds to provide compensation in specific cases. "Compensation could be provided for natural calamity victims such as cloud burst, flash floods but there is no provision to provide compensation for wild animals' attack", Khan said.

(Akshay Azad is fellow with National Foundation for India)

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