What is the nature of Human-Wildlife conflict in India?
For centuries humans and wild animals have co-existed in India. This is mainly because the human populations were much lower and the forest areas were large. However, over the past few decades, the human population has grown by manifolds thereby creating great pressure on forest resources. Large areas on which the forests were vast and undisturbed have given way to human habitations and settlements. Grazing by domestic cattle in forest areas has resulted in disease out-breaks among wild herbivores, and also reduced availability of fodder forcing the wild herbivores to crop depredation in areas adjacent to forests. In retaliation villagers sometimes resort to stealing power from power lines and setting up live electric fence to kill crop raiders. Due to lack of sufficient wild prey base, carnivores such as tigers, leopards and dholes (wild dog) take to killing of domestic cattle for survival. Villagers may again retaliate by poisoning these wild animals. Illegal activities such as steal
Related Questions
- Is the public at higher risk of human-wildlife conflict now that the Conservation Officer Service is responding to fewer problem wildlife incidents?
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