Trouble awaits hunters planning to display trophies at home

Trophy hunters may find it difficult to display their catch at home if the changes in the Wildlife Protection Act proposed by the government come into force.

A large number of trophies are imported by Indian citizens after hunting in several countries with legally obtained game licenses.

The Environment Ministry said that a policy for restricting the number of imported trophies has been put in place which is to be “factored” within the law enacted in 1972.

“Large number of trophies are imported by many Indian citizens after hunting in several countries with legally obtained game licenses. Any curb on this to curb tendency of glorifying hunting and keeping wildlife trophies is sometimes challenged in the courts of law. 

“A policy for restricting the number has been put in place which is to be factored in within the Act,” the Ministry said.

This is one among the key points made by the Ministry before a standing committee which was examining the Wildlife Protection Amendment Bill, 2013.

The Ministry informed the Standing Committee on Science and Technology and Environment and Forest that it wanted to withdraw the bill as it wishes to undertake a comprehensive review of the Act.

The Ministry informed the panel that since the time this law was enacted, scope of wildlife protection has undergone a “sea change” and has become much more “challenging”.

In such circumstances, the scope of the Act, which is the only law facilitating conservation action for biodiversity, needs to be widened much beyond the existing one.

A high-level committee formed by the Government and headed by former Cabinet Secretary T S R Subramanian had recently reviewed various Environmental protection laws including the Wild Life (Protection) Act 1972.

The Act enacted in 1972 provides legal framework for the protection of various species of wild animals, management of their habitat and also for regulation and control of trade in products derived from various parts of wild animals.