SC notice to Centre, Kerala, others on plea to ban explosives to ward off animals.

New Delhi, July 11 (HS) The Supreme Court on Friday issued notice to the Central and Kerala governments on a plea challenging the practice of using barbaric means such as explosives, snares etc as means to ward off animals.

The petition was filed after a pregnant elephant last month was killed in Kerala while it tried to eat a pineapple filled with crackers which was left by the villagers to ward off wild animals straying into the area.

In the petition, it has been cited that as per the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, the killing, poaching, trapping, poisoning, or harming in any other way, of any wild animal or bird was prohibited.

Petition further said that such incidents where the animals are killed due to explosives are very common.

The plea said, “Failure to eliminate de jure (formal) and de facto (substantive) abusive treatment meted out to animals by non-state actors, either directly or indirectly, violates not only the most basic rights of animals, but also violates their basic dignity as a living being as envisaged internationally, in our Constitution, and the guiding principles of every dominant religion or society in India.”

The plea sought Apex Court issue directions to Centre and state governments to make necessary amendments in the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960 and making the punishments more stringent.

The petition further said, “Direct the Central/state governments to fill the vacancies in Forest Forces; issue guidelines for the creation of a Standard Operating Procedure among states across the Union to deal with such incidents and deaths of animals due to accidents and usage of scientific means when such conflict arises and to achieve the goals of mitigating animal-human conflicts.”