The Wildlife Protection Act was passed in 1972 to protect India's wildlife by prohibiting hunting of specified animals and plants, establishing national parks and wildlife sanctuaries, and regulating wildlife trade. Key objectives include banning hunting of certain species, managing protected areas, and controlling commerce of wildlife products. The Act defines terms like "animal", "hunting", and "wildlife" and establishes penalties for violations.
2. The Wildlife Protection Act
• The act was passed by the Parliament of India in
1972 to protect India’s wildlife.
3. Objective
The main objective of the Act are as follows:
Prohibition on hunting of specified wild animals, birds
and plants.
Setting up and management of national parks and
wildlife sanctuaries.
Control of trade and commerce in wildlife, and
wildlife products.
5. Definitions under the Act
(Section 2)
• "animal" includes amphibians, birds, mammals, and
reptiles, and their young, and also includes, in the
cases of birds and reptiles, their eggs.
7. • "animal article" means an article made from any
captive or wild animal, other than vermin, and includes
an article or object in which the whole or any part of
such animal has been used and an article made
therefrom.
8. • "hunting" includes
(a) capturing, killing, poisoning, snaring, or trapping any
wild animal, and every attempt to do so
(b) driving any wild animal for any of the purposes
specified in sub clause
(c) injuring, destroying or taking any body part of any
such animal, or in the case of wild birds or reptiles,
disturbing or damaging the eggs or nests of such
birds or reptiles.
13. • "taxidermy" means the curing, preparation or
preservation of trophies.
(a) rugs, skins, and specimens of such animals mounted in
whole or in part through a process of taxidermy
(b) antler, horn, rhinoceros horn, feather, nail, tooth,
musk, eggs, and nests.
14. • "vermin" means any wild animal specified in Schedule
V.
• "wildlife" includes any animal, bees, butterflies,
crustacean, fish and moths; and aquatic or land
vegetation which forms part of any habitat.
16. Hunting of Wild Animals
• The Act prohibits hunting of wild animals. No person
shall hunt any wild animals as specified in the
schedules.
• However there are some exceptions to it.
18. Sanctuary
• An animal sanctuary is a facility where animals are
brought to live and be protected for the rest of their
lives.
• Unlike animal shelters, sanctuaries do not seek to
place animals with individuals or groups, instead
maintaining each animal until his or her natural death.
19. National Park
• A national park is a park in use for conservation
purposes.
• Often it is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or
developed land that a sovereign state declares or owns.
21. Penalties
• Penalties are prescribed in section 51.
• Chargesheets can be filed directly by the Forest
Department.