KL Report
SRINAGAR
Underlining need for making people aware, particularly those living near the jungles, about the precautions needed to be taken whenever a wild-animal turns man-eater, the Minister for Forests, Ecology and Environment, Mian Altaf Ahmad has asked the authorities of Wildlife Department to take concrete measures for containing man-animal conflicts besides saving human population from becoming victims of such incidents.
The Minister was addressing at a function organized by Wildlife Protection Department in connection with celebrations of Wildlife Week here at SKICC Wednesday.
Describing human lives precious, the Minister said that human lives should be on priority while conserving wildlife and forests. He said during past four years, the department has succeeded in curbing the timber smuggling for the forests of the State.
Senior officers from State Pollution Control Board, Forest, Environment and Remote Sensing, NGOs, Environmenlists, teachers and students of several schools were present on the occasion.
Altaf asked the concerned officers to take necessary steps so that the lives of both human and animals are saved. He said there is no time table when an animal turns man-eater and directed the authorities to devise a pre-plan for sensitizing the people about the different methodologies of animals’ attacks, besides suggesting protective measures for saving their lives. He said unless the people are not sensitized, the graph of man-animal conflict cannot be reduced, he added.
The Minister said that priority of the Government is to control man-animal conflicts, adding that field functionaries of the department need to be mobilized across the State particularly in those areas where such incidents have been often taking place.
