Animal Rights Advocates Call for Ban on Live Bait in Big Cat Trapping

Speedy Summary

• Animal welfare organizations have called on teh Forest Department to end the use of live animals as bait in capturing leopards and tigers involved in human-wildlife conflict.
• This practice violates animal welfare laws and causes trauma to the bait animals, according to these groups.
• A recent incident in H.D. Kote, Mysuru district involved using a calf as live bait for a leopard. Though the calf survived unharmed after being trapped for hours, video footage drew widespread attention online.
• Peopel for Animals (PFA) intervened,rescued the calf,and relocated it to their shelter in Mysuru for rehabilitation. PFA credited SPCA member sujaya Jagadish’s decisive action.
• Animal welfare groups have written to Meenakshi Negi, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, requesting a ban on using live baits and seeking an examination into this violation of animal welfare laws such as:

– The prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960
– Karnataka Prevention of Slaughter and Preservation of Cattle Act, 2020

• Groups advocate training forest staff on humane wildlife trapping techniques like using meat or split cages where bait animals remain secure.

Indian Opinion Analysis

The appeal by animal welfare organizations highlights key ethical concerns surrounding existing wildlife management practices. The use of live bait raises questions about balancing human safety wiht animal rights-a pressing issue given rising human-wildlife conflicts across India. The proposed alternatives like meat-based lures or split cages appear reasonable and align with established humane standards suggested by national guidelines.

If implemented effectively through mandatory staff training programs advocated by these organizations, these recommendations could ensure compliance with relevant laws while fostering more compassionate approaches toward wildlife management strategies. Such debates are significant within India’s broader agenda on environmental conservation which increasingly requires thoughtful integration between ecological integrity and human duty.

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