Previous Year Question
According to the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 which of the following animals cannot be hunted by any person except under some provisions provided by law?
Gharial
Indian wild ass
Wild buffalo
Select the correct answer using the codes given below.
Only 1
2 and 3
1 and 3
1, 2 and 3
Correct Answer: D
Detailed Solution
Section 9 of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 prohibits the hunting of protected wild animals.
At the time the question was asked, the gharial, Indian wild ass and wild buffalo were all included in Schedule I of the Act.
Therefore, except under the exceptions prescribed in the Act, none of the three could be hunted by any person.
Under the Act, ‘hunting’ may include capturing, killing, poisoning, trapping, injuring and attempting to perform such acts.
The gharial is a primarily river-dwelling, fish-eating crocodilian reptile.
In India, its important populations are found in the Chambal and its associated river systems.
The Crocodile Conservation Project was launched in India in 1975 for the conservation of the gharial.
The Indian wild ass is a subspecies of the Asiatic wild ass, and its principal population is found in the Little Rann of Kutch in Gujarat.
The Indian Wild Ass Sanctuary in Gujarat protects the principal habitat of this species.
The wild buffalo is a wild species distinct from the domestic buffalo, and its major Indian populations occur in central and northeastern regions.
Habitat loss, disease transmission and hybridization with domestic buffaloes are major threats to the wild buffalo.
Under Section 11 of the Act, action may be taken under prescribed circumstances in relation to an animal that has become dangerous to human life or is incurably diseased or disabled.
Section 12 concerned special permission for education, scientific research, scientific management and other prescribed purposes.
The Act also provides a limited exception for an action taken in good faith in self-defence.
Therefore, the gharial, Indian wild ass and wild buffalo are all correct.