State yet to finalise policy

State yet to finalise policy
Assam Tribune
January 24, 2007
NEW DELHI, Jan 24 – Despite a high casualty, the State Government is yet to formulate a comprehensive policy on human-animal conflict. The lack of such a policy means the State has no strategy to deal with situation arising out of human-animal conflicts, work out measures to mitigate the problem, compensation for the affected families. Experts admitted that conflict has an equally disastrous effect on wildlife population and a major cause for decline in many species.
State Forest Department officials, who came to take part in a national workshop on human-leopard conflict management, organised by Wildlife Trust of India and Ministry of Environment and Forest here today, said they have no record on human-leopard conflicts in Asom. It was difficult to gather information because there was no feedback from the districts.
State Chief Wildlife Warden, M.C.Malakar said that State Government has no policy on leopard-human conflict. But he pointed out that the State has no problem with leopard. The State, however, has human-elephant conflicts