Heftier fine, jail term for poachers

Some favourable news:

The punishment for killing endangered species or trading in their body parts will soon get a lot stiffer.
The environment ministry has finalised amendments to the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, under which the maximum punishment for a repeat offender, in case of most endangered species, can be upto 10 years in jail or a fine of Rs 1 crore or more.
Currently the maximum punishment for killing an endangered species is three to seven years in jail and a fine of Rs 10,000 for a first offence, and Rs 25,000 for a second offence.
The fine is hardly a deterrent since a tiger carcass, for instance, fetches around Rs 15,000 to Rs 30,000, while its body parts sell for Rs 3-5 crore.
“Timely and needed,” said Samir Sinha, head of Traffic India, an international NGO that monitors wildlife crime.
Once the amendments are passed by Parliament, killing an animal in the ‘most endangered’ list — or category one — will be five to seven years for a first time offender. For repeat offenders, the jail term will be seven to 10 years and the fine of Rs 75 lakh or more.
For killing animals in ‘category two’ the punishment will be three to five years in jail and a fine of up to Rs 3 lakh.
Included in category one are tigers, lions, elephants, rhinos, crocodiles and antelopes.
Sinha said the amendments would send a strong message. But some experts wondered how well the amendments would be enforced. “Most courts in India are unwilling to impose heavy fines and jail terms for wildlife crimes,” said an expert on condition of anonymity.
Environment and Forest Minister Jairam Ramesh, expects the amendment bill to be introduced in second half of the budget session in April. “What we have proposed, is the strongest possible punishment for wildlife crime,” Ramesh said. “The law ministry has to vet it”.
The species covered in the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, an international agreement listing species banned for trading signed by India, have also been included in the proposed changes in the wildlife law.
“The new provision would promote wildlife research but will also check any nefarious activity under the grab of research,” a ministry official said.

Article taken from http://www.hindustantimes.com/rssfee...e1-510462.aspx

This is definitely a welcome move. However, let's hope the punishments are pushed further up soon... Even these amended sentences and fines are too lenient, as suggested by the report's example of the price fetched by just one tiger.
Apart from the amendments, let us also hope the authorities and people become more vigilant towards these matters.

The people who actually are indulged in the act of killing are poor people who do it for a paltry amount of money. The amended law should have higher penalty and higher jail term for those who are actually supporting the trade of these items. These are big and influential people and have contacts of the end customers as well as suppliers.

Is it not ridiculous?

Are all other species inferior than humans? Why the life of a Tiger numbering probably less than a thousand is considered less valuable than humans? The punishment for murder of wildlife should be dealt with in the same manner as we deal with the murder of a human species.

Sabyasachi

PS: The last tiger census was two years back and there have been a spate of killings. So the tiger numbers may be less than a thousand.

This is a farce. I am interested in the magnitude of punishment only if the conviction happens. In most cases, conviction doesn't happen. Whats the use in having a stiffer punishment?? All it takes is to hire a smart lawyer and the case gets diluted or witnesses back out etc..

What happened to all the celebrities involved in black buck hunting case?? where is the conviction? even the present prescribed punishment will be more than enough for them provided they get convicted.