At present the family of a wildlife attack victim is provide Rs 150,000. After the full new budget is announcement, the amount will be doubled to Rs 300,000, according to Director General of the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation Krishna Prasad Acharya. [break]
Earlier, the buffer zone management committee (BZMC) at Chitwan National Park had organized various stirs demanding compensation of Rs 1 million, and the government eventually agreed to increase the amount by 100 percent.
“Voices for increased compensation have been rising for over four years. The existing compensation amount for victim families will now be doubled” said Acharya, disclosing that a decision to this effect taken by the Ministry of Forest has already been agreed to by the Ministry of Finance.
According to Yam Bahadur Pariyar, chairman of BZMC, the decision could not come into implementation as the government has not yet brought in a full budget. “Increase in the amount will be effected in the full budget”.
Acharya was of the opinion that such compensation should be distinguished from other kinds of government relief as it is related to the issue of conservation. Acharya also hoped that the increase in compensation would have a positive effect on wildlife preservation.
Concurring with Acharya, Pariyar said that preservation efforts would not take hold if conflict between wildlife and people worsens because lives are lost and there is no due compensation.
Besides the Rs 150,000 provided to a victim´s family, the government also provides medical expenses of between Rs 5,000 to 50,000 to anyone injured in attack by wild animals.
Every year, around a dozen lives are lost in wildlife attacks in the four districts adjoining Chitawan National Park. Last year in Chitwan district alone, 10 people lost their lives in elephant attacks, and rhinos killed two more. This year so far, four people have been killed by tiger and one each by bear, boar and elephant.
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