The official View Of the United States of America

[Safarigent]

for all of our arm chair conservationists.

http://www.fws.gov/hunting/whatdo.html

[goodboy_mentor]

Main thing is if you can convince Ministry of Environment and Forests. May try providing this information by contacting Jairam Ramesh Minister of State (Independent Charge) at http://moef.nic.in/modules/contact-mini ... -ministry/

[Safarigent]

thats a thought.

[prashantsingh]

USA a country 3 times larger in area than India
with a population 1/4 that of India.

Unfortunately we just can't have the same laws.

[xl_target]

USA a country 3 times larger in area than India
with a population 1/4 that of India.

Unfortunately we just can't have the same laws.

Absolutely. One must understand that population pressures cause a whole different set of circumstances to be imposed on India.
However, there is no denying that there seems to be a significant official lack of interest and resources in Indian wildlife management. There is also no denying that there are some extremely dedicated individuals in the Indian Forest service. However, the lack of resources, the general malaise of their branch of the bureaucracy and current laws don't allow them to accomplish as much as they could (which is unfortunate). Another point to consider is the the general public's interest in the subject isn't great enough for them to really push the politicians to do much about it.

[timmy]

I am a great believer in sportsman-funded wildlife protection, myself. Just seeing what Ducks Unlimited has done for waterfowl species in North America ought to make a believer out of just about anyone.

That said, there is a somewhat negative light to this issue: Hunters who are wealthy enough to afford hunting privileges don't often come from the poorer classes. This sort of policy tends to make hunting an activity practiced by the rich for pleasure, rather than practiced by the poor for subsistence.

While living in Montana years ago, the elk tag and license fees for a Montana resident to go out elk hunting totaled $11. For a non-resident to hunt that same elk, there was a combination license that cost nearly $300 at the time. Out of staters sued Montana in federal court to end this, but the fact was, Montana made game licenses available to relatively rich out of staters to support the wildlife management program, yet ensured that local residents could still hunt affordably. Most other states in the West have similar programs.

I think that this is a good idea.

I would offer that, with India being much more crowded, such a condition does not necessarily mitigate AGAINST sportsman-funded wildlife preservation -- it could very well be a significant factor FOR preserving endangered wildlife.

For instance, in the Ducks Unlimited program, the organization collected vast sums of money through its fund raising efforts and purchased large tracts of wetlands real estate in places like Northern Canada. When land costs are at a premium, such as in crowed India, it may very well mean that this is even more reason to let the rich (such as bad boy Sallu) pay an exorbitant fee for hunting privileges, because preserving open space for wildlife is even more expensive and more needed than in the USA.

In this matter, one might note that the social injustice of allowing only the well-to-do to hunt may well be outweighed by the public good of preserving the wildlife. I don't believe in generalizations, but have you ever noted that most hunters are quite willing to pay even steep fees to gain access to hunting privileges, while those who crow the most about wildlife preservation never seem to be able to reach for their pocketbooks when the time comes to pay the bill?

In making these comments, I recognize I'm on thin ice, because I am not as acquainted with India's environment, either biologically, demographically, or politically. So please do not infer my words here to be telling anyone what should be done. I only mention this to provide additional thoughts and viewpoints, for whatever they are worth.

[shooter]

Sorry to go OT but timmy, ijust want to state for the record that im impressed with your knowledge about india.