Wildlife cannot be placed above human lives: Madhav Gadgil

Renowned ecologist Madhav Gadgil has justified the killing of leopards involved in attacking humans saying that people have the right to defend

Pune: Renowned ecologist Madhav Gadgil has justified the killing of leopards involved in attacking humans saying that people have the right to defend.

Renowned ecologist Madhav Gadgil has justified the killing of leopards involved in attacking humans saying that people have the right to defend. (HT FILE)

“If a human breaks into your home and attacks you, the law allows you to defend yourself, even if it means killing the intruder. Why should citizens lose that right when the attacker is a wild animal? This is the contradiction people in conflict zones face every day. Their safety is treated as secondary,” said veteran ecologist Madhav Gadgil, criticising what he calls India’s unscientific and ineffective approach to wildlife conflict. In an interview with Hindustan Times, Gadgil explained the rationale behind seeking hunting permissions and emphasised the need to shift power to local communities.

Gadgil, best known for chairing the Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel, has long advocated a democratic, decentralised, community-led model of wildlife governance. For the past two years, he has been demanding permission for regulated hunting in areas with high wild animal density, including parts of Pune district where leopard numbers have risen sharply.

As Maharashtra reports an increase in leopard attacks, expanding wild boar incursions and growing anxiety among forest-fringe communities, Gadgil said he believes the debate over wildlife conflict management has reached an urgent phase.

According to him, the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, effectively places leopards, wild boars and other species “above human lives,” which he calls “completely absurd”.

“Scandinavia faced intense conflict with its wolf population. They see wildlife as a renewable commodity. When populations grow beyond the land’s capacity, they are harvested to maintain balance. Local communities decide how much population can be supported, and hunting permissions are issued accordingly. Sweden, which is swarming with reindeer, follows the same principle. It has worked well for them. Their system is decentralised and pragmatic. They don’t wait for tragedies— they prevent them,” he said.

Gadgil pointed out that India’s Biological Diversity Act also supports community-led monitoring and management of biodiversity, including wildlife populations. “But this law exists only on paper. We do not allow communities to take the decisions they are legally empowered to take,” he said.

“We must accept that eliminating or harvesting certain animals is sometimes necessary for overall balance. This is not anti-conservation—it is responsible conservation. Coexistence does not mean tolerating death and destruction. It means creating conditions where both humans and wildlife can thrive. And that requires honest conversations about carrying capacity, rights and responsibilities. Wildlife cannot be placed above human lives. India needs a scientific, humane, community-led conflict management system. The time to reform the old framework is now,” Gadgil said.