Destruction of life by wild animals and venomous snakes in India : a paper read before the Indian Section of the Society of Arts, Friday, February 1, 1878 / by Sir J. Fayrer.

  • Fayrer, Sir Joseph, 1824-1907.
Date:
[1878]
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Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Destruction of life by wild animals and venomous snakes in India : a paper read before the Indian Section of the Society of Arts, Friday, February 1, 1878 / by Sir J. Fayrer. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

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    jj..,;^:^>I)ESTRUCTION OF LIFE- BY WILD ANIMALS AND VENOMOUS SNAKES IN INDIA. A Paper read he/ore the Indian Section of the Societi/ of Arts, Friday, Feibruarij 1,1878, By Sir J. FAYRER, K.C.S.I., M.D,, F.II.S. It has been suggested to me that some informa- tion on the destruction of life in India by wild mimals and venomous snakes would be acceptable ;o the members of this Society; I have, therefore, in! together a few notes on.the subject, which will : to show that, among the many preventive 111 cks to population in that countiy, such as ipidemics, famines, storm - waves, and cyclones, laturc has yet anotber and very potent one, in the jrcdaceous animals with which the forests, hills, jlains, and waters still aboimd. I propose, then, give you some account of the mortaUty aused by these creatures among our Indian fellow- ubjccts, to tell you something of the circum- stances under which the deaths occur, and to add a )rief description of the animals that destroy :0,()00 human beings, and 50,000 head of cattle nnually. This yearly loss of human life and attle is startling, and suggests the question vhether some more effective measures than any low in operation might not diminish it. The ubject has long been under consideration by the ndian Government, and the object of legislative ntorference, but, as I shall presently show yoUr vith no very satisfactory results ; and, that, not- vithstanding the measures taken, the destruction f life still goes on at what has been described as eally an appalling rate. It appears from the returns furnished to Govern- aent, that, in the year 1875, 20,805* persons and 0,805 head of cattle perished from this cause, and hat the deaths were duo to the following animals: -Elephants killed (Jl human beings and six head f cattle; tigers, 828 persons and 12,423 cattle; ^oi)ards. 187 persons and 10,157 cattle; bears, j 4 persons and 529 cattle; wolves have a | •ad pre-eminence, for they destroyed 1,016; ersons and 9,407 cattle; hysenas are responsible ir the death of 68 persons and 2,116 cattle ; whilst ickals, alligators, buffaloes, boars, and other ninial«», are charged with the destruction of 1,446 persons and 3,001 cattle, whilst snakes killed 17,070 persons and 3,166 cattle. In 1875, Bengal lost 10,914 persons; the North- West Provinces, 3,933; Oude, 1,730; Madi-as, 1,536; Bombay, 1,072; Punjab, 723; Central Provinces, 617 ; Assam, 420 ; Burma, Hyderabad, Ajmecv, and Mairwarra contributing the balance; and there is reason to suppose that even these retiirns fall short of the real mortality in respect of some of the locahties, whilst from others, such as some of the independent States, no returns at all have been obtained, and all this notwith- standing the destruction of a large number of wild animals and snakes. For in the same year, 1875, it appears that 22,357 wild animals, and 270,185 snakes were destroyed, at a cost to Government of 120,016 Es. In 1876, it appears, from the Gazette supplement, of November 24 th, 1877, that there was some dim inu- tion in the loss of human life, but an increase in that of cattle; 19,273 persons, and 54,830 head of cattle were killed. But as the returns were not complete, those from Mysore and Coorg not having been sent in, the comparison ■with the previous year is not complete. The resolution by Govern- ment on the report says, In Madras, Bengal, North-West Provinces, and Oude the numbers of persons killed by wild animals and by snakes are less in 1876 than in 1875. In the other provinces the figures do not exhibit any great variation, except in the Central Provinces, where deaths rose from 617 in 1875, to 1,098 in 1876. No explanation is offered of the greater mor- tality. As regards the loss of cattle, the figures of the year are unsatisfactory; while Madras and Bombay show fewer cattle killod, Bengal, the North-West Provinces, Oude, Punjab, Central ♦ TIio totals given In tlic Government returns for lb7S, are:— Men, 21,3!tl; oiitllc, 48,2M: but there seems to lie some error in the iidilltion, which should be—men, 20,805 ; cultle, 46 806. A similar error occurs In the addition of the returns of 187G—men, 19,273; cattle, 04,830; should bo—men, 18,273; c.ittle, 04,430.