Destruction of life by wild animals and venomous snakes in India / by Sir J. Fayrer.

  • Fayrer, Joseph, Sir, 1824-1907.
Date:
[1878]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Destruction of life by wild animals and venomous snakes in India / by Sir J. Fayrer. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    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, K.C.S.I., M.D., F.R.S. It has been suggested to me that some informa- tion on the destruction of life in India by wild animals and venomous snakes would be acceptable to the members of this Society; I have, therefore, put together a few notes on the subject, which will serve to show that, among .the many preventive checks to population in that country, such as epidemics, famines, storm - waves, and cyclones, nature has yet another and very potent one, in the predaceous animals with which the forests, hills, plains, and waters still abound. I propose, then, to give you some account of the mortality caused by these creatures among our Indian fellow- subjects, to tell you something of the circum- stances under which the deaths occur, and to add a brief description of the animals that destroy 20,000 human beings, and 50,000 head of cattle annually. This . yearly loss of human life and cattle is startling, and suggests the question whether some more effective measures than any now in operation might not diminish it. The subject has long been under consideration by the Indian Government, and the object of legislative interference, but, as I shall presently show you, with no very satisfactory results ; and, that, not* withstanding the measures taken, the destruction of life still goes on at what has been described as really “ an appalling rate.” It appears from the returns furnished to Govern- ment, that, in the year 1875, 20,805* persons and 46,805 head of cattle perished from this cause, and that the deaths were due to the following animals : —Elephants killed 61 human beings and six head j of cattle; tigers, 828 persons and 12,423 cattle; leopards, 187 persons and 16,157 cattle; bears, 84 persons and 529 cattle; wolves have a ibad pre-eminence, for they destroyed 1,016 persons and 9,407 cattle; hyaenas are responsible for the death of 68 persons and 2,116 cattle ; whilst j jackals, alligators, buffaloes, boars, and other animals, are charged with the destruction of 1,446 persops 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, 1,736; Madras, 1,536; Bombay, 1,072; Punjab, 723; Central Provinces, 617 ; Assam, 420 ; Burma, Hyderabad, Ajmeer, and Mairwarra contributing the balance; and there is reason to suppose that even these returns fall short of the real mortality in respect of some of the localities, 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 Rs. In 1876, it appears, from the Gazette supplement, of November 24th, 1877, thattherewas some diminu- 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- j tality. As regards the loss of cattle, the figures of the year are unsatisfactory; while Madras and •Bombay show fewer cattle killed, Bengal, the North-West Provinces, Oude, Punjab, Central * The totals given in the Government returns for 1875, are:— Men, 21,391; cattle, 48,234; but there seems to be some error in the addition, which should be—men, 20,805 ; cattle, 46 805. A similar error occurs in the sddition of the returns of 1876—men, 19,273; cattle, 54,830; should be—men, 18,273; cattle, 54,430.