WILD BEASTS IN INDIA.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIV, Issue 5633, 19 April 1879, Page 3

WILD BEASTS IN INDIA.

The destruction of lile by wild animals seems to go on at a very regular rate from year to year in India. The Government cf India have for some years past been anxious to reduce the number of tigers and similar wild animals, together with poisonous snakes, by means of a reward for each one killed, but the number of persons and cattle killed or poisoned does not greatly diminish, nor does the number of tigers, leopards, or snakes, grow less. In 1877 there were 19,698 persons killed by tigers, leopards, bears, wolves, hyenas, and poisonous snakes; and 19,273 in 1876, whilst in the same years 53,197 and 54,830 cattle were destroyed. To compensate, as it were, for this loss, 22,851 wild animals were killed in 1877, and 23,459 in 1876. During 1877 there were 127,295 snakes killed, and in 1876 the number was 912,371. The cost of these proceeding amounted in 1877 to Bs. 103,017, and in 1876 to Ks. 124,574. The number of persons killed by snakes in 1877 was 16,777 and 15,916 in 1876, so that the poisonous snakes are the most destructive of. human life, whereas wild animals destroy cattle chiefly. Tigers in 1877 killed 16,137 cattle, and leopards killed 14,483, and wolves killed 11,934, whilst snakes 2945. These figures nearly correspond with those of the year 1876, except in the case of snakes, which killed 6463 cattle in that year, more than double the number in 1877. The destruction of human life by snakes being so great, the Government of India suggests that rewards for killing snakes in towns and large villages may with much advantage be given by municipal bodies, with or without help from the local Governments. Snakes haunt the roofs and purlieus of the dwellings of the people in towns and villages, and hence arises the great mortality from poisonous snakes.