New Delhi, Aug 4 (PTI) India recorded over 2,700 wildlife crime cases from 2020 to 2024, with West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, and Haryana reporting some of the highest numbers, according to government data.

Responding to a question in the Lok Sabha, Union Minister of State for Environment Kirti Vardhan Singh said the responsibility for conservation and protection of wildlife, including prevention of illegal trafficking, lies primarily with the state governments and Union Territories under the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972.

The Wild Life Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) collects and shares intelligence, coordinates enforcement and issues alerts to combat organised wildlife crime.

The data shows India recorded a total of 2,701 wildlife crime cases from 2020 to 2024. The country registered 820 cases in 2020; 632 in 2021; 546 in 2022; 349 in 2023 and 354 in 2024.

Between 2020 and 2024, West Bengal recorded the highest number of cases at 349, followed by Uttar Pradesh with 297 and Haryana with 243.

Tamil Nadu logged 200 such cases, Assam 178, Uttarakhand 15, Andhra Pradesh 153, Madhya Pradesh 145, Odisha 143, Karnataka 84, Maharashtra 77, Himachal Pradesh 76, Meghalaya 71, Telangana 51, and Punjab 49.

Singh said the WCCB works with state agencies, customs, border forces and international organisations like INTERPOL and the UN Office on Drugs and Crime to tackle wildlife trafficking.

India is also a signatory to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), with its provisions incorporated into the Wild Life (Protection) Act through a 2022 amendment.

In the last five years, the WCCB conducted 806 training programmes for government officials and 128 awareness campaigns and community outreach initiatives to curb wildlife trafficking.

The bureau has also established regional and sub-regional offices, including one covering Andhra Pradesh under its southern jurisdiction.

Singh said measures to strengthen surveillance include joint operations, intelligence sharing and sensitisation of border guarding forces.

He said the government remains committed to tackling organised wildlife crime to safeguard India's biodiversity. PTI GVS RHL RHL

Wildlife protection duty under Wild Life (Protection) Act requires state enforcement; WCCB coordinates intelligence, training and international cooperation. Responsibility for conservation, protection and prevention of illegal wildlife trafficking rests primarily with state governments and Union Territories under the Wild Life (Protection) Act, while the Wild Life Crime Control Bureau collects and shares intelligence, coordinates enforcement with state agencies, customs and border forces, engages in international cooperation, and implements training, awareness and operational measures including joint operations and intelligence sharing.