Licence to kill?

The Bangladesh ministry of environment and forests has decided to grant
licence to parties interested in setting
up private farms for breeding and
rearing wildlife species.

The recent decision by the
Wildlife Advisory Board came as a
happy tiding to those who have, over
half a decade, struggled to obtain
licence for lizard farms. Now there
are proposals to set up deer and
snake farms too.

But wildlife lovers are worried
that permits for wildlife farms could
be used as licences to start killing
commercially valuable wild species
indiscriminately.

Concerned authorities were initially hesitant to allow the setting up
of wildlife farms as some interested
parties seemed more keen on exporting lizard skin, froglegs and other
wildlife products.

Of several arguments advanced in
favour of the animal farms, one was
the lack of scientific information
about different wildlife species in the
absence of proper observation facilities, which the animal farms are sup-
posed to provide.

Experts, however, are not fully
convinced that wildlife farms will be
commercially viable. Crocodile farms
In India and Thailand have become
tourist attractions. Crocodile meat is
considered a delicacy. Out them is an
international ban on crocodile skin
export. The same is true for lizard
skin - one of the most sought after
wildlife products.

Abdul Wahab Akand of the
Wildlife Circle, department of forests
said, a three-year licence may be
granted to farms for 'conservation' of
species under pilot projects, A committee would oversee their progress.