‘Immunocontraceptive measures’ project is launched by Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change(MoEFCC)

Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) launched a project for undertaking ‘immunocontraceptive measures’ for population management of 4 species of wild animals namely Elephant, Wild boar, Monkeys and Blue Bull (Nilgai).
Key Points:

i. Need: Human-elephant conflict caused the maximum number of casualties. Between 2014 and March 2019, 2,398 people died in elephant attack in the country. West Bengal had maximum number of such deaths.

ii. Immunocontraception: It is a birth control method that uses the body’s immune response to prevent pregnancy. 
It is a technology that uses a female animal’s immune system to build a protein around the egg that prevents it from fertilizing.
The Pilot project will begin in Uttarakhand.
It is implemented in the rest of the country.
The Wildlife Institute of India (WII) and the National Institute of Immunology (NII) are the bodies involved to develop a protocol of immunocontraception.

iii. Applicability: Pilot project will begin in Uttarakhand and then implemented in rest of the country.

iv. Agency: The Wildlife Institute of India (WII) and the National Institute of Immunology (NII) are the bodies involved to develop a protocol of immunocontraception.

About Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC)
Formed: 1985
Ministers responsible: Prakash Javadekar, Cabinet Minister