Kashmir in 2024, according to data submitted by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change in response to a question in the Lok Sabha.
The figures mark a decline from five cases reported in 2023 and 18 cases in 2020.
In a written reply to a question on wildlife trafficking across States and Union Territories, the Ministry said that the responsibility of wildlife protection, including registration of cases and enforcement of the law, rests primarily with State Governments and Union Territory Administrations under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
Jammu and Kashmir reported a total of 28 wildlife crime cases between 2020 and 2024, with a sharp decline in the last two years. In contrast, other states such as Uttar Pradesh (297 cases), West Bengal (349), and Tamil Nadu (200) recorded significantly higher figures over the same period.
The Ministry said that while the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau supports enforcement efforts by coordinating intelligence sharing, surveillance, and inter-agency operations, the actual seizures and legal action are to be taken by local enforcement authorities in the States and UTs.
“The Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 empowers State Governments and Union Territory Administrations to make seizures and register offences,” the Ministry said.
Between 2020–21 and 2024–25, the WCCB conducted 806 training programmes and outreach activities across India to strengthen wildlife crime enforcement, which included capacity-building sessions for police, forest, customs and border forces, as well as community awareness programmes and Panchayati Raj engagement.
The Ministry further informed the House that the WCCB works closely with international agencies like SAWEN (South Asia Wildlife Enforcement Network), INTERPOL, and UNODC to combat organised wildlife crime and that India’s national law was amended in 2022 to align with CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora).
While the reply did not mention new regional offices for J&K specifically, the Ministry said that the Government has established regional and sub-regional offices of the WCCB to oversee enforcement support, which provide operational coordination across States and UTs, including Jammu and Kashmir.
