Introduction  The wild animals occupy an important place in our cultural and religious traditions. Almost every God and Goddess in our pantheon is associated with some animal and that animal is venerated almost as the deity itself. Our folk-lore, arts and crafts reflect our love and reverence for the animal world1 India had a strong tradition of conserving plants and animals. Many Kings and Rulers also took measures to protect the vanishing wild-life. Sadly the reality is otherwise. Our care for animal including many endangered species leaves a lot to be desired. The earliest enactments to protect wild animals in India were Elephant Preservation Act, 1879 and Wild Birds Protection Act, 1887. After the commencement of Indian Constitution wild life was originally a State subject but after Forty Second Amendment it was shifted to Concurrent List in order to facilitates a uniform Central law on the subject : The object wa ....