The Elephants' Preservation Act, 1879
The Elephants' Preservation Act, 1879
The Elephants Preservation Act of 1879 regulates the protection of wild elephants in designated regions of India, applying to all individuals within those areas. It prohibits injuring, killing, or capturing wild elephants without a license, except in defense of human life or when preventing damage to property and public infrastructure. Violators face penalties like fines and imprisonment, while unauthorized captures and tusks become government property. This law matters because it established one of India's earliest legal frameworks for wildlife conservation, recognizing wild elephants as protected assets rather than free resources, which laid the foundation for modern environmental protection policies nationwide.
- 0. Preamble
- 1. Short title. This Act may be called the Elephants' Preservation Act, 1879; Local extent. It
- 2. In other respects it shall come into force on the first day of April, 1879.
- 3. Killing and capture of wild elephants prohibited. No person shall kill, injure or capture, or
- 4. Rights of Government with respect to certain elephants and tusks. Every wild elephant
- 5. Act, shall be the property of Government.
- 6. Power of State Government to declare what are main roads and canals, and to make rules as to licenses
- 7. Penalty for contravening section 3. Whoever in contravention of section 3, kills. injures or
- 8. When any person holding a license under this Act is convicted under this section, such license shall become void and shall be delivered up to the convicting Magistrate.
- 9. Limitation of prosecution. Every prosecution under this Act shall be commenced within six
- 10. Recovery of fees. The amount or value of any fee payable under any license granted under
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