The Act provides for the protection of Wild animals, birds and plants and for matters connected therewith or ancillary or incidental thereto. It extends to the whole of India, except the State of Jammu and Kashmir

 "animal" includes amphibians, birds, mammals, and reptiles, and their young, and also includes, in the cases of birds and reptiles, their eggs,

"animal article" means an article made from any captive animal or wild animal, other than vermin, and includes an article or object in which the whole or any part of such animal [has been used and ivory imported into India and an article made therefrom.

"hunting", includes,

(a) capturing, killing, poisoning, snaring, and trapping or any wild animal and every attempt to do so,

(b) driving any wild animal for any of purposes specified in sub clause

(c) injuring or destroying or taking any part of the body of any such animal, or in the case of wild birds or reptiles, damaging the eggs of such birds or reptiles, or disturbing the eggs or nests of such birds or reptiles;

"taxidermy", with its grammatical variations and cognate expressions, means the curing, preparation or preservation of trophies;

'trophy" means the whole or any part of any captive animal or wild animal, other than vermin, which has been kept or preserved by any means, whether artificial or natural, and includes,

(a) rugs, skins, and specimens of such animals mounted in whole or in part through a process of taxidermy, and

(b) antler, horn, rhinoceros horn, feather, nail, tooth, musk, eggs, and nests;

"uncured trophy" means the whole or any part of any captive animal, other than vermin, which has not undergone a process of taxidermy, and includes a [freshly killed wild animal ambergris, musk and other animal products ];

"vermin" means any wild animal specified in Sch.V

"wildlife" includes any animal, bees butterflies, crustacean, fish and moths; and aquatic or land vegetation which forms part of any habitat;