KOCHI: The Public Affairs Commission of the Syro Malabar Church urged the government to take immediate action to protect farmers, farms and livestock from wildlife attacks. "It is not in the interest of a civilized society to ignore the cries of farmers and their families who are losing their lives due to wildlife attacks," said Mar Andrews Thazhath, chairman of the Public Affairs Commission.
"The increasing presence and invasion of wildlife is creating more crises to the existing miserable living conditions of ordinary farmers and the crisis in the agricultural sector. In the hilly areas, almost everything the farmers cultivate are destroyed by wild boar, elephants and monkeys. Even where the products ready for harvest are destroyed overnight and government agencies and related departments remain silent. There is no one here to look into the plight of the farming families whose only income comes from agriculture," said Mar Andrews Thazhath in a release on Thursday
The release also noted that the number of people losing their lives in wildlife attacks is on increase. "In the last 10 years, nearly a thousand people have lost their lives in wildlife attacks in Kerala. It is a sad reality that the loss of human lives due to wildlife attacks gains much less attention from the media and the public than an injured wild hurt animal. It is the duty of the democratic government that the farmers are to be taken care of from the attack of the wildlife," he said.
Pets and livestock are just as vulnerable to wildlife attacks as agricultural fields. Very often the farmers are not given proportionate compensation when their livestock become prey to the wildlife. There exists an alarming situation of an uncontrolled multiplication of wild animals and their attacks. The press release also calls on the government to take effective measures to protect the life and property of farmers upholding the unique place of human beings in biodiversity.