THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: With no end in sight for man-animal conflicts in Kerala, the Forest Department has come under heavy fire. Though mounting anger in the highlands had spurred the officials into action, many in the department are uncertain how the many proposals fielded could be carried out. Pointing out that there is no recent census of tigers and elephants, the officers said that it could not prove that there was an overpopulation of wild animals.
This was the theory thrown about in the wake of rising man-animal conflicts in the state. The latest report available with the department is 2021 (tigers) and 2018 (elephants).In the absence of key data, the proposal to move the animals from one forest area to another, too, has proven difficult to carry out. It is learnt from sources in the department that the state government is considering forming an expert committee to study the reason behind these growing conflicts, especially the incursion of animals into human habitats.
A study conducted by the Kerala Forest Research Institute (KFRI) pointed out that even though the forest cover of the state is not shrinking, a large section of habitat has been lost through the years. Earlier, noted ecologist Madhav Gadgil and KFRI scientist Sanjeev Velyudan had, in their opinion columns published in TNIE, pointed out that there should be a check on the population of wild animals, especially tigers and elephants. Forest Minister A K Saseendran, too, had suggested the same.
Though the government had approached the Supreme Court for sanctions, the move was stayed. “There is no easy solution to the man-animal conflict in Kerala,” A K Saseendran told TNIE. “The department should have proper data of tigers and elephants before moving into any action,” the minister said, adding that it is on the state’s agenda to approach the SC again.
Lack of data
The latest report available with the department is 2021 (tigers) and 2018 (elephants). In the absence, the proposal to move animals from one forest to another, too, has proven difficult to carry out