NEW DELHI: With the rise of human and wildlife conflict getting too frequent at Kerala and Karnataka border, The Union Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Bhupender Yadav has urged for vigilant use of modern technology along with a sympathizing approach towards wild animals to mitigate it. However, funds for wildlife conservation have dried up in the past five years by 50%.
While talking to the media, Yadav recognized the rising animal-human conflict at the Kerala and Karnataka border as a grave situation.
Kerala government is demanding to declare wild boar as vermin. Wild Boars destroy crops on a large scale causing problems to agricultural households income.
There were over 8800 wild animal attacks reported last year with elephant attacks being the most followed by wild boars, tigers, leopards and bison.
On his arrival at the Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru, Yadav told the media that “We came to know that there is an animal-human conflict, especially in Wayanad and the border of Bandipur and Wayanad.”
Yadav further said “In order to resolve the ongoing man-animal conflict, we should use the technology vigilantly while also adopting a sympathizing approach towards animals. Central government has been issuing advisories in this regard.”
The Union Minister also met the victims and ensured the compensation issued by the Central government reached the victims positively.
India's wildlife conservation is at risk as government funding dries up. Habitat development fund, which was Rs 165 crore for 2018-19, has been decreased to Rs 56 crore for 2022-23. Funds for 'Project Tiger' have also been reduced by 50% in the last five years. Curiously, the decrease in tiger conservation funds coincides with a surge in tiger deaths in the country.
TNIE first reported in September last year that tiger deaths have reached an all-time high, with 142 recorded by September 20, compared to 121 in the entire previous year and 127 in 2021, with over half occurring outside tiger reserves.
As per MoEFCC data, the number of human deaths due to tiger attacks reached an all-time high of 103 in 2022 in the country. In the case of elephant attacks, the number of deaths reached 605 in 2022. In 2018, 457 deaths were reported; 586 in 2019, 464 in 2020 and 545 in 2021.