KALPETTA: Questioning the minister’s claim that the number of wild animals in the forests of Kerala have increased exponentially, the ‘Wayanad Prakruthi Samrakshana Samithi’ asked AK Saseendran to publicize the scientific study behind his claim. The forest minister Saseendran had recently said that there is an increase in the number of tigers beyond the carrying capacity of the forest and government will be approaching the Supreme Court to allow birth control.
The members of the environmental organisation said on Tuesday said that exaggerated and absurd figures are being circulated about the number of tigers in the state forest. “We are unaware about any recent study by the Forest Department or any other agency on the number of wildlife in the forests of Kerala.According to the latest figures released by the National Tiger Conservation Authority, there are less than 50 tigers in the three forest Divisions of Wayanad,” N Badusha, president of the Samithi said.
“The herds of elephants seen in the Wayanad forests roam seasonally in the forest area spread across Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. In Wayanad, only a handful of wild elephants enter the farms,” he said and alleged that Wayanad forest is full of tourism resorts and home stays.
According to the Samithi members, the forest department has implemented 84 eco-tourism projects all over Kerala and most of them do not have the central government’s approval.Some resorts are extended to the core area of the wildlife sanctuaries and vehicles move unrestricted in these places. “The views of wildlife experts, tiger-elephant experts, experienced officials, tribals, farmers, village panchayats etc. should be codified before making a master plan to solve human-wildlife conflict in Wayanad and any other plan will turn out to be a farce,”Badusha said.
The organisation demanded that the Forest Minister should take the initiative for natural resource restoration, tourism management, fair compensation to farmers for crop loss, rehabilitation of elephants and corruption-free compensation procedures.