KOZHIKODE: Will wild elephants in Kerala undergo the famous South African immuno-contraception to put brakes on growing elephant population in the state? While neighbouring state Karnataka has decided to go ahead with the birth control technique to deal with the rising man-elephant conflict, Kerala is yet to consider it on the ground that such contraception is not required and it might also trigger unnecessary controversy.
“We are preparing an action plan to deal with the rising man-elephant conflict and are considering all possible measures. But we will not be opting for the immuno-contraception technique to cut down elephant population in the state. We do not want to create unnecessary controversy,” said Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and Chief Wildlife Warden G Harikumar. According to the officer, there was no need to go for such a contraceptive procedure in Kerala because the wild elephants were not breeding exponentially compared to other animals. “A female elephant during her life span will give birth to maximum four elephants, which is not much alarming,” he added.
As per an estimate prepared for the period 2010 and 2015, eight people were killed in wild animal attacks in Wayanad district alone while the total number of cattle loss stood at 408. Extensive damage to crops were also reported with 4,157 instances and the government disbursed `60 lakh as compensation for the damages.