Kerala struggles with human-wildlife conflicts and fatal losses

Increasing instances of human-wildlife conflicts have become a perennial headache for Kerala. The loss of human lives in incidents involving wild animals has become a matter of concern in the State, which has around 29% of its extent under forest cover. Studies have identified that the elephants, tigers, and Guars have established their sustainable populations in Kerala forests.

A significant number of lives are lost to wild animals annually in the State. An analysis of the loss of lives caused by wild animals since 2011-12 indicates that the highest number of deaths was caused in 2018-19 when 146 persons were killed. Incidentally, the loss of lives was relatively low in 2024-25. The year witnessed 57 lives lost, which was the lowest during the last 15 years.

The past 15 years saw a total of 1,527 being killed in encounters with wild animals. Snakes, elephants, tigers, wild pigs, and gaur turned out to be the biggest killers of human beings inside and outside the forest boundaries. In some rare instances, the wild animals, especially tigers and wild elephants, marauding into the human settlements close to the forest fringes turned out to be a threat to human lives.

Also read | 486 people killed in wild animal attacks in Kerala during the last five years

Snakes are the biggest threat

Of the five wild animal species that come into frequent conflicts with humans, snakes turned out to be the biggest threat in terms of the death caused to human beings. The last 15 years witnessed 1,150 persons succumbing to snake bites. Incidentally, the officials of the Kerala Forest Department maintain that most incidents of snake bites are reported from outside the forest terrains. Snake bite deaths have even been reported from Alappuzha, the district without any forest. Conflicts with elephants claimed 276 lives whereas wild pigs were responsible for 63 lives. Tigers mauled 11 persons to death and the conflicts with Gaur resulted in the loss of 10 persons.

Every life lost in human-wildlife conflicts is also bringing in financial burden to the State government. The government has eased the norms for releasing compensation to the survivors of those who were killed in human-wildlife conflicts as every incident of such death would be followed by waves of public protest. The State government has also increased the compensation package for the survivors of such incidents.

Human-Wildlife Conflict Zones

The State Forest Department has taken steps to address the issue of human-wildlife conflicts both at landscape and panchayat levels. It has identified 12 landscapes from where the incidents have been reported. The effort is to look into the issue from a landscape level to evolve management practices. The department has also listed out the panchayats in the state where the issue has achieved serious proportions.

While short-term measures will be put in place at the panchayats, the forest department is also in the process of identifying the long-term measures to be introduced at the conflict zones.

Culling of wild pigs

The State government had recently resorted to the practice of culling of the crop-raiding wild pigs as the loss caused by the animals to human lives and property increased significantly in the State. The State government has permitted licensed gunners to shoot down the animals. In some instances, the shooters engaged by the Forest Department itself had shot the animals dead whereas in some other cases, the gunners brought in by the local bodies did the job.

The instances of human-wildlife conflicts have also evolved into a political issue with the Congress-led Opposition and some church heads demanding the resignation of the State Forest Minister A. K. Saseendran. However, the Minister, who asserted that the State government had initiated all possible steps to manage the situation, declined the demand for his scalp as a politically motivated one.

Kerala demands, Centre declines

Kerala had sought to amend Wildlife Protection Act to reclassify bonnet macaque from Schedule 1 to 2 of Wildlife Protection Act and declare wild pigs as vermin. The Centre has denied the plea and added that there was no proposal to reclassify bonnet macaque from Schedule 1 to 2 of Wildlife Protection Act and declare wild pigs as vermin. However, the Centre has said Chief Wildlife Warden can permit hunting of wild pigs.