Thiruvananthapuram: With four deaths reported over the past three days, Kerala is witnessing an alarming rise in attacks on humans by wild animals. While the state government has swung into action, the opposition has alleged that not enough is being done to address the man-animal conflict.
The escalation in animal attacks triggered protests in Wayanad district—where a tribal woman was mauled to death by a tiger in late January and two fresh deaths were reported this week—with locals demanding a permanent solution to the problem.
On Wednesday morning, the body of tribal youth Balakrishnan, 27, was found in Wayanad’s Attamala region and it is suspected that he was attacked by an elephant. The Kerala government has announced a compensation of Rs 10 lakh for the family.
Attamala is one of the regions that was devastated by landslides last year. Balakrishnan’s body was recovered barely a day after another person from the tribal community, 45-year-old Manu, was trampled to death by a wild elephant in the district’s Noolpuzha.
Manu, a resident of Kappad tribal settlement, is believed to have been attacked Monday night while he was returning from a nearby shop. His body was found near paddy fields adjacent to the forests.
On Monday, another death was reported due to a wild elephant attack in the state’s Idukki district. Plantation worker Sofia Ismail was believed to have been trampled to death near a stream when she went to take a bath there. Her body was found later.
The same night, locals also found the body of 54-year-old Babu, four days after he went missing in Kulathupuzha forest range in Thiruvananthapuram district. He too is suspected to have died in an elephant attack.
Reacting to the increasing number of deaths due to wild animal attacks, Leader of the Opposition in the Kerala assembly, V.D. Satheesan, alleged that the state government was reluctant to take action despite repeated requests.
“Four people have lost their lives in three days. We have requested the government to take emergency action, but they are not taking any measures. The state is leaving the safety of vulnerable people in the hills to fate,” Satheesan told the media, adding that the government should deploy an emergency response team to protect the population living in vulnerable areas.
He said that the forest department should arrange spots with water and food for wild animals to reduce their arrival to human settlements. The opposition UDF has also announced a strike in Wayanad Thursday.
The Kerala State Disaster Management Authority Wednesday announced that Rs 50 lakh will be allotted for managing human-wildlife conflict, including for clearing abandoned areas.
An emergency meeting convened by state forest minister A.K. Saseendran Wednesday afternoon decided to constitute 10 missions to ensure rapid response and increase awareness among the public on the matter.
The department will constitute primary volunteer response teams to ensure immediate action in case of attacks and will jointly begin collecting traditional knowledge of indigenous communities on mitigating man-animal conflicts.
The forest department will also undertake vista clearance, that includes clearing of bushes and shrubs from forest paths, and a campaign to create awareness among the vulnerable population during summer. The department will further ensure real-time monitoring of animals close to human settlement areas.
According to a 2024 report by the Kerala forest department, the state recorded 555 deaths between 2019-20 and 2023-24. In 2023-24 alone, the number was 105, with the state government paying Rs 161.1 lakh in compensation.
The study found areas such as Kannur-Aralam-Wayanad, Palakkad-Mannarkkad, Munnar and Ermeli-Ranni as those involving high man-animal conflict.
The state budget for 2025-26 has earmarked Rs 70.4 crore to reduce the conflict.
Also Read: Kerala’s forests have too many animals. It’s coming at a cost for humans
‘Need to limit the number of animals in forests’
Speaking to ThePrint, Paul Mathews, a member of Kerala Independent Farmers Association and a Wayanad resident, said forest department estimates of wild animals were not reliable.
“The main issue is that the number of wild animals has increased in our state,” he asserted.
“The forest department says there are 84 tigers in Wayanad. But the animals they are capturing are not in the database,” he added.
Paul also said the forest department had assessed only 400 sq km of core forest area in Wayanad when the National Tiger Conservation Authority guidelines state that space of 800-1,000 sq km is important to maintain a viable population of 80-100 tigers.
He said the government can translocate the excess tigers using the existing laws, but hasn’t done anything in this regard yet. He alleged that elephants that are dangerous and causing continuous conflict are also on the loose in Kerala.
“We need to limit the number of animals in the forests,” he said, adding that there should be amendments in the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972 for maintaining an animal population once the habitat reaches its carrying capacity.
In February last year, the state government had passed a resolution urging the central government to make necessary amendments to the Act to tackle the man-animal conflict.
The resolution sought power for the Chief Conservator of Forests to order the hunting of an animal if it proved to be a threat to humans.
Currently, only the Chief Wildlife Warden has this power, which the state claims complicates the process. The state also sought to declare wild boar as vermin, as it posed a threat to life and property. Once declared vermin, the laws allow hunting of a particular animal.
(Edited by Nida Fatima Siddiqui)
Also Read: Behind Kerala’s request to have wild boars declared as ‘vermin’, a history of human-animal conflict
