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Kerala government to enlist police to impart firearm training to farmers for culling marauding wild boars
A Kerala High Court stay procured by animal rights activists and limited number of farmers with firearm licenses have been hurdles to mitigating wild boar menace
The Kerala government plans to enlist the police to impart firearm training to farmers to shoot and kill marauding wild boars.
However, Forest Minister A.K. Saseendran told the Assembly on June 26 that the government had a few legal hurdles to surmount. Animal rights activists had obtained a stay from the Kerala High Court against the scheme.
Kerala government declares wildlife attacks a State-specific disaster
He was replying to a calling-attention motion tabled by CPI legislator P.S. Supal.
Mr. Saseendran said the Central government “stonewalled” Kerala’s demand to declare wild boars that attack farmers, destroy their crops and wreck the ecosystem as vermin. Also, there was a shortage of firearm licences for farmers. The government has vested the panchayat presidents of villages abutting forests with the wildlife warden’s powers to cull wild boars.
AI-driven electric fences
Mr. Saseendran said the government planned to install artificial intelligence-driven electric fences to keep wildlife from raiding human habitations. Cameras mounted on walls would detect wildlife ingress in advance, sound an alarm to warn residents, and simultaneously alert the Forest department’s nearest rapid response team. The pilot project was under way at the Chethalayam forest range in the South Wayanad forest division. If found successful, the government would implement the scheme across the State, he said.
Mr. Saseendran accused the Central government of incrementally reducing allocations to the Kerala Forest department.
The Centre was reluctant to bear the burden of compensating victims of human-wildlife conflicts, even partially. Moreover, it has refused to amend the Indian Wildlife Act, 1972, in tune with the current ground reality in Kerala, he said.
Threat to food security
Mr. Supal, in a stark warning, raised the spectre of the multiplying wild boar population posing a significant threat to Kerala’s food security. He pointed out that tuber cultivation has almost reached a standstill in Kerala due to the wild boar menace. The animals, known for their voracious eating habits and prolific breeding, are a severe concern to the State’s agricultural sector, he said. Wild boars have attacked farmers and rubber tappers and caused road accidents.
Forests constituted 29.1% of the State’s geographic area. The State has 23 protected wildlife reserves. Lakhs of settler farmer families living on the periphery of forests endure wildlife raids almost daily. Tigers and leopards preyed on their livestock, and elephants destroyed crops and houses. Human-wildlife conflicts were a recurrent cause of emotional protests against the government.
Mr. Supal said human-wildlife conflicts had claimed 990 lives since 2016. An estimated 7,500 people, primarily subsistence-level farmers, sustained crippling injuries. The ₹10-lakh assistance given by the Kerala government offered scarce solace.
“The Central government is the villain. It is unwilling to give its part of the compensation. Moreover, the Centre refused to amend the archaic Wildlife Act”, he added.
Mr Supal requested the government to lead an all-party delegation to inform the Central government of the State’s concerns.
Mr. Saseendran said the government would build more moats and erect power fences to keep wildlife at bay. Wildlife enforcers would ensure fodder and water deep inside forests to prevent wild elephants from foraging for food near human habitations. He said the government had declared human-wildlife conflict a State-specific disaster.
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