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Journalism of Courage
Wayanad is on the boil after a radio-collared wild elephant chased a 47-year-old man and trampled him to death, inside a gated property in a residential area. Locals allege inaction on the part of forest and revenue officials, and are demanding the capture of the killer elephant.
The tragedy brings to attention escalating human-animal conflict in the state. Increased incidence of wild animals, mainly elephants, tigers, bison, and wild boars, attacking human beings have been reported from across the state. The districts of Wayanad, Kannur, Palakkad and Idukki are the worst-hit.
Government data for 2022-23 recorded 8,873 wild animal attacks, of which, 4193 were by wild elephants, 1524 by wild boars, 193 by tigers, 244 by leopards, and 32 by bison. Of 98 reported deaths, 27 were due to elephant attacks.
Beyond posing risk to humans, these attacks also devastated Kerala’s agriculture sector. From 2017 to 2023, there were 20,957 incidents of crop loss due to wild animal raids which also killed 1,559 domestic animals, mainly cattle.
Wayanad worst-affected
Wayanad, which boasts of a forest cover of 36.48 per cent, has lost 41 lives to elephant attacks and seven to tiger attacks over the last decade. Its geographical location plays a role in this.
The district’s forests are a part of a greater forested area comprising Nagarhole Tiger Reserve, Bandipur National Park, and BR Tiger Reserve in Karnataka, and Mudumalai Tiger Reserve and Sathyamangalam Forest in Tamil Nadu. Wild animals, especially elephants and tigers, traverse state borders in search for food.
The above-mentioned killer elephant was captured and radio-collared by the Karnataka forest department in November 2023, before being released into the wild.
Fall in quality of Kerala forests
A 2018 study by Dehradun’s Wildlife Institute of India and the Periyar Tiger Conservation Foundation in Kerala,held to form a strategy to reduce human-animal conflict, has found two major drivers of human-animal conflict in the state.
First is the decline in the quality of forest habitats, largely due to the cultivation of alien plants — mainly acacia, mangium and eucalyptus — in forest tracts for commercial purposes. With 30,000 hectares of forest land in Kerala being used for cultivation of these species, animals are deprived of their natural habitat and food sources. Moreover, these water-guzzling species also strain the forest’s natural water resources. Elephants are among the worst-affected species due to this. Invasive species such as lantana, mikania and senna, planted by forest department over decades, have also hindered growth of natural vegitation in forests.
While the Kerala forest department banned the cultivation of acacia and eucalyptus in forest tracts in 2018, the process of regenerating natural forests, such that animals do not face shortage of food and water, will take time. So far only 1115 hectors of forest could be reconverted into natural habitats through eco-restoration process.
Changing agri-practices lure animals to farmland
The study also found that changing agri-practices were also responsible for drawing animals, which do not find enough fodder in their habitats, out of forests. In recent years, owing to poor returns and high wage costs, more and more farmland is being left unattended. This makes them ideal targets for wildlife looking to snack on bananas and pineapples, among the most cultivated crops in the region. Moreover, the increase in wildlife attacks has further pushed people to safer settlements away from their farms. This further entices animals to raid estates neighbouring forests.
The crisis in Kerala’s farm sector has also driven many towards animal husbandry. In Wayanad particularly, the dairy sector has emerged as a lifeline for villagers. But domesticated animals are also prime targets for tigers and other carnivores, especially older animals less capable of hunting in the wild.
Apart from declining quality of forests and changing agri-practices, a number of other human activities, including waste disposal near forested areas, fragmentation of animal habitats due to wanton construction, and increased human presence in and around animal habitat also contribute to increasing animal-human conflict in Kerala.
How Kerala is addressing the issue
The state has several schemes meant to prevent animals from entering human settlements. These include schemes for the construction of elephant-proof trenches, elephant-proof stone walls, and solar powered electric fencing. In 2022-23, the state conducted maintenance of 158.4 km of elephant-proof trenches, and constructed 42.6 km of solar fencing and 237 m of compound walls; but these measures are far away from addressing the crisis.
To keep animals in forests, Kerala has also undertaken eco-restoration programmes. The state is also running a scheme to acquire land from farmers, to be then converted into forestland. Thus far only 782 families have been relocated paying a compensation of Rs 95 crore to convert their farms into forest land.
In areas which see the highest incidence of human-animal conflict, 15 Rapid Response Teams have also been established — eight permanent, and seven temporary. 25 new RRTs will be established in the coming years.
In 2022, Kerala requested the Centre a sum of Rs 620 crore to tackle the crisis. The Centre, however, refused and asked the state to find its own resources and devise innovative measures to tackle the problem.
