Context: Recently, the Kerala Legislative Assembly has called upon the Union Government to amend pertinent sections of the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972 to effectively combat the escalating human-animal conflict within the state.

Demand for Amendment: Section 11 - Regulating Hunting

• The resolution primarily urges the Union Government to amend Section 11 of the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972.

• Section 11 of the 1972 Act governs the hunting of wild animals.

• Clause (1)(A) empowers the Chief Wildlife Warden (CWLW) of a state to permit hunting or killing of Schedule I (mammals) specified wild animals if deemed dangerous, disabled, or beyond recovery.

• Authority granted to the CWLW includes ordering the killing of such animals if tranquilization or relocation is impractical post-capture.

Objective of Amendment

• Kerala urges the Union Government to revise Section 11, recognizing its inadequacy in effectively managing the surge in human-animal conflicts.

• Kerala wants to amend the Section 11 (1) (A) so as to devolve the above-mentioned powers of the CWLW to Chief Conservators of Forests (CCF) instead.

• According to the state, such an amendment would simplify procedures for dealing with wild animals posing a threat to human life, by enabling speedy and timely decisions to be taken at a more localised level.

Vermin Declaration for Wild Boars

• Kerala wants the Centre to declare wild boar as vermin, as per section 62 of the Wildlife Protection Act.

• The Union Government can notify any wild animal in Schedule II of the Act (which protects it from hunting), as vermin for a period of time in an area/state.

• An animal is declared as vermin when it poses threat to life and crops.

• Animals declared as vermin lose protection from hunting, enabling culling to safeguard life and livelihood.

• Kerala seeks vermin status for wild boars due to their threat to both humans and agriculture.

• Kerala emphasizes the destructive impact of wild boars on farmland, leading to economic losses and challenges in mitigation.

Escalating Crisis and Statistics

Human-Animal Conflict in Kerala

• Recent years witness a steady rise in human-animal conflicts, causing threats to life and significant damage to the agricultural sector.

• A critical incident involving a radio-collared wild elephant in Wayanad highlights the severity of the crisis.

Government Data (2022-23)

• Recorded 8,873 wild animal attacks, with elephants (4,193), wild boars (1,524), tigers (193), leopards (244), and bison (32) contributing.

• 98 reported deaths, with 27 attributed to elephant attacks.

• From 2017 to 2023, 20,957 incidents of crop loss occurred due to wild animal raids, causing the death of 1,559 domestic animals.