Elections are not fought on political issues alone in Kerala this time. The marauding wildlife population and its conflicts with humans have added a new dimension to the political discourse in the State.
Barring a few southern districts, human-wildlife conflicts have evolved as a major electoral issue in the State as they have been reported in as many as 14 Parliamentary constituencies including Wayanad, Idukki, Kannur, Palakkad, Chalakudy, and Pathanamthitta.
Several instances of wild animals foraying into human habitations and the resultant loss of life and property were reported from several parts of the State during the past few months. The incidents have also triggered high-voltage protests and public unrest.
“The issue of human-wildlife conflicts is being widely debated in the State during the run-up to the election,” said Father Sebastian Kochupurakkal, leader of High Range Samrakshana Samithi, the organisation that espoused the case of settler farmers in Idukki.
“Those who are capable of highlighting the issue in the Lok Sabha shall be elected to Parliament. The elected members should press for amendments in the Wildlife Protection Act so as to control the population of wildlife through culling and other measures. The Kerala Forest department shall end the practice of leasing out forest land for setting up plantations and allow natural forest to grow back as it would provide food and shelter to wild animals,” he suggested.
Incidentally, the past six months (from October 23 to March 2024) witnessed 26 lives being lost in the conflicts. The highest number of casualties were reported from Wayanad and Palakkad districts, where six persons lost their lives each, according to the Forest department. Elephants killed 14 persons during the past six months. Most casualties occurred in Idukki, Wayanad, Kannur, Palakkad and Malappuram districts.
“Elephants, tiger, bear, and wild pig are frequently marauding human habitations and causing loss of lives and properties. Barring Alappuzha, farmers in all other districts are facing the problem. Yet, no political party or organisation has taken it up seriously. They are engaged in blame-games,” alleged Alex Ozhukayil, chairperson of Kerala Independent Farmers Association, which had been vociferously highlighting the matter.
Mr. Ozhukayil was critical of Parliament members from Kerala, who, according to him, did not actively get involved in debates to highlight the plight of people when the Lok Sabha discussed amendments to the Wildlife Protection Act.
“We will highlight the issues faced by the people and expose those who adopted anti-farmer stances. However, the association, which does not have any political affiliation, will not issue any suggestions to its members regarding voting,” he said.
Acting under political compulsions and public demand, the State government quickly mobilised its resources and loosened its purse strings to handle the volatile situation.
The arrears of compensation for victims were cleared till January 2024, and ₹22 crore was spent as compensation. Communication and early warning networks were activated, and over 15,000 people were enrolled in WhatsApp groups formed to alert people to risks, said a senior Forest official, who oversaw the operations.
The declaration of human-wildlife conflict as a State-level disaster helped in bringing together all government departments to mitigate the crisis. Rapid response teams were strengthened, emergency operating centres were set up, and around 1,400 water holes were created and maintained inside forest areas to provide water to animals and to prevent them from entering human settlements in search of water, he added.
