Thiruvananthapuram, Jun 24 (PTI) Kerala Forest Minister Shibu Baby John on Wednesday said that the state government would take up with the Centre the practical difficulties involved in dealing with dangerous wild animals and would also formulate a comprehensive, integrated multi-layer plan to tackle the growing menace of human-wildlife conflict.
Replying to a question in the Assembly, the minister said the government was working on a comprehensive strategy that would utilise scientific equipment and technology to prevent wild animal attacks.
He said the law does not permit the killing of wild animals merely because they are aggressive, although the Chief Wildlife Warden has the authority to order the elimination of animals that pose a threat to human life.
However, the procedures prescribed for such action are lengthy and cumbersome, he said.
According to the existing norms, authorities must first try to drive away the animal. If that fails, attempts should be made to capture it, including through tranquilisation, he explained.
Only when such efforts prove unsuccessful can the option of killing the animal be considered, and that too, after a committee takes a decision, he said.
The minister said even in cases where a tiger kills a human being, authorities have to establish that it was responsible for the attack and whether it had consumed human flesh before it can be declared a man-eater.
“There are several such hurdles. In the coming days, we will discuss these practical difficulties with the Centre and try to find solutions,” he said.
John also said the state government was planning to implement an integrated, comprehensive and multi-layer approach with the participation of local communities to address human-animal conflict.
Stressing the need for reforms in the Forest Department, he said Kerala has nearly 6,000 km of forest boundary, compared to about 600 km of National Highways running through the state.
The existing infrastructure was inadequate for such a vast area and forest personnel were functioning under highly constrained conditions, he said.
The minister also said the government did not consider the existing compensation provided in human-wildlife conflict cases to be adequate and would seek to improve it.
“Whenever a wild animal enters a human habitation and causes an attack, the Forest Department has a moral responsibility,” he added. PTI LGK KH
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