In a landmark move to tackle the rising human-wildlife conflict, the Kerala Cabinet, on Saturday, September 13, approved a Bill amending the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, to permit the culling of violent wild animals that stray into human habitations and attack residents.
The Bill, which will be tabled in the upcoming Assembly session, empowers the Chief Wildlife Warden to directly order the killing of animals such as elephants, wild boars, and monkeys if they injure or threaten people in residential areas. This marks the first instance of a State in India introducing such an amendment.
Forest Minister AK Saseendran said the amendment removes “impractical and time-consuming procedures” in the central law and standard operating protocols of the Union government, allowing urgent action in the event of an attack. He added that endangered species would continue to remain protected.
Under the provisions, if a person sustains serious injuries from a wild animal, the District Collector or Chief Conservator of Forests can report it to the Chief Wildlife Warden, who can then order swift measures, including culling, without waiting for central approvals. The Bill also includes provisions for translocation, population control, and birth regulation of species under Schedule II, while moving the bonnet macaque from Schedule I to Schedule II.
Under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, Schedule I includes species like tigers, elephants, and leopards that enjoy the highest level of protection, while Schedule II covers animals such as monkeys, wild boars, and civets, which have a lower degree of protection and can be declared vermin for controlled culling.
A politically significant step ahead of local body elections later this year and Assembly polls in 2026, the move follows mounting protests in high-range regions over repeated attacks on lives and crops. Official data reveals the scale of the crisis: Kerala recorded 55,839 cases of wild animal attacks between 2016 and 2023, leading to 909 deaths up to early 2024, including 180 from elephant attacks.
The Cabinet has also proposed classifying violent wild animals as “vermin,” granting the state authority to declare and cull them, as opposed to waiting for the Union government’s sanction. Once classified, such animals can be killed freely, with no restrictions on the use or consumption of their meat.
Alongside this, the Cabinet cleared two more draft Bills, including one allowing private individuals to cut down sandalwood trees on their own land with Forest Department approval, and another to protect the right to housing of people at risk of losing their only residence due to loan defaults.
All three Bills will be introduced in the Assembly session beginning September 15.
(With IANS inputs)