Thiruvananthapuram: Wild boars that attack crops and human habitats can be killed, said Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Saturday.
Inaugurating the Wildlife Week Celebrations virtually, Vijayan said that permission to “shoot wild boars” has been given to forest officials, other officials who can use a gun and members of the public with a gun license".
Vijayan said the human-animal conflict was a major issue in Kerala. He claimed that efforts were on to mitigate the problems with the formation of 204 people's awareness committees, comprising people's representatives, local and forest officials.
“Electric fencing, rail fencing, elephant walls, trenches, crash guards, and rope fencing have been set up at various places that are prone to attacks from wild animals, according to the need of the regions,” said the chief minister.
Radio collars on wild elephants
Vijayan said that wild elephant attacks on human habitats were rampant in Palakkad and Wayanad districts. “Efforts have been taken to fix radio collars (GPS-enabled) on wild elephants to track its movements and alert the locals,” he said.
The chief minister also added that 382 families in Wayanad who were willing to leave deep forests have been rehabilitated.
228 endangered species in Kerala
Even while hailing Kerala's tiger conservation efforts led by Periyar and Parambikulam Tiger Reserves, Vijayan pointed to the danger of extinction faced by several other species.
“Periyar is the best in the country in terms of Tiger conservation. But studies have shown that there are 228 endangered species in Kerala, including wild animals and fish,” said Vijayan.
