Kochi: Leader of the Opposition in Kerala assembly, V D Satheesan, on Saturday, said the people in the hilly regions of the state have been living in fear and poverty due to the increasing incidents of human-animal conflict. The Congress leader alleged that both the central and state governments were neglecting the plight of the people who are vulnerable to the wildlife menace.

Satheesan was speaking to media in Kochi ahead of leaving for Kannur, where he is scheduled to launch the United Democratic Front’s (UDF) Malayora Samara Yatra, a pre-poll mass mobilisation drive attempting to highlight issues such as man-animal conflict and agrarian crisis in the high ranges.

“Our first demand while announcing the march was to repeal the proposed Kerala Forest Amendment Bill 2024. The government has dropped it, and we welcome the move. Our second demand is that people should be saved from wildlife attacks. There is complete apathy from the government on the issue,” Satheesan said.

He said around 10,000 incidents of man-animal conflicts were reported in the state in the past 6-7 years, and over 1,000 people were killed in them. Over 8,000 people have suffered severe injuries and 5,000-odd cattle killed, he said.

He said the traditional mitigation measures, including digging trenches and installing solar-powered fencing, have not been maintained in recent years, and no modern technology has been used.

“Around 4,000 victims have not received compensation from the government,” he said.

The opposition leader proposed the relocation of tigers from Wayanad forests as one of the solutions to man-animal conflict in the hilly district. “Tiger is a territorial animal and one big cat requires 20 sq km to live. In Wayanad, there are 151 tigers in 354 sq km of forest area. Ideally, those many tigers require 3,000 sq km. In such a situation, the young tigers push older ones out of their territory, and the latter enter human-inhabited areas for food. The central government and the Tiger Conservation Authority should catch the tigers in excess and relocate them to tiger reserves with a lesser number of animals. Has the government thought about this,” he asked.

The Congress leader slammed the government's move to notify highly populated areas as reserve forests, even making it clear that there is no doubt that the state’s forest cover, which is above the national average, should be protected.

Satheesan said when the protest march conclude in Thiruvananthapuram on February 5, the opposition front will be ready with a concrete proposal to resolve the wildlife-human conflict.