Kottayam: The palm civet, notorious for stealing toddy from palm trees, has received a “promotion” under the Wildlife Protection Act—from Schedule 2 to Schedule 1. Under the new rule, civets causing trouble to humans can now be captured only with special permission from senior Forest Department officials. This has left residents in many rural parts of Kerala struggling, as they are unable to trap the animal and release it back into the wild.

The Forest Department has also urged people to remain cautious during August and September, when civets are known to display aggressive behaviour.

Toddy tappers and households with tiled roofs and attics face the worst nuisance from civets. In one recent incident, toddy workers who noticed a steep decline in yield discovered that an entire family of civets had been drinking the brew.

Apart from toddy, civets also feed on developing fruits. Yet, they play a key ecological role: their droppings contain palm seeds, which later sprout into new trees, helping propagate palms across rural landscapes.

How to keep them away
The Forest Department has issued a few preventive measures:

• Provide illumination in attics and under tiled roofs to discourage civets.
• Keep light bulbs switched on during the day in affected areas.
• Spread naphthalene balls where civets are likely to enter.
• Seal all gaps and openings in roofs and ceilings to block entry.

Officials added that civets, being nocturnal, have poor vision in daylight and generally venture out only at night to feed, hiding in dark spaces during the day.