The Kerala High Court has admitted a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by animal rights activist Angels Nair, seeking urgent intervention from the state government to implement key recommendations made by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) to prevent and mitigate the rising instances of human-wildlife conflict in the state.
The PIL, filed recently, refers to the CAG report tabled in the Kerala Assembly in July 2023, which included a section titled “Implementation of preventive and mitigative measures in respect of Human Wildlife Conflict.” The petitioner has urged the court to direct the government to adopt the suggested measures in order to ensure the safety of forest-dwelling communities and farmers facing increasing threats from wild animal incursions.
Action Against Panchayat for ‘Empanelling Shooters’
In a controversial addition to the petition, Nair has also sought strict action against the Chakkittapara Grama Panchayat in Kozhikode district for reportedly passing a resolution to empanel 20 shooters to kill wild animals straying into the village. He has termed the resolution “anti-national” and amounting to “treason.”
The activist argues that such vigilante measures not only violate wildlife protection laws but also escalate conflict with animals, threatening both human and animal lives.
Plea to Ban Forest Department’s Rapid Response Tactics
The petition further demands a ban on the elephant-repelling activities conducted by the Forest Department’s Rapid Response Team (RRT), which is deployed to drive back elephants entering human settlements. Nair claims that the RRT’s current methods, including the use of unscientifically constructed barricades on elephant corridors, fall within the definition of “hunting” under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
He contends that these aggressive deterrence strategies provoke elephants, causing them to retaliate and worsening the already precarious situation in human-wildlife interface zones.
Call for Habitat Restoration
A core part of the petition is a plea for long-term ecological solutions, including the restoration of degraded forest and wildlife habitats. The petitioner argues that protecting and restoring these ecosystems is crucial to prevent wildlife from straying into agricultural and residential areas in search of food and shelter.
