Kerala CM's backing for control of wildlife numbers stirs row
KOCHI: At a time when the state is witnessing a spike in wild animal attacks, which have claimed 26 lives this year, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan's statement advocating controlled culling of wild pigs has ignited a debate on balancing human development with wildlife conservation.
While the Church and farmers have welcomed the CM's suggestion on controlled culling, conservation activists are demanding a moratorium on any policy proposal involving wildlife hunting or population control unless preceded by rigorous scientific justification and full legal scrutiny.
Animal rights activists are demanding steps to restore wildlife habitats by converting forest plantations into natural forest and raising barriers to stop wild animals from entering human habitations.
Welcoming the CM's statement, Thalassery archbishop Joseph Pamplany said it vindicates the Church stand.
'Wild pigs, peacock and monkeys are proliferating at an alarming rate, and they have spread from forest fringes to the midlands. These animals are destroying crops and denying farmers' livelihood. So we have demanded that the government order controlled culling to limit their population. The population of elephants and tigers has increased threefold. We don't demand indiscriminate killing. But the government should control the population based on the carrying capacity of forests. Tigers and elephants should be tranquilised and shifted to other reserve forests. Elephant walls and trenches should be made to stop wild animals from entering human habitations,' he said.
'The forest department has been focusing on protection of wild animals, which has led to their proliferation. But the rise in the wild animal population has affected the lives and livelihoods of farmers. There should be a balance and we favour culling to control the wildlife population,' said Kerala Catholic Bishops' Council (KCBC) deputy secretary general Fr Thomas Tharayil.
'We have been demanding allowing hunting to control the population of wild animals. Without putting the blame on the Union government, the state government should take the initiative to protect farmers. Section 11 (2) of the Wildlife Protection Act says killing wild animals in self-defence is not a crime. Considering this provision, the government should issue instruction to forest department officials not to harass farmers who kill wild animals in self-defence,' said Kerala Independent Farmers Association (KIFA) chairman Alex Ozhukayil.
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