Keralam's Forest Minister Shibu Baby John on Monday said the<a href="https://www.mid-day.com/mumbai/mumbai-news/article/maharashtra-conservationists-push-for-dedicated-wildlife-crime-unit-across-the-state-23620405" rel="nofollow"> Wildlife Department</a> had launched a special drive to curb the growing wild boar menace.
A total of 225 wild boars have already been culled since the campaign began on June 15, he said.
Speaking in the Assembly during a calling attention motion, the minister said the government was adopting a new approach to addressing human-wildlife conflict, recognising the severe<a href="https://www.mid-day.com/mumbai/mumbai-news/article/rohit-pawar-warns-of-road-blockade-over-maharashtra-farm-loan-waiver-23636305" rel="nofollow"> difficulties faced by farmers</a> in forest-fringe areas.
"The Forest Department is not an enemy of farmers. We are trying to implement a policy under which the department acts as a facilitator in addressing their concerns," he said.
John said more than 2,000 km of solar fencing had been erected along forest-fringe areas across the state to prevent wildlife incursions.
He, however, noted that forest personnel had been functioning with limited resources and that even maintaining the fencing network had become a challenge.
The minister said the government was seeking to address the issue through cooperation among forest officials, local self-government institutions and farmers.
Referring to forest areas in districts such as Wayanad, which lie along the Keralam-Karnataka-Tamil Nadu tri-junction, he said human-animal conflict, particularly involving elephants, remained a major concern.
To address the issue scientifically, the government has entrusted the <a href="https://www.mid-day.com/mumbai/mumbai-news/article/leopards-in-mumbais-sgnp-to-be-radio-collared-ahead-of-thane-borivli-tunnel-work-23600851?3834180-breakingnews" rel="nofollow">Wildlife Institute of India </a>with conducting a study on the elephant carrying capacity of these regions, the minister said.
He added that no such scientific assessment had been carried out earlier.
Turning to the issue of wild boars, John said available estimates suggested that more than 50,000 animals were living outside forest boundaries and that their population was increasing due to the absence of natural predators.
He said local panchayat presidents had been designated as honorary wildlife wardens and empowered to authorise the deployment of trained shooters for culling wild boars under existing legal provisions.
As part of the special drive, the government is taking steps to ensure the availability of trained shooters in panchayats where such facilities are lacking, he added. The campaign, which commenced on June 15, will continue until June 30, the minister said.
John said the government had earmarked Rs 192 crore this year for measures to mitigate wildlife-related threats.
He expressed confidence that the allocation would enable the implementation of more effective interventions to tackle <a href="https://www.mid-day.com/lifestyle/nature-and-wildlife/article/tamil-nadu-has-successfully-deployed-ai-tools-to-prevent-human-animal-conflicts-says-official-23610327" rel="nofollow">human-animal conflict</a> across the state.
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Kerala Forest Minister Shibu Baby John on Monday said the Wildlife Department had launched a special drive to curb the growing wild boar menace

Keralam initiates special campaign against wild boar menace: Minister

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Speaking in the Assembly during a calling attention motion, the minister said the government was adopting a new approach to addressing human-wildlife conflict, recognising the severe difficulties faced by farmers in forest-fringe areas


Keralam launches special campaign against wild boar menace: Minister

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