AS SUMMER ARRIVES, HUMAN-WILDLIFE CONFLICTS RISE

WILD ANIMALS START MIGRATING FROM MUDUMALAI, BANDIPUR & ANAMALAI, CAUSING TERRITORIAL CONFLICT

- MANOJ VISWANATHAN @ Kochi

WITH the arrival of summer, the forest fringes in Kerala have turned conflict zones. As temperatures rise and streams in the forest start shrinking, wild animals are forced to enter human habitations in search of food and water.

Adding to the pressure on the forest staff, wild animals have started migrating from Mudumalai, Bandipur and Anamalai, causing territorial conflict.

Concerned over the increasing human-wildlife conflict, the forest department has launched an initiative to develop a comprehensive reduction and mitigation plan. Forest staff have been directed to identify, prioritize and describe the key wildlife species involved in conflicts, emphasizing their behavior, movement patterns and impact on human settlements.

"We have identified 12 conflict-prone landscapes and listed out the hotspots to implement a mitigation plan. A landscape-specific focus is essential for devising actionable strategies that effectively reduce the impacts of human-wildlife conflicts while promoting long-term coexistence between humans and wildlife," said Kerala chief wildlife warden Pramod G Krishnan.