'Animals too have rights': Legal experts' meet points to need for coexistence

THE two-day regional conference on 'Human-Wildlife Conflict and Co-Existence: Legal and Policy Perspectives' concluded here on Sunday with a strong call to preserve tribal knowledge and combine it with modern technology to mitigate human-wildlife conflicts.

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The conference — organised by the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) and the Kerala State Legal Services Authority (KeLSA)— was attended by judges of the Supreme Court, High Courts, and leading legal experts. It underlined that conflicts between humans and wildlife should not be seen solely through the lens of human suffering but also from the perspective of animals, as both share equal rights over land and resources. Some of the judges also pressed for new legal frameworks to ensure better coordination between revenue, forest, and local body officials in addressing conflicts, with some even suggesting special benches in all High