Kerala declares man-animal conflict as 'state-specific disaster'

Thiruvananthapuram: In a significant move, the Kerala cabinet on Wednesday declared instances of man-animal conflict as a state-specific disaster.
The cabinet has taken this decision in the wake of a recent spurt in attacks on humans by wild animals in the state. The State Disaster Management Authority will also be tasked to control man-animal conflict.
On Tuesday, Congress MLA Mathew Kuzhalnadan accused Kerala Chief Minister Pinyari Vijayan of 'going mad' over tackling the rising human-animal conflict that has been increasing in Kerala, resulting in deaths and injuries to farmers close to the forest.
"The Pinarayi government has gone mad. I don't know for what reason they are doing this all. This incident has fueled our determination to continue the protest against the Pinarayi government's questionable actions. We are committed to advancing the cause and agitating until a satisfactory solution is achieved," Mathew Kuzhalnadan said.
Expressing concern over the rise in incidents of human-wildlife conflict in Kerala, he said, "In the morning, we received sad news that a lady had lost her life in a wild elephant attack. Her body was in the mortuary at the government hospital. As elected representatives, we rushed to the hospital and found a large crowd expressing anguish and anger. This was not an isolated incident; three similar events occurred in the past in this area, and 12 more incidents happened in other parts of the state."
Kuzhalnadan emphasized that the protest was a call to stop the animal-human conflict emphasizing the deceased family's concern that such an incident had affected their family, and they wanted to prevent others from experiencing the same fate.