Thiruvananthapuram: Even as the state has been grappling with a spate of human-animal conflicts, recent data from the forest department shows that wild animal attacks have been declining in the district over the years, owing to the efforts of department officials.
According to the district forest department data, four people each lost their lives in wild animal attacks in 2022 and 2023.This is a decrease from the 14 deaths reported in the year 2021.
No wild animal attacks or deaths have been reported from the district in the current year so far. The number of deaths due to wild animal attacks was above 15 on an average in the years before.
Of the 22 deaths reported in the past three years, only one was killed in an elephant attack, while two others lost their lives in wild boar attacks. The rest of all the deaths were due to snake bites. Notably, all these deaths took place after people ventured into forest areas to collect forest resources or for other purposes.
“Wild animals enter human habitat only when enough water and food are not available for them in forest areas. To ensure that food and water are available to them, we dug up ponds, constructed check-dams, and also planted fruit-trees inside forests,” said a forest department official.
According to data shared by the department, as many as 112 ponds were dug up and several check-dams were constructed across various streams and rivers in the forest areas. The water pits and the fruit trees provided relief to wildlife in the scorching heat, reducing animal strayings, he said.
The Thiruvananthapuram forest division comprises three ranges, namely, Paruthipally, Palode and Kulathupuzha. “The officials of these divisions regularly monitored the progress of the projects implemented as well. Hundreds of natural water bodies inside the forest were also rejuvenated as part of the drive. After the fruit trees were planted, we regularly tend to them to ensure that they grow up,” said the officer.
The official further stated that it is very uncommon to see wild animals coming out of the forest and wreaking havoc in human habitats in the district. Millions of fruit trees, such as jackfruit trees, mango trees, plantains, coconut trees, etc., were planted as part of the drive.
The work was done by roping in labourers under the employment guarantee scheme and by utilizing department funds. The forest department officials also stated that the measures taken in the district could act as an eye-opener to the officials in other districts as well.
“If such measures are implemented strictly, and regularly monitored, the animals inhabiting the forest areas are not likely to stray into civilian areas,” added the officer.