Amid increasing man-animal conflicts in Kerala, Congress-led UDF carried out a protest march to Kerala Forest Minister AK Saseendran's residence on Tuesday. Several UDF MLAs holding banners and placards demanded the resignation of the Minister. The protestors walking to AK Saseendran's house alleged that the government was failing to protect people and their property from wild animal attacks.
In Wayanad's Mananthavady, a man was trampled to death by a wild elephant and it has sparked outrage among MLAs, particularly those from the opposition United Democratic Front (UDF). During a protest outside the assembly, Deputy Leader of Opposition P K Kunhalikutty and other MLAs criticized the administration for the incident and blamed 'incompetent administration rather than the elephant itself'.
The MLAs, including Leader of the Opposition V D Satheesan, accused State Forest Minister Saseendran of failing to take adequate measures to protect the lives and property of people in areas prone to human-animal conflicts, particularly in hilly regions like Wayanad. They alleged that the government lacked both short and long-term strategies to address this issue, highlighting the government's indifference to the suffering of the people affected by such conflicts.
In response to the UDF's demand for discussion on the rising human-animal conflict in Wayanad, the government declined, leading to the UDF staging a walkout from the Kerala Assembly. Inside the assembly, Minister Saseendran announced the government's decision to establish an inter-state coordination committee aimed at monitoring the movement of wild animals across state borders, in an effort to address the issue.
Despite these measures, concerns persist as the forest department has yet to capture the wild elephant responsible for the recent incident. The elephant, fitted with a radio collar by the Karnataka forest department, remains at large, adding to the urgency of implementing effective strategies to mitigate human-wildlife conflicts in the region.