This is the first time in India that a state has brought such an amendment to this central law, seeking to give the state more autonomy in managing human-animal conflicts.v
Published Sep 17, 2025 | 12:31 PM ⚊ Updated Sep 17, 2025 | 12:31 PM
Wild boars causing road accidents are also common. (South First)
Synopsis: According to the draft, the Chief Wildlife Warden can, upon receiving a report from the District Collector or a Chief Conservator of Forests, issue written orders without delay to permit the killing, tranquilising, capturing, or translocation of a wild animal that has attacked and inflicted severe injuries on a person, or is found in public places where people gather or in residential areas.
In a move that has stirred both applause and outrage, the CPI(M)-led LDF government is set to introduce an unprecedented amendment to the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, tailoring it to Kerala’s context to tackle the state’s escalating human-wildlife conflicts.
The Wildlife Protection (Kerala Amendment) Bill, 2025, slated to be tabled in the Assembly on Thursday, 18 September, is already being seen as a politically loaded gambit aimed at appeasing high-range communities ahead of local body and Assembly elections—even as environmental groups decry it as unscientific and ecologically destructive.
A special Cabinet meeting approved the Wildlife Protection (Kerala Amendment) Bill, 2025, which proposes significant amendments to the Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972 on 13 September.
This is the first time in India that a state has brought such an amendment to this central law, seeking to give the state more autonomy in managing human-animal conflicts.
The Bill specifically proposes an amendment to Section 62 of the principal Act, which currently empowers only the Central Government to declare certain wild animals as vermin.
Under the existing law, the Centre may, by notification, declare any wild animal—other than those specified in Schedule I and Part II of Schedule II—to be vermin for any area and period.
Once declared, such animals are deemed included in Schedule V, thereby allowing them to be hunted or otherwise removed without the strict protections usually accorded under the Act.
The Kerala amendment introduces a new sub-section to Section 62.
It provides that, notwithstanding the Centre’s authority, the state government may also declare a Schedule II wild animal as vermin for a limited period if backed by scientific evidence.
According to the proposed provision, if the state government, based on any scientific study report submitted by an expert body appointed by it and the report of the Chief Wildlife Warden, finds that the population of any Schedule II animal has become dangerous to human life or property—including standing crops outside forest or protected area boundaries—it may issue a notification in the state gazette.
Such a notification would allow the animal to be treated as vermin for any specified area in the state, for a period not exceeding six months at a time.
The draft further mandates legislative oversight: every such notification must be laid before the Kerala Legislative Assembly at the earliest opportunity, for a total of 14 days, which may be in one session or spread across two or more successive sessions.
The move is expected to spark debate, with proponents citing escalating instances of crop destruction and human-wildlife conflict, while critics may raise concerns about ecological consequences and the potential misuse of state-level powers.
Significantly, the Bill has vested extensive powers in the Chief Wildlife Warden to act swiftly against wild animals that pose a threat to human life or property.
According to the draft, the Chief Wildlife Warden can, upon receiving a report from the District Collector or a Chief Conservator of Forests, issue written orders without delay to permit the killing, tranquilising, capturing, or translocation of a wild animal that has attacked and inflicted severe injuries on a person, or is found in public places where people gather or in residential areas.
For the law, a wild animal will be deemed “dangerous to human life” if it attacks a person outside a forest or protected area, or if it strays into residential areas beyond the forest boundary.
The Bill also defines “residential area” as any geographical area where people reside.
The amendment further empowers the Chief Wildlife Warden to intervene when the population of any wild animal listed under Schedule II increases excessively in a specific area and becomes a threat to human life or property, including standing crops.
In such cases, the Warden may adopt scientific population management methods—such as birth control or translocation—without resorting to killing the animals.
If passed, the government sources said, the Bill would mark a major shift by centralising decision-making authority in the hands of the Chief Wildlife Warden, enabling rapid responses to rising instances of human-animal conflict in Kerala.
Another key change that the Bill proposed is to the protection status of the bonnet macaque (Macaca radiata).
Bonnet macaque (Shantanu Kuveskar/Wikimedia Commons).
According to the amendment, the bonnet macaque, currently listed under Schedule I, Part A: Mammals of the principal Act, will be removed from its present category.
The entry “125. Bonnet Macaque — Macaca radiata” will be omitted from Schedule I, which affords the highest level of legal protection to species.
Instead, the species will be reclassified under Schedule II, Part A: Mammals.
The amendment specifies that after serial number 24 in the ‘Primates’ section, a new entry will be inserted as “24A. Bonnet Macaque — Macaca radiata.”
The proposed shift effectively downgrades the protection status of the bonnet macaque, a species widely found across Kerala.
The move comes amid increasing debates on balancing wildlife conservation with human-wildlife conflict management, as Bonnet Macaques are often reported in close interactions with human settlements.
As per the stated objective, the Bill is for addressing the sharp rise in human–animal conflicts, human casualties, and crop damages across the state.
It has been stated that the original Act, enacted by Parliament in 1972 on the request of 11 state legislatures under Article 252 of the Constitution, was brought into force in Kerala in June 1973, even though the state had not passed such a resolution at that time.
The Central law was seen as necessary then, given the absence of hunting restrictions and the alarming decline of several species.
However, officials note that the situation has since changed drastically.
Populations of several wild animal and bird species have grown in Kerala, resulting in continuous clashes between humans and wildlife.
According to Forest Minister AK Saseendran, with the 42nd Amendment of the Constitution in 1976 moving “forests” and “protection of wild animals and birds” into the Concurrent List, states now have the power to legislate on the matter.
And the Kerala government has thus decided to bring in its own amendments.
The draft Bill empowers the Chief Wildlife Warden to take immediate action, including ordering the killing of wild animals that attack and inflict severe injuries on people in residential areas or public spaces where people usually gather.
It also proposes to clearly define when a wild animal can be considered “dangerous to human life,” a phrase currently used but not explained in Section 11 of the Central Act.
For long-term measures, the Bill suggests population management of wild animals through methods like birth control and translocation.
Further, it proposes to empower the state government to declare any wild animal listed in Schedule II of the Act as vermin. The draft also recommends shifting the bonnet macaque from Schedule I (which ensures the highest level of protection) to Schedule II.
According to the statement of objects and reasons, these amendments are aimed at striking a balance between conservation needs and the safety and livelihood concerns of people living in conflict-prone regions of Kerala.
At the same time, a broad coalition of environmental organisations and civil society groups under the banner of the Coexistence Collective, Kerala, has strongly condemned the proposed Wildlife Protection (Kerala Amendment) Bill, 2025, calling it “anti-science, anti-conservation, and anti-people.”
The collective alleged that the Bill represents political populism disguised as a response to human-wildlife conflicts, while in reality eroding institutional safeguards, threatening biodiversity, and creating false assurances to the public.
In a joint statement, the groups said the Bill was introduced without ecological surveys, scientific studies, or consultation with wildlife experts, biologists, or statutory authorities such as the Chief Wildlife Warden (CWW).
They warned that bypassing these processes, as well as binding judicial precedents, amounts to “a mockery of law, governance, and environmental responsibility.”
The most alarming provision, according to the collective, is the move to grant sweeping powers to kill wild animals alleged to have harmed humans.
They cautioned that this “shoot-first” approach could lead to mistaken identities, indiscriminate killings of endangered species, and the dismantling of existing safeguards under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, and National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) guidelines, which require capture, tranquilisation, or relocation before lethal measures.
Equally troubling is the proposal to transfer powers to the state to declare species as ‘vermin,’ a step critics say would invite mass culling under political pressure, destabilise ecosystems, and breach India’s commitments to global conventions such as the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) and the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).
The collective urged the government to withdraw the Bill immediately and instead address the root causes of conflict—habitat destruction, deforestation, quarrying, and unregulated land use—through science-based, coexistence-driven strategies.
Meanwhile, it’s said that the Bill has given the ruling LDF a rare opportunity to turn a long-simmering crisis into a potential political advantage — especially for its key ally, the Kerala Congress (Mani).
The Bill, which empowers the Chief Wildlife Warden to shoot animals that attack humans and allows wild boars to be declared vermin, directly addresses the mounting human-wildlife conflict in Kerala’s high ranges.
This is a region where the Catholic Church and settler-farmer communities wield considerable influence — and where the government has often faced criticism for inaction.
According to government figures, 300 panchayats are affected, 30 of them extreme hotspots, with more than 1,000 lives lost since 2015.
For Kerala Congress (Mani), which thrives on the support of Christian agrarian belts, the legislation strikes a resonant chord.
The Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church has already welcomed the government’s recognition of the hill people’s plight, while the Catholic Church is expected to ease its hostile stance.
Though questions remain about gubernatorial assent and practical implementation, the LDF knows well that the Bill may blunt dissent in vulnerable pockets and consolidate crucial community backing — a political windfall ahead of tightening electoral battles.
(Edited by Majnu Babu)
