Thiruvananthapuram: In a significant move aimed at improving the State’s response to human-wildlife conflict, the Kerala government has relaxed restrictions on the deployment of authorised shooters engaged in culling wild boars, allowing them to operate anywhere in the State regardless of where they were originally empanelled.
The decision is expected to speed up emergency responses to incidents involving wild boars, which have increasingly posed a threat to human lives, damaged crops and destroyed property in several parts of Kerala.
Until now, authorised shooters could only carry out culling operations within the jurisdiction of the local self-government institution (LSGI) that had included them in its approved panel. This often created delays during emergencies, particularly when neighbouring local bodies lacked sufficient trained personnel or when immediate action was required.
Under the revised government order, any local self-government institution in Kerala can now engage the services of an authorised shooter empanelled by any other LSGI, irrespective of district or administrative boundaries. The move effectively creates a statewide pool of approved shooters that can be deployed wherever the need arises.
The government said the change was made after considering a recommendation from the Chief Wildlife Warden, who highlighted the practical difficulties posed by the earlier system and the need for greater operational flexibility during emergencies.
The existing mechanism empowering presidents and chairpersons of local self-government institutions to authorise the culling of nuisance wild boars will continue. However, local bodies will now have the flexibility to draw from a much larger network of trained and authorised shooters.
Officials said the revised policy is intended to ensure quicker intervention in areas affected by wild boar incursions, reducing delays in responding to threats posed by the animals. The government believes the new arrangement will strengthen efforts to mitigate human-wildlife conflict while enabling local authorities to protect residents, agricultural land and property more effectively across Kerala.
