It seems that at least some of our politicians have the ability to set aside differences and work together for the betterment of humans and animals. Yes, you read that right. To counter the rising trend of human beings being attacked by wild animals in the forests straddling Karnataka and Kerala, the forest departments of the two southern states have agreed to work together to mitigate the challenges posed by wild animals entering human settlements, which itself is triggered by humans increasingly encroaching upon wildlife habitat.
Under the agreement, the two departments will collaborate to find the reasons for human-wildlife conflicts, identify precise conflict zones, streamline intervention processes to minimize delays, facilitate quick information exchange, and share resources and services, unnamed officials told the Hindustan Times newspaper.
The document was signed at a meeting at the Bandipur National Park in Karnataka, attended by Kerala’s Forest Minister A. K. Saseendran, his Karnataka counterpart Eshwar Khandre, and several top forest officers from both states.
The move came after a man was killed by an elephant in Wayanad district of Kerala on February 10. Kerala asked Karnataka to pay compensation as the elephant had strayed into Wayanad from the neighbouring state.
After Karnataka agreed to pay ₹15 lakh as compensation to the bereaved family, the state unit of the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party accused the Congress-led government of using state funds to please the party’s high command. Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi represented Wayanad in the seventeenth Lok Sabha and is the party’s candidate for the constituency once again in the upcoming general election.
At the meeting, Khandre stressed that the initiative needs the proactive efforts of states without waiting for the intervention of the central government. He praised joint endeavours and spoke about how crucial they are to monitor wildlife movement across state boundaries which in turn will help to reduce loss of human life.
