Three people were injured in two suspected wild elephant attacks in Palakkad, Kerala. These incidents follow two recent fatalities in Wayanad and Idukki. In response, the Kerala government has decided to establish a 500-member Special Reserve Force to mitigate human-wildlife conflict.
Rajasthan's forest department is implementing an AI-based surveillance system across its wildlife sanctuaries to enhance anti-poaching efforts and monitor animal movement. The system, utilising thermal cameras, drones, and advanced software, provides 24x7 monitoring, helps prevent human-wildlife conflict through real-time alerts, and strengthens the fight against wildlife crime. Installations are being rolled out in phases across key protected areas, with advanced cameras capable of identifying individual animals and suspicious activities.
Sandhya Achayya, wife of senior IPS officer Sunil Achayya, was tragically killed in a wild elephant attack while inspecting a coffee plantation in Kodagu district. Karnataka Chief Minister D K Shivakumar expressed condolences and directed officials to address the wild elephant menace.
The Supreme Court on Monday directed the ministry of environment, forests and climate change (MoEFCC) to conduct a nationwide survey to check if any state has constructed obstacles or created blockades in elephant corridors, saying it was unacceptable.
A tiger strayed into a residential area near Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh, resulting in one death and four injuries. The incident sparked protests and accusations of negligence against forest officials.
A five-month-old tribal girl was killed and her mother injured after a wild elephant attacked their home in Gumla district, Jharkhand, highlighting the ongoing human-wildlife conflict in the region.
A man was killed by a leopard in a village near Pauri, Uttarakhand, India. Forest officials have been ordered to capture the animal following protests from villagers.
'The true measure of Project Tiger's success is not just rising tiger numbers, but our ability to ensure harmonious human-wildlife coexistence'
Apart from leopards, a wide range of species of flora and fauna is found in the Aarey forest, an 1,800 acre area termed as the city's 'green lung', located in suburban Goregaon and adjacent to the Sanjay Gandhi National Park.
With a 50 per cent increase in the last four years, Madhya Pradesh has the maximum number (785) of tigers in the country, followed by Karnataka (563), Uttarakhand (560), and Maharashtra (444), according to the data.
The plea filed by an advocate has also sought issuance of guidelines for creation of Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) to tackle such incidents and filling up of vacancies in forest forces across the country.
Experts from South Africa and Namibia, who are helping reintroduce cheetahs in India, have recommended fencing their habitats to prevent poaching, habitat fragmentation and minimise human-animal conflict.
Vincent van der Merwe cautioned that the reintroduction project is going to see even higher mortalities in the next few months when cheetahs try to establish territories and come face to face with leopards and tigers in the Kuno National Park.
Personnel of Kerala police and the forest department's Crime Investigation Team, probing the incident which triggered widespread outrage especially on social media, visited the spot and collected evidence, he said, assuring that all concerns raised will not go in vain and justice will prevail and the culprits brought to book.
'The prime minister can think of bullet trains and speed, but cannot think of special measures to save these magnificent creatures.'
