Additional Rs 50 crore for forest, wildlife protection in Kerala Budget 2025

Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala’s Finance Minister, KN Balagopal, has announced an additional Rs 50 crore in the state budget for the upcoming fiscal year to further enhance wildlife protection and safety measures in forest areas. This funding is in addition to the existing package and aims to reduce wildlife attacks while ensuring the safety of people living in vulnerable regions.

Minister Balagopal highlighted that under the LDF government, wildlife attack compensation had been considerably increased. Between 1 April 2016, and 11 November 2024, wildlife attacks in Kerala resulted in 940 deaths and left 7,917 individuals injured, according to official figures.

The allocation for establishing rapid response teams and coordinating other activities has also been increased. Both the central and state governments need to collaborate to control the population of wild animals, possibly through legislation. The state will take the lead in implementing the necessary interventions, he added.

Financial assistance for affected families

Over the past eight years, the Kerala government has provided substantial financial support to those affected by wildlife incidents. A total of Rs 27.21 crore has been allocated in compensation to the families of those who lost their lives, while Rs 24.07 crore has been given to individuals who were injured in wildlife attacks.

The majority of wildlife-related fatalities were caused by snake bites, accounting for over 100 deaths. Other significant causes of fatalities include attacks by elephants (200 deaths), wild boars (46 deaths), and tigers (8 deaths). Additionally, 31 people lost their lives due to bee and hornet stings.