The Kerala government has given its approval for a draft bill to amend the Wildlife Protection Act, aiming to tackle the increasing human-animal conflicts across the state.
During a special cabinet meeting led by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, the draft legislation was given the go-ahead. It empowers the Chief Wildlife Warden to order the immediate culling of any wild animal that enters a populated area and harms a person, according to official sources.
A statement from the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) said this is the first time a state has introduced such an amendment to a central law. "The draft of the Wildlife Protection (Amendment) Bill, 2025 has been approved by the Cabinet. The bill seeks to amend the central Wildlife (Protection) Act. This is the first time in India that a state is bringing such an amendment to a central law," the statement read.
State Forest Minister AK Saseendran later said the bill’s provisions would help bypass the impractical and time-consuming procedures currently in place under the central law and standard operating procedures issued by the central government. However, he added that the draft bill contains no legal barriers to protecting wildlife species that require conservation.
Saseendran explained that if someone is seriously injured in a wildlife attack and the matter is reported to the Chief Wildlife Warden, they can take immediate action, including killing the animal, without having to follow other procedures.
He noted that the current central law allows any wild animal in Schedule II to be declared a vermin if its population becomes uncontrollably large. A provision has been added to the present draft bill to give this authority to the state government, he explained.
Once declared as a vermin, anyone can kill that particular wild animal in any way they want, Saseendran further explained the provisions of the draft bill saying there will be no obstacle to eating its meat as well.
The new draft bill includes a provision to give this authority to the state government. Once declared a vermin, anyone can kill that particular wild animal in any way they want, and there would be no obstacle to eating its meat, the minister clarified.
The Kerala cabinet cleared the draft bill to amend the Wildlife (Protection) Act months after CM Vijayan called for amending the central law citing challenges faced by the state government in dealing with instances of wild animals encroaching into human habitats.
He had said that even in emergency situations, the central laws pose a major obstacle to dealing with encroaching wild animals.
The chief minister also said the state government places great importance on safeguarding both human lives and preventing conflicts with wildlife. With the state seeing a rise in human-animal conflicts, the bill also has political importance ahead of upcoming local body and Assembly elections, as a permanent solution to this problem has long been a key demand from people living in the state’s high-range areas.
Also read: Kerala CM unfit to continue as Home Minister: LoP Satheesan
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