344 people in Kerala died between 2021 and 2025 due to human-animal conflict: Yadav

New Delhi: An estimated 344 people lost their lives in incidents of human-wildlife conflict across Kerala between 2021 to 2025, Environment and Forest Minister Bhupendra Yadav informed the Rajya Sabha on Thursday.

Replying to supplementaries during question hour, he said 180 deaths were due to snake bites, 103 from elephants and 35 due to wild pigs. Besides, four deaths were attributed to tigers.

"We have to maintain a balance between the protection of human life and environment," Yadav said.

"We are trying to develop the SACON (Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History) in Coimbatore centre as a scientific centre on the man-animal conflict. We are also identifying elephant corridors and are doing elephant estimation and creating local awareness. We are also working with the Railways to identify their elephant routes," the minister told the House.

He said there are 58 tiger reserve areas.

The Centre had informed the state government that powers have been given to village panchayats in Kerala to kill wild boars and put an end to the menace in affected areas, Yadav said. He cited cases of panchayats in Pallakad district killing wild boars.

MPs from Kerala, the minister said, had met him. After that he visited Wayanad in February this year to understand the human-animal conflict in the area.