Overview

• P Prasad made the suggestion on October 11 at a Paalamel village panchayat event in Alappuzha, citing escalating crop losses.
• He said allowing people to kill boars in fields and consume the meat would speed relief, though current law prohibits it.
• The remarks follow the Kerala Assembly’s recent passage of a bill seeking amendments to the Wildlife Protection Act to address conflict with animals.
• Reports this year documented crop damage linked to wild boars across 243 panchayats in 54 Assembly constituencies spanning 11 districts.
• Forest Minister A K Saseendran said about 5,600 feral boars have been eliminated since 2022 and highlighted hurdles such as a shortage of empanelled shooters and delayed incentive payments.