Overview
- The draft Kerala Forest (Amendment) Bill, 2025 authorises the Chief Wildlife Warden to order the immediate killing of a wild animal that attacks or seriously injures a person in a residential area.
- It would let the state declare Schedule II species as vermin, enabling unrestricted culling and legal consumption once notified.
- The proposal allows relocation and birth-control interventions for Schedule II animals without prior sanction from the Union government.
- The Bill seeks to move the bonnet macaque from Schedule I to Schedule II and adds a mechanism for regulated sale of sandalwood grown on private land through Forest Department outlets.
- Officials cite 919 deaths and 8,967 injuries from wildlife incidents since 2016 and 273 identified local hotspots as the government prepares to table the Bill in the upcoming Assembly session.