The story so far: The decision to set up a Tiger Safari Park in the northern Kerala region to boost the region’s tourism potential was taken by the Kerala government on September 27, 2023 which came as a surprise for many, including upland farmers and the action councils formed against the continuing wild animal menace in the rural areas located closer to the Malabar Wildlife Sanctuary. An eight-member panel of senior Forest department officials was also constituted following the instructions of Forest Minister A.K. Saseendran to finalise the project area, which is now located in the limits of Kozhikode district’s Chakkittapara panchayat.
Though three locations came to the consideration of the panel, about 40 hectares of land now under the control of the Plantation Corporation in Perambra Estate topped the priority list for several administrative reasons. A team of Forest department officers recently visited the spot to check the feasibility and submit the final report to the Kerala government for implementation. If approved, the identified land would be developed for the project to initially shelter six tigers currently accommodated at the Animal Hospice Centre and Palliative Care in Wayanad’s Sulthan Bathery.
An official declaration regarding the government’s decision is set to be made by the Forest Minister in Kozhikode on October 8 during the culmination of the Wildlife Week Celebrations in Kerala. The Minister is also expected to announce a slew of newly designed projects aimed at reducing man-animal conflict in Kerala.
Who opposes the project?
Soon after the government decision in favour of the park, the upland farmers in Kozhikode district and various farmers’ forums made their entry with their claims that the project would upset their agriculture activities in their land. According to them, the freedom of movement would be hit with the opening of the park with heightened regulations. Farmers’ organisations and action councils constituted to fight against the increasing wild animal menace in the areas described the project as a new strategy for the step-by-step implementation of the buffer zone regulations.
A number of political parties under the Opposition United Democratic Front (UDF) also made their entry to support the farmers’ stand and oppose the proposal. What they sought was intensified attempts to protect the welfare of farmers who had been fighting a lost battle against wild animal menace in their fields and large-scale crop loss amidst falling prices. Recently, intelligence inputs also indicated the possibility of resistance on the part of Maoists to the proposal which resulted in the fortification of security and surveillance measures around the village.
Many of the protesters also communicated their concerns to the Forest Minister, apart from burning his photographs in protest against the move in villages. They also raised their objections at a recent meeting attended by Forest department officials and local panchayat authorities at Chakkittapara to clarify the stand of the Kerala government.
Stance of Forest department:
Forest department officials made it clear that the proposal was there at the formation of the 74.215 sq-km-Malabar Wildlife Sanctuary in 2020 on the borders of Kozhikode and Wayanad districts. Even an area of 114 hectares was then earmarked for the proposal which remained unimplemented for over a decade for various technical reasons. Under the latest plan, the park would be modelled after the Lion Safari Park adjacent to the Neyyar dam in Thiruvananthapuram district. It would help sightseers to tour the area in protected vehicles and witness the tigers live.
The Forest department officials also explained that there were no reasons for any apprehensions as the project would in no way affect the freedom of villagers’ movements or safety. Divisional forest officer C. Abdul Latheef, who explained the details of the proposals at a local meeting, said the realisation of the proposal would not end up in classifying the area with a reserved forest status. There would be a compound wall to the required height around the property for safety and it would never pose a challenge to the human habitat, he clarified.
The officers also reiterated that the tiger safari park would be a prized gift for the northern Kerala region to boost its tourism prospect and improve the flow of both international and domestic tourists to nearby tourism attractions. According to them, the Neyyar Lion Safari Park was a successful project and it would be considered as a model for implementing the one proposed in Kozhikode district. They also pointed out that the availability of suitable land in Kozhikode’s Perambra Estate was a blessing as many other tourism proposals were in the pipeline closer to the location.
What next:
The proposal of the eight-member committee constituted by the Kerala government to submit the field-level investigation report will be crucial for the project realisation. The committee led by Chief Wildlife Warden D. Jayaprasad will submit the report in a couple of weeks citing the possibilities and challenges in the identified area. The details of other two locations earlier suggested for the project will also be submitted separately for consideration. Forest department officials said the decision of the Kerala government after going through the report would be critical to proceed further with the idea. Clearance from the Central government will also be required in the further phase to take hold of the required land and commence the fortification measures.
They also said that a rehabilitation centre for captured elephants was equally under the consideration of the State government in the northern Kerala region. It would be developed as a satellite centre of the existing elephant rehabilitation centre in Thiruvananthapuram. The officials pointed out that it would help in the capturing and effective rehabilitation of wild elephants posing threats to farmers in upland areas.
