Five-and-a-half years: 692 human lives claimed in wildlife attacks

KOTTAYAM: As many as 692 human lives have been lost in wildlife attacks in Kerala in the last five-and-a-half years. 4,801 people were injured. These are figures from 2019 to last month. Wildlife destroys crops worth Rs 98 crore annually. Rs 17.75 crore was paid as compensation to the deceased and Rs 44.12 crore to the injured between January 1, 2017, and September 30, 2017.

Elephants took the lives of 115 people and Bisons took the lives of 10 people. Most victims have been bitten by snakes. Till October, 31 people were injured in 2,518 wild elephant attacks. During the same period, 141 leopard attacks and 49 tiger attacks were reported. No one has died in tiger attacks in six months. However, 78 cattle were lost. Most of the applications seeking compensation are related to attacks by snakes, elephants, wasps, bison, boars, leopards and tigers.

Wildlife menace highest in: Wayanad, Idukki, Palakkad, Thrissur, Pathanamthitta, Kannur, Malappuram

Death toll

• 2019 : 122
• 2020 : 111
• 2021 : 132
• 2022: 137
• 2023 : 116
• As of September 2024: 74