The Humane World for Animals India, a non-governmental organisation, has raised strong objections to the Wildlife Protection (Kerala Amendment) Bill, 2025. The animal protection organisation warned that the proposed amendments could undermine conservation efforts and worsen human-wildlife conflict in Kerala.
In a letter addressed to Forest Minister A.K. Saseendran, the organisation argued that the amendments, which allow for the removal, translocation, or even killing of wild animals found outside forest areas, risk “weaponising a law meant to protect wildlife”, while offering little in terms of long-term solutions.
The group objected in particular to “unscientific” provisions enabling the State to declare certain species as ‘vermin’ and to permit the killing of wild animals “without delay”, if deemed dangerous. Such measures, it cautioned, bypass existing restrictions under the Central Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, and could lead to indiscriminate culling, trophy hunting, and illegal trade.
Bonnet macaques
Another major concern is the proposal to downgrade the protection status of bonnet macaques (Macaca radiata) from Schedule I to Schedule II. No State-specific scientific study has been conducted to justify the move, which appears to be based on the animals’ visibility in urban areas rather than on reliable population data, the organisation observed.
