Monkeys, wild boars emerge as major sources of human-wildlife conflict in Wayanad

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Monkeys and wild boars, rather than elephants and tigers, are emerging as the most persistent sources of human-wildlife conflict in Wayanad, according to a three-year scientific study jointly conducted by researchers from Kannur University and the University of Geneva.

Conducted across 49 villages and involving 998 respondents, the study found that 84% had experienced conflict with wildlife, while 81% held negative perceptions towards wildlife conservation. All the villages reported interactions with wildlife.

The research was led by Joseph J. Erinjeri, Assistant Professor, Department of Zoology, Mananthavady Campus, Kannur University, and researcher Lakshmi C.M. of the Department of Zoology, Kannur University, along with Takuyu Iwamura of the University of Geneva. Former Professor of Zoology P.K. Prasadan, research scholar Stefina C.C. of Kannur University, and Tanner Corless Smith of the University of Geneva were part of the team.

The study has been published in Scientific Reports, a Q1 journal in the Nature Portfolio published by Springer Nature.

According to Mr. Erinjeri, eight species were identified as the principal sources of conflict — monkeys, wild boars, elephants, tigers, leopards, gaurs, deer, and peafowl.

He said monkeys accounted for the highest proportion of reported interactions, followed by wild boars. Peafowl were reported by around 30% of respondents, elephants by 23%, and deer by 17%. Encounters with tigers, gaurs, and leopards were less common, accounting for 4%, 3%, and 3%, respectively.

“The study found that people’s perception of wildlife was influenced not merely by the species encountered, but also by the number of species, frequency of their visits, and the intensity of the resulting conflict,” he said.

Mr. Erinjeri said monkeys and wild boars caused the greatest day-to-day disruption. Around 37% of respondents rated conflict with monkeys as moderate to high in severity, compared with 31% for wild boars.

Monkey-related conflicts recorded the highest proportion of extreme severity responses. Around 5% of respondents placed them in the extreme category, citing crop and property damage. For all other species, the proportion reporting extreme conflict was below 1.5%.

Wild boars were particularly associated with agricultural losses. Around 30% of respondents rated conflict with them as very high in severity, mainly because of extensive crop damage.

The researchers said repeated losses caused by smaller animals can impose a substantial cumulative burden on farming communities, even if individual incidents receive less attention than attacks by large mammals.

According to researchers, elephant encounters were reported by 23% of respondents. Though less frequent than interactions with monkeys and wild boars, they had greater implications for property, crops, livelihoods, and human safety. Around 11% rated elephant conflict as very high in severity and 1% as extreme.

Mr. Erinjeri said interactions with tigers and leopards were rare, but generated disproportionate fear. Respondents reporting attacks on livestock or domestic animals involving these carnivores recorded extreme levels of conflict.

“The findings suggest that the frequency of encounters alone cannot determine their impact. While monkeys and wild boars caused repeated disruption, large carnivores posed serious safety concerns even when encounters were infrequent,” he said.

The researchers also examined forest distance and the severity of wildlife conflict. The relationship was found to vary between species, indicating that proximity to forest alone does not explain the intensity of human-wildlife interactions.

The researchers said wildlife management strategies should consider the frequency, geographical spread, and the cumulative impact of conflict. Compensation mechanisms, they added, should cover repeated crop damage caused by monkeys and wild boars and not focus only on high-profile incidents involving elephants and large carnivores.

The research team is now pursuing further studies on the possibility of zoonotic disease transmission associated with increasing wildlife movement into human settlements and the encroachment of humans and livestock towards forest boundaries.

“Research into zoonotic disease transmission associated with movement of wildlife into human settlements, as well as the movement of humans and livestock towards forest boundaries, is currently under way in our laboratory,” said Mr. Erinjeri.

The researchers said species-specific and location-specific approaches would be essential to address the increasingly complex human-wildlife interactions in the Western Ghats.

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