New Delhi/Thiruvananthapuram | Forest Minister Shibu Baby John said on Wednesday that the Centre had rejected Kerala's request to declare wild boar as vermin after he met Union Minister for Environment and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav in New Delhi.

At a press conference after meeting the union minister, John said he had submitted a memorandum highlighting Kerala's concerns over the escalating human-wildlife conflict in forest fringes and sought the Centre's intervention to ensure the safety of people living in the affected regions.

"We showed him maps indicating areas where the wild boar menace has spread beyond forest limits. However, he said we are still killing wild boars," John said.

According to the minister, Yadav told him that wild boar could not be declared vermin.

"He said wild boar cannot be declared vermin. It will continue under Schedule II of the Wildlife (Protection) Act," John said.

John said the union minister cited photographs of wild boars culled under the existing legal provisions during the meeting.

"He categorically said declaring wild boar as vermin cannot be done," John added.

In a Facebook post, John said he had urged Yadav to take immediate measures to mitigate the worsening human-wildlife conflict in Kerala.

"I urged him to take immediate measures to mitigate the severe human-wildlife conflict in Kerala's forest-border areas and ensure the safety of the affected people," he said.

John said the memorandum submitted to the Centre outlined the state's concerns and sought urgent intervention to address the issue.

Kerala has long been demanding that wild boar be declared vermin. It has also sought amendments to the Wildlife (Protection) Act, citing extensive crop damage and human fatalities caused by attacks by the animals.

Under the existing mechanism in the state, crop-raiding wild boars can be culled only after a farmer submits an application through the local self-government institution, which is then approved by the forest department.