On World Wildlife Day 2026, Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan launched Project HANUMAN to tackle the growing problem of human-wildlife conflict in the state.
The project was unveiled at the Andhra Pradesh Special Police (APSP) 6th Battalion Parade Grounds in the town of Mangalagiri, Guntur district.
‘HANUMAN’ is an acronym for ‘Healing and Nurturing Units for Monitoring, Aid and Nursing of Wildlife’.
“Wildlife is essential for ecological balance, biodiversity, and climate stability. Protecting habitats ensures harmony between humans and nature and secures a sustainable future. Today, the Andhra Pradesh Government, under the Environment and Forest Ministry, inaugurated the HANUMAN Project (Healing and Nurturing Units for Monitoring, Aid and Nursing of Wildlife), a dedicated initiative to rescue, treat, rehabilitate, and monitor injured wildlife, strengthening conservation and rapid response systems across the state. On this World Wildlife Day, let us unite to conserve habitats, prevent exploitation, and safeguard our natural heritage for generations to come,” Kalyan stated in a post on the microblogging site, X.
The problem of human-wildlife conflict has increased in Andhra Pradesh in recent years. In the fiscal year 2025-2026, 2,107 cases of such conflict were recorded across the state and almost Rs 4 crore was paid as compensation to affected persons and families, according to a social media post by the deputy chief minister’s office on Facebook.
The state government announced an increase in compensation payment on March 3. “We have increased the compensation given if a person dies in an animal attack from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 10 lakh. Compensation given to the injured will now be Rs 2 lakh,” the Facebook post added. Compensation for livestock killed will be according to market value.
The government, through the state forest department, has also initiated the creation of village-level ‘Vajra’ (Wildlife Rakshak) teams. These trained local volunteers will handle snake rescues and minor wildlife incursions within villages, reducing dependence on distant officials and curbing panic-driven reactions that often aggravate conflict, according to a report by SouthFirst.
Under Project HANUMAN, the government will provide 100 vehicles—93 Rapid Response and seven ambulances—to provide care and medical assistance to wildlife. Each vehicle will have a team consisting of a forest range officer, veterinary staff, tribal helpers and para veterans.
Four wildlife rescue and treatment centres have also been established in Visakhapatnam, Rajamahendravaram, Tirupati and Birlut.
The state will also address the depredations of wild elephants which has been getting serious in Chittoor, Srikakulam and Parvatipuram Manyam districts. “To solve this problem, with the cooperation of the Karnataka Government, we have brought four Kumki elephants and completed 8 operations successfully so far and provided protection to the people and crops from the elephants,” the statement on Facebook noted.
Artificial intelligence will be used to monitor wildlife movements. The authorities are developing a system to provide advance warnings before animals enter forest boundary areas. A Hanuman digital app has also been developed by the forest department.
“The Hanuman Project is a comprehensive technical and scientific program designed to prevent and reduce the conflict between human-wildlife. Through this project, we are going to further the protection and security of people in villages bordering forests as well as conservation of wildlife,” said Kalyan.
The Panchayati Raj and forest departments will coordinate with other departments like agriculture, horticulture, revenue and police for Project HANUMAN, he added.