Forest departments fight rise in illegal adventure travel in protected forests in Malabar region
Police and forest department officers during a recent rescue operation for a missing tourist near a forest area at Poovaranthod in Kozhikode district. | Photo credit: Special arrangement
The growing trend of unauthorized trekking and adventure activities inside protected forests in the Malabar and Wayanad wildlife reserves has emerged as a growing challenge for the forest department, with officials citing repeated cases of private groups and expeditions driven by social media entering ecologically sensitive areas without mandatory permission.
The issue came into limelight once again after three youths who entered the Valook forest near Vilangad in Kozhikode without permission on June 26 had to be rescued after night search operations. Forest officials said the youths entered the forest on motorcycles around 4:30 pm and lost their way after dark.
A search operation was launched after residents reported hearing voices and noticing flashes of light from inside the forest. Two motorcycles were found parked near the forest boundary, which further alerted the authorities.
A joint rescue team comprising forest department personnel, fire and rescue services, police and local volunteers traced the youths to Athayakkoth area of Valook forest and brought them to safety by Saturday morning (June 27). They were later booked under various sections of the Kerala Forest Act for trespassing in the reserve forest.
The latest incident, officials said, was part of a wider pattern witnessed in Kozhikode, Wayanad and other parts of the Malabar region. Adventure camps, trekking expeditions and field exploration trips are increasingly being organized without obtaining approval from the forest department, drawing participants into reserved forests and wildlife habitats where public access is restricted.
According to a forest official, organizers of such trips often promote little-known forest spots through social media groups and encourage adventure enthusiasts to visit areas outside the notified ecotourism network. The absence of self-regulation among trekking organizers has been found to contribute to the increase in cases of illegal entry into restricted areas.
Even the latest data from the forestry department confirm that it has registered several such cases in recent years. In 2024, eight youths were booked for allegedly entering the Vellarimala reserve forest in Kozhikode for trekking after being inspired by videos circulating on social media. Earlier this year, six youngsters were booked to enter the Emmadi forest inside the Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary to shoot Instagram reels. Forest officials identified the group after the videos surfaced on the Internet.
A senior official of the Forest Flying Squad said unauthorized entry into reserve forests is a concern that goes beyond the violation of the Kerala Forest Act. Much of the forest landscape in northern Kerala forms part of the natural habitat of wild elephants, tigers, leopards, gaurs and several other wildlife species, he said, adding that human movement in these areas could disturb wildlife and encourage human-wildlife encounters.
“Search and rescue operations launched after such incidents also require the deployment of personnel from multiple agencies,” he said, explaining the risk beyond entertainment. Such violent operations divert manpower and financial resources from routine wildlife protection, besides exposing rescue teams to avoidable risks in risky terrains, he pointed out.
Published – 27 Jun 2026 20:10 IST