The rising trend of unauthorised trekking and adventure activities inside protected forests in the Malabar and Wayanad wildlife sanctuaries has emerged as a growing challenge for the Forest department, with officials citing repeated instances of private groups and social media-driven expeditions entering ecologically sensitive areas without mandatory permission.

The issue came into focus again after three youths who entered the Valook forest near Vilangad in Kozhikode without authorisation on June 26 had to be rescued following overnight search operations. Forest officials said the youths entered the forest on motorcycles around 4.30 p.m. and lost their way after darkness fell.

The 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, further alerting the authorities.

A joint rescue team comprising personnel from the Forest department, Fire and rescue Services, and the police, and local volunteers traced the youths to the Athayakkoth area inside the Valook forest and brought them to safety by Saturday morning (June 27). Later, they were booked under various sections of the Kerala Forest Act for unauthorised entry into the reserve forest.

The latest incident, officials said, was part of a broader pattern witnessed across Kozhikode, Wayanad, and other parts of the Malabar region. Adventure camps, trekking expeditions, and off-road exploration trips are increasingly being organised without obtaining sanction from the Forest department, drawing participants into reserve forests and wildlife habitats where public access is restricted.

According to a range forest officer, organisers of such trips frequently publicise little-known forest locations through social media groups, encouraging adventure enthusiasts to visit areas that fall outside the notified ecotourism network. He said the absence of self-regulation among trekking organisers was found to contribute to the rise in cases of illegal entry into restricted areas.

The Forest department’s latest data also confirms that it has registered several such cases in recent years. In 2024, eight youngsters were booked for allegedly entering the Vellarimala reserve forest in Kozhikode for trekking after being inspired by videos circulated on social media. Earlier this year, six youths were booked for entering the Emmadi forest inside the Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary to film Instagram reels. Forest officials identified the group after the videos surfaced online.

A senior official with the forest flying squad said unauthorised entry into reserve forests posed concerns that go beyond violations of the Kerala Forest Act. Much of the forest landscape in north Kerala forms part of the habitat of wild elephants, tigers, leopards, gaur, and several other wild species, he said, adding that human movement through these areas could disturb wildlife and spark human-wildlife encounters.

“Search and rescue operations mounted following such incidents also require the deployment of personnel from multiple agencies,” he said, explaining the risk beyond the boundaries of entertainment. Such forcible operations divert manpower and financial resources from routine wildlife protections, apart from exposing rescue teams to avoidable risks in risky terrains, he pointed out.