Allow us to kill crop-raiding wild boars: Nilgiris farmers

UDHAGAMANDALAM: Farmers in the district are disappointed over the state government not extending the permission to shoot and kill wild boars that cause crop damage to the Nilgiris forest division.
Pointing out that wild boar menace was more in hilly areas, they urged the state to include the Nilgiris in the government order that allows forest officials in the nine forest divisions in the state to shoot and kill wild boars that raid farmlands.
The government order on culling wild boars came following a public interest litigation seeking court’s direction to the state to take immediate steps to control wild boar population, which was on the rise, and protect farmlands from the animal raid.
The government order dated June 4 allows forest officials in forest divisions of Thiruvannamalai, Thirupathur, Vellore, Hosur, Coimbatore, Madurai, Salem, Hasanur and Sathyamangalam to kill wild boars that raid farmlands.
According to the NGO Nellikolu Trust, which focuses on farming in the hill district, the Nilgiris has been experiencing wild boar menace for the past several decades.
“We wonder how the hill district, which sees a lot of farming activities, was left out in the government order. Wild boar menace is yet to be curtailed in the district. We request the government to bring the Nilgiris in the ambit of the order that allows culling of wild boars,” a representative of the trust said.
Guru Swamy Baddal, district forest officer, said they used to receive many complaints from farmers regarding wild boar menace, which seems to be comparatively less this year. According to him, the district has been facing more problems with monkeys, gaurs and leopards.
“The permission to cull wild boars is granted on a trial basis. However, we will write to the government to include the Nilgiris forest division in the order and grant permission to cull wild boars causing menace,” he said.