THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The recent Government Order allowing farmers to shoot wild boars has not upset too many Greens in the state. The order issued a couple of weeks ago allows wild boar culling in five districts on an experimental basis for a period of one year. ‘‘The Government came to such a decision after a ten-member committee studied the problem in various parts of the state. In many districts, the damage to crops is extensive,’’ said Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) Rajaraja Varma.As a result of the higher level of protection offered in the forests of the state, the population of wild boars had increased exponentially. They have more babies each year than any other large mammal and can have 3 litters a year with 14 babies in each litter. A low number of predators such as tigers and leopards in the forests also add to the leap in numbers of wild boars.``There are widespread reports of crop destruction by wild boars venturing out of forest areas. But even though farmers have conceptually welcomed the order, there is still much apprehension on its implementation,’’ WWF India state director Renjan Mathew Varghese said. ‘’There is also a fear that the order might be distorted in whatever ways possible in the days ahead to poach wild boars as well as other wildlife such as Sambar deer and Spotted deer,’’ he added. As per the order, farmers affected by attacks or prone to such attacks by wild boars should get a prior permission from the Forest Department. The Range Officers are expected to monitor the situation periodically and submit reports. There are many conservationists who allege that the reported increase in number of the wild boars is a false argument by the Forest Department. ``There are a lot of unused funds in the compensatory afforestation programme. The Forest can buy back all the land adjacent to the forest using this money and solve the problems without resorting to any killing,’’ is what Dr.Sreekumar of Kottayam Natural Society had to say.The Tropical Botanic Garden and Research Institute, which has always been under the attack of wild boars, however has not witnessed any increase in boar attacks recently.``Our security guards keep saying that because of conservation, there has been an increase in the wild boar population. The boars attack all plants with underground tubers, but inside the Garden we didn’t have any jump in the attack events,’’ said Institute director-in-charge P G Latha. Wild boar is a Schedule III species under the Wildlife Protection Act, but conservation of this wild animal has always drawn flak as it came in direct conflict with the interest of the local people. ‘’There has been a lot of culling even otherwise. There are several rural and interior areas of the state where boar meat and deer meat are served with tapioca. Nobody has ever taken any action against this. Killing any animal is sad, but if it is a nuisance, such orders allowing culling becomes inevitable,’’ said Leela Latif, secretary of the animal welfare organisation People For Animals. The Greens are also apprehensive about the lack of clarity regarding implementation of the order, especially at the level of field officers.
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