Permission only to hunt menacing wild boars

 Most farmers, living in villages bordering forests having to bear with the threat of wild boars destroying their crops, will finally heave a sigh of relief as the state government has finally granted permission to hunt them down.

The order, however, comes with a rider, that of killing only wild boars and not the harmless ones.

The human-wild boar conflict has turned into a serious concern due to increasing population and shrinking natural habitats, which force the boars to intrude the villages and farms on the fringes of the forests.

As per the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, there is a provision to hunt any wild animal that is dangerous and which poses a threat to human life. Accordingly, the State Chief Conservator of Forests or any authorised officer has the right to permit hunting of the animal that turns into a menace.

It may be mentioned that the Union Ministry for Environment and Forests had given permission to the Bihar government to kill nilgai that was destroying crops and had turned into a nuisance for farmers there.

Similarly, in May 2016, the Ministry gave permission to kill short-tailed macaque at Himachal Pradesh. This however, received widespread criticism from wildlife supporters. Now, the department of Ecology, Environment and Forest has given permission to hunt wild boars that have turned into a menace for the farmers. Farm owners should however, seek permission from the Forest department and abide by their instructions and guidelines.

According to the guidelines, a farmer can hunt only the wild boars that destroy crops within his farm limits. He should use only a licensed gun and the boar — dead or alive — should be handed over to the Forest department within 24 hours. There is no permission to consume or use it for any other purpose. Now, the Forest department has an additional responsibility of burying the carcass of the boars or burn them.

A report should be submitted to the Chief Conservator of Forests in this regard. A committee, comprising a local legislator, DCF and residents should be constituted to monitor such incidents. Killing of wild boars in forest area is banned. Moreover, lactating wild boars should not be killed. According to the guidelines, if the wild boar escapes into the forests, chasing the animal to kill it is not allowed.