The government has issued orders allowing farmers to shoot wild boars with prior permission from forest authorities, on the basis of the Cabinet decision on Wednesday.
The order does not list the conditions but says that the permission would be subject to conditions stipulated in the interim report of committee set up to study man-animal conflicts and losses caused by wild animals submitted to the Forest Minister.
The order was issued on Friday and it was not published online the same day as proposed in the 100-days programme of the government announced by Chief Minister Oommen Chandy. The Additional Secretary (Forests) declined to disclose the conditions when contacted.
It is learnt that the order is at variance with the recommendations of the committee in certain respects. The order allows farmers to shoot wild boars with prior permission whereas the committee’s recommendation was for the Department to engage trained persons for the same. The committee had also recommended granting of permission to farmers in only four districts. There is no such restriction in the order.
The order is to be implemented for one year on an experimental basis. The Chief Wildlife Warden (who is empowered to permit killing of wild animals under Central Wildlife Act) is to delegate powers to the range officers to grant permits to farmers. The officers should review the situation periodically and submit reports.
As per recommendations of the committee, the shooting is not to be permitted during the breeding season of wild boars or inside the forests. The District Forest Officers are to monitor use of the permits with the cooperation of people’s representatives, vana samraskhana samithis or eco development committees of each locality. The carcasses of the killed animal will have to be subjected to post-mortem and burnt under the supervision of forest officials.
P. S. Easa, who was a member of the committee that recommended the shooting of wild boars to save crops, told The Hindu that the killing of boars would not affect the prey-base of tiger or leopard significantly. Available studies showed that wild boars constituted only a small percentage of the animals preyed upon by tigers and leopards.
Dr. Easa said that due weightage should be given to the contribution of local people to conservation when one considered their sufferings from attacks from wild animals. They had never tried to poison the animals though many were at the point of weeping upon loss of their crops.
He also noted that similar permissions had been given in Uttarkhand. Asked about misuse of the permits, he said that this was to be taken care of by enforcement authorities. The committee would review its recommendations after six months of implementation.
The ten-member committee was headed by Principal Secretary (Forest and Wildlife) and had representatives of people, farmers and experts as members.
(EOM)
