Kozhikode
A week after the State government empowered local authorities to legally exterminate wild boars that may be posing a threat to life, property and agriculture, a member of the mammalian species was shot down in Kodencherry area of the district with the permission of the panchayat.
However, the District Forest Officer (DFO) has called for a report from the Range Forest Officer regarding the incident.
A senior forest officer told PTI that according to the government order permitting exterminating of wild boars, only an empanelled shooter or a person who has been authorised by the local bodies was permitted to kill the wild boar.
The officer said that since this was the first case in the district after issuance of the government order, a report has been called for to find out whether the requisite formalities were completed to authorise the farmer to shoot down the wild boar.
The kill
The wild boar was shot dead on Wednesday night by a farmer who had a licenced gun.
Speaking to a TV channel, the farmer, who shot down the mammal, said that wild boars had been attacking his farmland for some time now.
On Wednesday night when two wild boars attacked his farm, he shot down one of them with his licenced weapon.
The panchayat president told the TV channel that farmers in the area had been complaining about wild boar attacks He further said that there were five to six people in their area who were licenced to shoot down the animal and, therefore, they were being given permission to kill the mammals when they encroach upon farmland.
Cabinet nod
On May 25, the State Cabinet had empowered the heads of local bodies with powers to exterminate wild boars and also laid down guidelines on how to kill and bury these animals.
The Cabinet had said that the gram panchayat president, municipal chairperson, and Corporation Mayor may be appointed by the government as Honorary Wildlife Warden under the Wildlife Act.
The Chief Wildlife Warden may appoint the gram panchayat secretary, municipal secretary, and Corporation secretary as authorised officers under the Act to deal with wild boar menace, it had decided.
In the meeting it was also decided that the boars were not to be killed using poison, explosives or electric shocks and while exterminating them, the officials have to ensure that human lives, property, livestock and other wildlife are not harmed.
The carcass of the exterminated wild boars should be buried scientifically and its details maintained in a register by the local bodies, the Cabinet had decided.
The Forest department will be responsible for controlling wild boars in small forest areas of up to 100 acres, it had said.
Earlier, the Union Environment Ministry had rejected the State government’s request seeking permission to declare wild boar as a vermin, saying allowing the citizens to cull the animal will create more harm than good.
The Kerala High Court in July last year had permitted the killing of wild boars on agricultural land of a few farmers as the steps taken by the State government to curb the menace had not yielded any results.
