Despite Forest Dept's nod, only a few local bodies promote wild boar culling in Kerala

Wayanad: Though the Kerala government has extended the timeframe for culling wild boars that enter farmlands, only a few local bodies—panchayaths and municipalities—are ready to take on the responsibility of hunting down the animals.

Farmers leaders and heads of local bodies blame a lack of funds and manpower and say the government is not ready to help.

Lack of shooters, insufficient rifles, a reluctance to issue new rifle licences, and no provision to buy bullets make the local state government institutions' efforts to prevent human habitats from boar raids a hard task. Heads of LSGIs also point out that the state's unwillingness to provide the services of RRT (Rapid Response Teams) or police for culling missions makes it a non-starter for many.

According to Forest Department data, 2,372 wild boars were culled by LSGIs till January. There are more than 1,034 LSGIs including panchayats (941), municipalities (87) and corporations (6), of which 287 are in wildlife conflict zones. 

Kodanchery panchayat president Alex Thomas, who launched the first hunting mission after the state government granted permission to cull raiding animals, told Onmanorama that though the forest department points a finger at the inefficacy of the LSGIs in controlling the menace, the department has not offered any support to the project. “The major hindrance is the shortage of licensed sharpshooters,” he said. For timely action after a farmer reports the presence of a wild boar on his farm, there should be at least two sharpshooters in each ward. “Thus a panchayat needs at least 42 shooters to curb the menace effectively,” he said.

Dearth of licensed shooters

Most of the LSGI heads told Onmanorama that there are only a handful of licensed shooters in each local body. Getting a new licence is not easy. Before securing the license, one has to produce half-a-dozen clearance certificates, including from the Superintendent of Police (SP), Divisional Forest Officer (DFO), and Revenue Divisional Officer (RDO).

Once you get the licence, you must shell out at least ₹10,000 for the simplest double-barrel rifles. The price scales up to ₹1 lakh and more based on the quality and the make. The cost of bullets is ₹150 and above.

"Before the 1990s, there were more than 100 rifles in the panchayat, both licensed and unlicensed. When the state government insisted on licence, the number came down to 16," said Alex Thomas. 

“With this feeble force, we are unable to cover the panchayat's 102 sq km area where the demand for culling is very high," he added. To tide over the crisis, the panchayat even hired three professional shooters from Telangana's Hyderabad Wildlife Tranquil Force.

Culling not easy

At present, the government pays ₹1,500 per wild boar killed and another ₹2,000 for its scientific burial.

“Shooting down a wild boar is not easy,” said Geo Fox, president of Elavally Village Panchayat in Thrissur district. The panchayat has killed 154 animals so far. “When you shoot one animal, other members of the sounder will run helter-skelter," he said. We can only hit two from a herd. “We hire a vehicle and bring the animals to a public spot, pour phenol over it to prevent anybody from using the meat and bury deep," he said. “So far we spent around ₹3 lakh for culling wild boars,” he added. 

Among the few local bodies executing the project, the heads of the panchayat ensure that they travel with the shooters' team. However, many are scared to be with the team during odd hours and are afraid of getting into trouble if shooters commit any offence in their absence.