Farmers face fresh crisis; shooters to boycott wild boar culling across Kerala

Kozhikode: At a time when wild boars are destroying crops and livelihoods across Kerala, farmers may soon be left defenceless as licensed shooters are planning a statewide boycott of wild boar culling, protesting a recent government order restricting the use of firearms issued under sports licences.According to the order issued by the Forest and Wildlife Department, only firearm licence holders authorised for crop protection or self-defence can now be permitted to shoot wild boars.

Those holding licences for sports or institutional purposes have been barred from participating in culling operations. Gun licence holders allege that the restriction is illegal and warn that it will severely disrupt the ongoing efforts to control the wild boar menace in agricultural areas.

A large section of shooters currently authorised by local self-government institutions (LSGIs) hold sports licences. The boycott, therefore, is expected to significantly affect culling operations in hundreds of local bodies across the state.

Kerala has only about 250 empanelled gun licence holders, and sports-licence holders constitute nearly 50 per cent of those engaged in culling activities.

“The statewide boycott is a strong protest against an illegal government order. It is unfair to exclude a group of experienced shooters when local bodies are already struggling to find trained personnel. We will continue our protest until the order is withdrawn. We are neither for nor against the culling of animals; we are only raising our voice against discrimination in the order,” said Mohanan Kuttyan, secretary of the All Kerala Gun Owners Association.

It has also been pointed out that firearms issued for self-protection are generally not suitable for killing wild boars, and that under the government order, only holders of crop-protection licences are authorised to take part in culling operations.

Mohanan said shooters in Thiruvananthapuram, Ernakulam, and Pathanamthitta districts have already begun the boycott and that it will be extended to other districts in the coming days.

The state government first issued an order in 2020 authorising the Forest Department to kill wild boars damaging agricultural crops using licensed firearms. In May 2022, the authority to conduct culling was extended to local body heads. Since 2020, the Forest Department has culled around 2,500 wild boars, while LSGIs killed over 5,000 wild boars between the handover of powers and December 2025.

The secretary of a district-level rifle club association, who holds a sports licence and has actively participated in wild boar culling, said the new order violates Section 11(1)(a) of the Wildlife Protection Act. “Once the Chief Wildlife Warden authorises a person to shoot wild boars, there is no legal requirement to examine the purpose for which the firearm licence was issued. Most shooters participate as a social service, receiving only ₹1,500 per animal, often after waiting for more than a day. The government’s decision is an insult to such efforts,” he said.

He also pointed out that holders of crop-protection licences are restricted to limited areas, whereas sports-licence holders can operate across panchayats, making them crucial to the culling drive.

Alex Thozhukayil, chairman of the Kerala Independent Farmers Association (KIFA), said the government’s stand was contradictory. “On one hand, the minister claims more shooters will be deployed in villages to address the wild boar menace, and on the other, the government issues an order that restricts shooting activities. This will only worsen the farmers’ crisis,” he said.