Nine more farmers from Kozhikode district have secured a favourable order from the Kerala High Court to cull wild boars that stray into fields and destroy crops. Based on the court order, the Chief Wildlife Warden will soon issue a department-level directive which will help the petitioners tackle the menace.
With this, 11 farmers from Kozhikode district have directly secured permission from the court to cull wild boars. More settler farmers are also planning to approach the court.
Meanwhile, Forest Department officials say the mass culling of wild boars is under way in different parts of the State. Nearly 50 such animals had already been gunned down by the approved panel of shooters, they say.
Farmers’ organisations from various parts of the State have sought the intervention of the Forest Department and the Ministry of Forests to declare wild boars as vermin. They point out that only such a classification of the multiplying animal population will help in finding a lasting solution to the issue.
Many of those who live along the vulnerable forest areas have also sought the intervention of the district administration to renew gun licences of eligible farmers. They complain that the renewal of gun licences have been pending in Kozhikode district since 2014 citing technical issues.
