Wild boars walk down streets in Thiruvananthapuram, create a scare

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The unchecked rise in wild boar population is spilling into urban areas, triggering frequent attacks and even fatalities across the district. The forest authorities have identified as many as 64 hotspots where the threat is most severe, raising alarm among residents and local bodies. In a recent incident, a young software engineer, a native of Thiruvananthapuram, was killed in an accident involving a wild boar on the Thiruvananthapuram - Chenkotta Road. According to forest authorities, it was the first ever wild boar attack death reported this year. Official sources said the wild boar invasion has reached alarming levels with several reports of spotting in many urban areas of the state capital including Kowdiar, Sasthamangalam, Peroorkada - Vazhayila region, Kazhakoottam, Sreekaryam and Powdikonam. Nedumangad, Vithura, Peringamala and Palode are among the most affected where repeated sightings and incidents of crop raids and attacks on people have been reported. Panavoor panchayat president Susha P said that three persons in her panchayat are under treatment after the attacks. Its a huge menace in my panchayat which has around 16 wards. Farmers are unable to do farming because of the havoc created by wild boars. People are scared to venture out because of the menace, said Susha. Panavoor panchayat falls under Nedumangad block. Officials point to pig farms situated along the forest fringes as a key factor behind the growing menace. The easy availability of food waste and leftover feed in these farms is believed to attract wild boars, leading to their rapid multiplication and movement into human settlements and urban areas. A senior official of the forest department said that the district has around 22 empanelled shooters. Owing to the alarming situation, the forest authorities chaired a meeting with local bodies attended by all panchayat presidents recently. We have noticed many pig farms operating on the forest fringes in many parts of the district and this is one of the reasons that is attracting wild boars to human settlements, said the official. Thiruvananthapuram district panchayat president Suresh Kumar said that directions have been given to all local bodies to clear vacant plots under the local bodies. These vacant plots with uncleared vegetation have turned into a hideout for wild boars. It is becoming a serious menace in the district and the government has issued an order directing the local bodies to utilise their own fund for killing and eliminating wild boars within their jurisdiction,said Suresh Kumar. The local bodies are paying Rs 1,500 as reward to shooters and an additional Rs 2,000 for disposing of the carcasses. Anirudh Kaushik, a Thiruvananthapuram-based empanelled shooter, said that many panchayats were not giving timely payments to the shooters.