The Kerala High Court permitted the killing of wild boars in the agricultural land of a few farmers as the steps taken by the State government to curb the menace had not yielded any results.
The court passed the order after it was convinced that the properties of the petitioners were under threat of wild boar attack. The only way to protect the interests of the farmers was to declare wild boars as vermin in specified areas in the State, the court noted.
The court directed the Chief Wildlife Warden to permit the petitioners, who are agriculturists holding land in Pathanamthitta, Malappuram, and Kozhikode districts, to hunt wild boars in the areas where their agricultural lands are situated.
The petitioners contended boars from the nearby forest frequently entered their land, causing massive damage to their crops. Heavy losses resulted. The remedial measures taken by the government did not yield any result, they submitted.
The petitioners also sought directions to the Union government to declare wild boars as vermin in the affected areas in the State, invoking Section 62 of the Wildlife Protection Act.
Centre rejects proposal
The State government had in November 2020 requested the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change to declare wild boars as vermin in specific areas of the State. The proposal was rejected. The Union government is yet to take a decision on a fresh request made by the State government on June 17 this year, the court noted.
The Act empowers the Chief Wildlife Warden to permit the hunting of animal or group of animals in a specified area if he is satisfied that a wild animal specified in Schedule II, Schedule III or Schedule IV, has become dangerous to human life or to property including standing crops on any land, the court noted.
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