Mini-jungles on campuses: Cull or capture wild boars?

HYDERABAD:

Capture or kill the wild boar

, whose population has been increasing menacingly , is now a big question for several

city-based institutions

with

huge campuses

having

mini jungles

.

Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, Shamshabad, Ordnance Factory , Medak, National Remote Sensing Centre, Shadnagar, Air Force Academy , Dundigal and Professor Jayashankar Telangana State Agricultural University, Rajendranagar have complained to Telangana forest department on wild boar menace. Trigger-happy sharpshooters, empanelled with forest department, are pushing for culling, while the forest officials are cautious about extending an invitation to them. Instead, forest officials are recommending capturing of wild boars using cages. However, in the farms, it's hard to trap wild boar and culling is the only option suggested by experts.

Ordnance Factory at Yeddumailaram produces ammunition, but can't fire a bullet against the wild boars whose population has exploded in their walled campus. Forest officials raised a red flag to culling and instead suggested other measures.

Sangareddy divisional forest officer V Venkateswara Rao told TOI, “I have received an application from Ordnance Factory requesting either culling or trapping them with an apprehension that they may cause injuries to the employees. We are going to set up traps and observe the movements of wild boars. There is no forest area nearby to drive them away .“ Forest officials suggested digging a tunnel from the wall so that the wild boar may go out of the factory . However, recommendation was turned down due to security issues.

Sangareddy forest officials also received complaints from farmers in Pulkal, Andol and surrounding mandals and, based on field observations on crop damage in sugarcane fields, they invited licensed shooters for culling.Telangana wildlife wing of forest department has extended the empanelled list of shooters till November, 2017 and culling took place in Nirmal, where 7 to 8 wild boars were killed recently . In closed campuses, instead of culling, the forest officials are suggesting the implementation of Shamshabad airport model.

Telangana officer on special duty for wildlife A Shankaran told TOI, “Shooting down the wild boar is a worst cum worst case scenario. Instead of culling, based on our suggestions and designs, the Shamshabad airport authorities have made cages and are using them for trapping the wild boars. Shamshabad airport authorities have so far captured more than 100 wild boars. After they capture around 12 wild boars, they are seeking permission for releasing them in the wild. Wild boars are being released in Amrabad tiger reserve.“

A GHIAL spokesperson said, “GHIAL operated RGIA has a robust Bird Wildlife Aircraft Strike Hazard Management (BASHM) programme. . With respect to wild boars, there has not been much movement of these animals around the airport for the past few years. In case of any sightings of wild boars, RGIA works closely with concerned government authorities and after due approvals, takes the help of approved professionals to capture and relocate these animals to the designa ted wildlife habitats.“

Licensed shooters were asking the Telangana government to follow Punjab model to tackle the wild boar issue.

E Chetan Reddy , an empanelled shooter from Banjara Hills, said, “Farmers are facing wild boar problem during nights and monkey menace during the daytime. We are receiving calls from Nizamsagar, Adilabad and Jogipet too. I have interacted with the farmers and their plight is pathetic. They are losing crop to these vertebrate pests.“