KOZHIKODE: Unni, who was heartbroken after he had to part with his pet wild boar is ecstatic now. The nine-year old boy of Kattunayaka colony at Aalumoola near Nadavayal in Wayanad has got a lamb and two rabbit kittens in place of his pet. While the lamb was a gift from the Forest Department itself, rabbit kittens were delivered by Lions Club Kenichira.
It was. on October 20 forest personnel took away Unni’s pet wild boar, ‘Chiku’, due to complaints from local residents after it continuously raided their crops. Unni got the piglet a year ago and the boy bonded with his pet so thickly that both even slept together.
Forest department employees were also distraught seeing Unni sobbing uncontrollably while taking the wild boar away to release it in the nearby forest.
Chethalayam Range forest Officer T Sasikumaran promised Unni two rabbit kittens as pets. The next day, Lions Club office-bearers of Kenichira reached the colony with two rabbit kittens for Unni.
As Unni has already got rabbits, the forest department chose to give him a lamb. “The lamb was handed over to him by our beat officer and team on Saturday,” told Sasikumaran. Sunil George, president of Lions Club Kenichira, said they were touched by the boy’s love towards the pet. An elated Unni named his rabbits as ‘Chiku’, ‘Minu’ and the lamb as ‘Shikaari’.