THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Residents of Palode are growing increasingly anxious as the shooters enlisted by the Vithura panchayat to tackle the escalating wild boar menace have locked horns with forest authorities, disrupting operations.
The standoff stems from the forest department’s warning that the shooters could face charges under the Wildlife Protection Act if they continue hunting wild boars. In protest, the shooters have refused to respond to emergency calls, leaving villagers and local officials struggling to manage the crisis.
The Vithura panchayat had enlisted seven licensed shooters to control the wild boar population, which has been causing extensive damage to farms and human settlements. However, for the past week, the shooters have been non-cooperative, ignoring distress calls from residents and authorities.
“We fought hard to secure better honorariums, and the government finally approved a hike. But now, forest officials are threatening to book us under the Wildlife Protection Act. If that happens, we’ll be in serious trouble,” said one of the shooters. “Until we receive clear legal clarification, we won’t respond to calls,” he said.
According to the shooter, they have ignored at least 15 emergency calls in the past week due to these concerns. In response to the crisis, the Vithura panchayat has submitted a letter to Forest Minister A K Saseendran and senior department officials, urging intervention.
Panchayat vice-president Manjusha G Anand said that wild boar intrusions have increased sharply with the arrival of summer. Additionally, wild animals such as elephants and gaurs have been straying into human settlements.
“The shooters are refusing to cooperate, and we have received no official clarification from the forest department,” said Manjusha. She said that the department had temporarily suspended the culling of wild boars due to complaints regarding carcass disposal. However, the government recently lifted the ban following a panchayat resolution.
To address the deadlock, the panchayat has scheduled a special committee meeting on Thursday. The forest department has also called for a separate meeting on the same day, and local officials hope the issue will be resolved.
Meanwhile, a senior forest official, when contacted, downplayed the controversy, calling it a ‘miscommunication’.
“We have spoken to both the panchayat authorities and the shooters. As per the current government policy, they are allowed to shoot wild boars. The confusion arose due to misleading communication from one of our officials, which unfortunately escalated the situation,” the official said.