NIZAMABAD: With attacks on crops by feral pigs rising, the Forest department is mulling shooting the animals with the help of licensed shooters.
A decision to this effect was announced by Forests minister J Ramanna in a review meet on his recent visit to Nizamabad.
Feral pigs have been regularly attacking agricultural fields and damaging crops. In some situations, they even enter human habitations, causing panic among villagers. To keep the pigs at bay, farmers used electric fencing but apparently, it did not prove to be very effective.
It may be recalled that recently, in Bhiknoor, Sadasivanagar, few feral pigs attacked sugarcane crop and damaged it. Forest officials have been receiving similar complaints over the past few days. Divisional Forest Officer M Joji told Express that a report has been requested from field-level officers on animal attacks on crops. Forest department is ready to pay `6,000 per acre compensation for crop damage, he added.
Awareness meeting would be held on preventing such attacks, he added.