The Kerala government has decided to temporarily suspend a recent order that imposed restrictions on licensed shooters in culling wild boars.
The Forest department directive had barred persons holding arms licences for sports or institutional purposes from engaging in wild boar culling. As a result, only those licence holders who held firearms authorised for crop protection or self-protection could be enlisted for the purpose.
Kerala kills 4,734 wild boars by July after local bodies get authorisation for culling
The move was feared to jeopardise efforts made by local self-government institutions to control the wild boar menace in agricultural and human-inhabited areas. Notably, nearly half of the about 250 empanelled shooters possess firearms licence for sporting activities.
The issue has prompted Forest Minister A.K. Saseendran to direct the Additional Chief Secretary of the Forest department to freeze the implementation of the contentious order with immediate effect.
