Fear of wild boars has claimed five lives in Virudhunagar district in one month

Fear of rampant wild boar intrusion among farmers has claimed five lives in Virudhunagar district in the last one month as the ryots were resorting to illegal electric fencing to wade off the wild animals.

The recent death of Marichamy, 42, of Thoppalakarai, near Aruppkottai after four deaths reported due to electric fencing has revealed the grim situation the farmers were facing.

“Not even a single day passes off peacefully for the farmers as wild boars come in big herds and destroy all types of crops in their attempt to eat the fruits and roots,” said R. Perumal, of Tamil Nadu Farmers’ Association.

Another farmer, A. Irulan, 46, of Kazhuvanaseri says that the wild boar menace has been a decade old problem in and around his village near Kariyapatti. “But, this problem has increased manifold in the last five years. Unless and until farmers stay in their fields, the wild boars cannot be prevented,” he said.

However, it is not easy for one or two farmers to keep the wild boars at a bay.

“We go in a bigger group of four to five and stay awake with tyres lit up as torches. Otherwise, the ferocious animals would not spare even the farmers and pose danger to their lives,” Mr. Perumal said.

The animals eat up maize, cotton, and roots of ground nut which are popular crops in the rain-fed region.

That the wild animals have travelled more than 60 km away from the Western Ghats of Srivilliputtur and Rajapalayam reveals the perillious situation of farmers living in Kariyapatti and Aruppukottai, says R. Ram Pandian of Cauvery Vaigai Kiruthumal Gundar Irrigation Farmers’ Federation.

Fearing for their lives and crop damages, the farmers are forced to put up illegal electric fencing not anticipating that it could endanger the lives of people also.

Two men V. Ravikumar, 47, and A. Sureshkumar, 42, were electrocuted near Sattur on November 5 when they accidentally touched electric fencing.

In a previous incident reported on October 25, R. Suresh of Elayirampannai, who went for hunting too faced the same fate.

“A farmer who had illegally laid the electric fencing was forced to dump his body in a well to hide his crime. But, subsequently he too ended his life fearing police action,” Mr. Ram Pandian said.

A. Malraj, 39, farmer from Kullampatti in Aruppukottai taluk, complains that farmers were not reporting the crop loss from Tiruchuli, Narikudi, Kariyapatti and Aruppukottai regions as they need to travel at least 70 km to reach the forest office in Srivilliputtur or Watrap.

“Farmers cannot spend time and money for repeatedly meeting the forest officials. If forest offices are set up in Tiruchuli and Aruppukottai, scores of complaints would be reported every day,” he said.

The farmers are disappointed over lack of deployment of adequate shooters to hunt down wild boars.

“We have been pressing for posting forest officials from other districts in Virudhunagar to cull wild boars that have infested our district in few thousands,” Mr. Ram Pandian said.

Farmers guarding their crops during nights also face the risk of snake bite, he complained. The farmers were demanding to include them in the local committees formed to cull wild boars.

Services of licensed shooters and ex-servicemen should be utilised to hunt down the wild boars, he demanded. The farmers have been raking up this issue at every farmers’ grievances redressal meetings.