Kendrapara: With the harvesting season approaching, farmers staying near the Bhitarkanika National Park (BNP) have approached forest personnel seeking steps to prevent entry of the animals into farms.
Boars have started entering farms and are destroying the mature paddy crop. Bijay Kumar Parida, ACF-cum-in-charge of Mahakalapara forest range, said farmers from Batighar GP have complained that wild boars are destroying their paddy crop.
The farmers sought compensation from the forest department for the loss.
Locals said boar menace is a regular affair during the harvest season in Mahakalapara and Rajnagar blocks close to the national park.
The problem has assumed alarming proportions in Gupti, Rangani, Talachua, Iswarpur, Pravati, Rajendranarayanpur, Chinchiri, Kathuaganda, Satabhaya, Barahipur, Osia, Dolika, Bhopal, Lanjuda, Panikhia, Kalatunga, Ratapanga, Tantiapala, Narasinghpur, Sasanapeta, Kaitala, Doligaon, Gogua, Jamboo, Jagatjora, Batighar, Suniti, Palatunga, Kajalapatia, Barakoli Khola, Tubi, Bankua, Dangamal, Khola, Bhitarkanika, Kalibhanjadiha and other villages as the animals enter villages and destroy mature paddy crop.
“We have started guarding our paddy fields at night,” said Kartik Gudia, a farmer.
“We toiled hard and by the grace of God the crop is good this time. We are guarding our fields during foggy winter nights carrying sticks, torches and firecrackers,” said Niranjan Dinda, a farmer of Batighar.
The BNP has thousands of wild boars and the sharp increase in their population has become a major challenge for the forest personnel as they have to prevent them from trespassing into villages and paddy fields.
During harvesting time, the boar menace increases and there are several instances of people getting attacked by the animals. In some places, the boars have been beaten to death by locals.
ACF Parida said wild boars generally stray from their natural habitats if there is no iron fencing. Forest personnel have engaged 12 people where there is no fencing to drive away the boars. Cycle tyres, search lights and fire crackers have been supplied to anti-depredation teams to drive away the boars.
The forest department has also installed 2.5 km iron fencing in the Kasadiha forest and 2.1 km of fencing in Sanatubi. Wild boars are not coming out from these two areas now. But it is difficult to fence in Hetamundai and Batighar as the forest is scattered.
Meanwhile, plans are afoot to install 1.5 km of iron fencing on the boundary of the Mahakalapara forest range inside the BNP from where wild boars generally enter human habitations.
The government has been providing a compensation of Rs 10,000 per acre in case any animal destroys paddy crop, said Amaresh Nath Pradhan, ACF-cum- Rajnagar forest ranger.
PNN