Bihar greenlights culling of Nilgai and wild boars to safeguard crops

Patna: To address crop damage caused by Nilgai (blue bulls) and wild boars, the Bihar government has authorised the killing of these animals with the assistance of 13 professional shooters from the Environment, Forest, and Climate Change department.

This decision comes as part of a joint effort involving the Environment, Forest, Climate Change, Agriculture, and Panchayati Raj departments, with the local mukhiya (village heads) playing a crucial role in the process, including overseeing the killing and burial of the animals.

The decision was taken during a meeting chaired by Prem Kumar, the state's Environment, Forest, and Climate Change Minister, and Mangal Pandey, the Agriculture Minister. Senior officials from both departments were present. Approximately 30 districts are affected by the presence of these animals, with an estimated 3 lakh Nilgai and 67,000 wild boars reported in these areas.

Talking to PTI, Prem Kumar said, "As per the existing provisions of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, the 'mukhiya' has been appointed as the nodal authority to identify and allow the killing of these two species with the help of professional shooters outside the protected area. The mukhiya can authorise the killing of blue bulls and wild boars by hired shooters based on complaints from farmers in coordination with officials from the Environment and Forest department and Agriculture."

"These two animals move in herds and can destroy acres of crops in a day," he said, adding that farmers often stay up all night to protect their ripening crops from Nilgai and wild boar in certain districts.

"Besides causing crop damage, encounters with Nilgai also lead to road accidents, resulting in human casualties and loss of property. Now, all village heads must engage the 13 hired professional shooters to kill the two species with utmost caution as required," he added.

In addition to authorising the killing of these animals, the government offers compensation of Rs 50,000 per hectare to farmers whose crops are damaged.

Alokparna Sengupta, managing director of Humane Society International/India, criticised the government's approach, arguing that killing animals is not a sustainable solution and called for more effective measures to address human-wildlife conflict.