After decades of absence, wild boars have made a grand return to Kashmir and their herds are a key challenge for sustainable agriculture and horticulture development, reports Syed Shadab Ali Gillani
Having been extinct in Kashmir for a very long time, Wild Boars are back with a bang. Seemingly they are making a lot of news in parts of Northern Kashmir where they move in huge herds.
For the last few months, the wild pigs are running amok, ravaging rice fields at night, and wiping out the harvest on hundreds of acres of land and retaliating, if attacked.
“It has been almost two years since we spotted these animals in our area but the number has increased a lot this year,” shocked farmer, Mohammad Ashraf, a Hajin resident, said. “We had never seen them before and we do not understand where they come from.” .
During nights, Ashraf’s paddy fields were attacked by the boars in groups of around 20-30 who go on a rampage destroying their crops. “I have seen them a few times around in my fields but when they see humans around, they run away,” Ashraf said. “Their speed is so fast that they disappear in minutes and it gets difficult to chase or capture them.”
Most of Hajin relies on agriculture and horticulture and the boars have made orchards and paddy fields as their target. The entire belt is in panic.
Apple growers claim the boars recently destroyed many trees. “We have been maintaining our orchards and growing apple trees for the last 12 years but the wild boars have destroyed most of our orchards and it is really painful and heart-wrenching to see all this happen,” said one apple grower.
An Academic Input
Dr Khurseed Ahmed, Senior Scientist and Head of the Division of Wildlife Sciences at Sher I Kashmir University of Agriculture Science and Technology (SKUAST) Kashmir said that wild boars are opportunistic omnivores that adapt their diet based on the availability of different food sources, but they also pose a significant threat to agriculture.
Despite their importance as prey for endangered large carnivores and their value in hunting as a robust species that can alleviate pressure on other wildlife species, wild boars have often been considered pests due to their damage to food crops, the transmission of diseases to livestock, and negative impact on native fauna and flora.
“In addition to consuming crops, wild boars trample them, which can cause substantial crop losses,” Khursheed said. “They have been observed feeding on various agricultural crops such as maize, wheat, barley, rye, oats, rice, sorghum, potatoes, and sugar beet.”
Unconcerned Officials
Hajin residents claim that the administration is not taking any ‘concrete step’ to protect their fields and orchards from these wild boars.
Irshad Ahmed Wani, Chairman of Municipal Corporation Hajin, said in 2022, these boars were very less in numbers and they mostly roamed around the forest area. This year a rise has been seen in their numbers and they have destroyed many fields and farms.
“People are worried and are fencing their fields but everybody can’t do so and it is also not a permanent solution,” Wani said. “If the numbers continue to rise in this manner, there will be a time when one would see them roam on the streets.”
Wani also mentioned that they talked to the district wildlife officials who claimed, that they were not in a position to capture these animals as they lacked the staff.
Wildlife Warden Bandipora, Fida Wani asserted they are taking all the necessary steps to tackle the situation. “As of now, we are providing temporary solutions to push these wild boars towards the Wular-Nursery, which is away from the fields and avoid any further crop damage in the area,” he said.
Although Fida did underline that inadequate staff was also an issue for them, he also noted that as per the guidelines in vogue “if we find a wild animal in an open area, we give the animal free space to run”. His department is “organising awareness camps for people and requesting them to dispose of their waste in a proper way as waste also attracts these wild animals.”
Fida added that a team was keeping a watch on their movement and the department was currently trying to know their exact number.
Public Concern
Residents question the sudden return of the animal after decades of disappearance. The common refrain is: ‘Where these animals came from.’ “They have appeared all of a sudden in Hajin and this area is surrounded by Wular Lake from one side and the highway on the other, so where did they suddenly come from,” questioned Irshad.
Fida said the animal was earlier seen in Baramulla and Kupwara districts and most probably they came from Langate to Aalosa village of Bandipora and from there to Hajin. “Hajin is situated amid extensive farm fields and dense apple orchards, mostly agricultural land which suits the animal,” Fida added.
Irshad further added that he was hopeful that the administration will take all the necessary steps to tackle this situation as early as possible.
Increased Numbers
Dr Khursheed said as the population of wild boars increases, this problem may exacerbate and contribute to the challenges faced in wildlife conservation in Jammu and Kashmir, particularly at the human-wildlife interface.
At high population densities, wild boars can have a profound impact on animal and plant communities, leading to extensive rooting activities that significantly affect vegetation structure. Studies conducted by Ruhee Jan, a Master’s student in Wildlife Sciences at SKUAST-K have demonstrated the significant impact of rooting on vegetation and ground cover in riverine and woodland habitats of Dachigam National Park. In areas with high wild boar densities, their rooting behaviour can cause a reduction of up to 80-90 per cent in herbaceous cover and even lead to the local extinction of plant species. Additionally, wild boars are adept at raiding crops due to their acute sense of smell and nocturnal feeding habits. The soil disturbance caused by their rooting activities can also contribute to erosion, particularly on steep slopes.
History
Recorded history suggests that the wild boars were introduced in Kashmir by Maharaja Gulab Singh. Walter Lawrence, a British officer in his celebrated book The Valley of Kashmir (1895), wrote, “Wild boar meat is a great delicacy for the Dogras and Sikhs.”
Wildlife warden Shopain, Intesar Suhail, who has co-authored a publication on wild boars, confirms that wild pigs are non-natives. “Wild boars were introduced by Maharaja Gulab Singh in Dachigam and many other places for a game called Rakhs—a kind of hunting sport. The hunting of wild boars was considered very adventurous back then.”
Suhail further added that since the 1980s there has been a sharp decline, which could be due to the harsh winters in Kashmir but in 2010 he came across a dead wild boar in the Lachhipora wildlife sanctuaries of the Kazinag range in North Kashmir, while surveying for Markhor. Later in 2013, some images from the Dachigam National Park confirmed their presence in the park as well. Since then, there have been frequent sightings of wild boar across the Kashmir.
In a research paper, Reappearance of the wild pig SUS Scrofa Cristatus in Dachigam National Park, Kashmir, India published in 2013, Dr Khurshid Ahmed writes, “In April 2013, during a survey for Hangul, the Royal Kashmir Stag, a team of researchers sighted the Wild Pig on the main road in the lower Dachigam area.” The paper further stated that this sighting was recorded after an absence of nearly 30 years. The animal was moving towards the woods along the main Dachigam naalah.
A Gradual Growth
Many experts also say that whatever is being witnessed today concerning flora and fauna is not a sudden change and it has gradually happened during the past decades.
“The present climatic conditions of Kashmir and global warming can be one of the reasons behind the rise in numbers of wild boars in Kashmir, as they do not sustain in the harsh winters,” said Suhail. “The climate in Kashmir has changed drastically and we haven’t witnessed harsh winters in the last few years.”
Lately, the presence of wild Boars in Dachigam National Park, home to the endangered animal Hangul, has created panic among people. Many even stated it can affect the habitat of Hangul.
Talking about this concern Suhail said that nothing could be said about this unless there was extensive research on it. “The presence of wild boars can have an adverse impact on the ecology if they destroy the trees and plantation but at the same time, these animals could prove beneficial to the food chain as they were prey to the leopards present in the Dachigam National Park. All of this needs to be studied and it will take time,” he remarked.
Khursheed’s paper further stated that these sightings indicate that the wild pig is making a comeback in Dachigam. However, like other introduced species, its return may have long-term ecological implications, especially for endemic faunal species, particularly the critically endangered Kashmir stag or Hangul and hence the species needs to be eradicated or its population controlled. It will be interesting to find out where these individuals have come from, and a study could be undertaken to monitor their population and the impacts of its reappearance on the habitat and local fauna.
Considering the non-native status of wild boars in the region, it is recommended that they be declared as vermin to enable effective species management and mitigation of their impact. “By implementing appropriate measures, including targeted control strategies, it is possible to address the challenges posed by wild boars and minimise their detrimental effects on agriculture and native ecosystems,” Khursheed asserted.
