Culling of wild pigs could disturb the predator-prey ratio, as per report

Expert study recommends exploring non-lethal methods to manage the escalating conflict

- SV KRISHNA CHAITANYA @ Chennai

WHILE the Tamil Nadu forest department has procured weapons and begun preparations for hunting wild pigs, conservationists warn that the move might disturb the predator-prey ratio. Tamil Nadu has set up Wild Pig Hunting Guidelines at zoning areas near forests--Zone-A (up to 1 km) bans hunting, Zone-B (1-3 km) requires capture and release, and Zone-C (beyond 3 km) allows hunting.

However, a new study by the Advanced Institute for Wildlife Conservation (AIWC) recommends exploring non-lethal methods to manage the escalating conflict.

The report, detailing 3,331 conflict incidents, reveals that wild pigs are a growing challenge, with 94.4% of cases tied to crop damage, 0.39% to human deaths, 4.9% to injuries, 0.1% to livestock losses, and 0.2% to property damage.