Wild boars destroy wheat crops

Farmers say their hard work of six months wasted, they suffered huge losses

ABBOTTABAD:

Several farmers suffered huge losses as wild boars destroyed standing wheat crops on a vast area of Qalandar Abad on Friday.

In the villages of Banda Peer Khan, Kareem Abad, Maira Batang, Kaloor, Chuntry, Tarhanna, Boji, and Mary Pattyan the standing Wheat crops have been destroyed by the wild boars that were coming in flocks and attacking the crop.

Talking to the media, the victim farmers said that the flocks of wild boars have eaten a small portion of the Wheatfield but usually they destroyed and damaged the crop by crushing it. They added that during the last couple of years the number of wild boars has increased drastically and they are not only destroying the standing crops but also a threat to the human lives where many people have been injured by their attacks in several villages of the area.

The farmers disclosed that now the people of these villages were stuck in their houses in the night after several incidents of wild boars attack on the villagers. “Our hardship of six months has been wasted by the wild boar's attack and we are suffering millions of rupees losses as this year a bumper crop of wheat was expected due to timely rainfall in the region.”

The farmers have demanded from the KP government, agriculture, and wildlife department to take concrete measures for the eradication of wild boars otherwise this threat would be more lethal in coming years. Farmers said that during the month of October 2021 flocks of wild boars also destroyed maize crop on a vast area of Qalandar Abad and farmers have faced huge losses while the agriculture and wildlife department did nothing against the complaints of the farmers.

This year the situation is repeated in the region during the wheat crop season. Plain areas of the Hazara division were affected by the wild boars two decades ago when a large number entered in districts Haripur and Abbottabad, from last more than five years hilly areas of Abbottabad, particularly in Galiyat wild boars were seen despite freezing temperatures which is unprecedented.

Wild pigs have been appearing in Galiyat which was a surprise for the locals and the wildlife department.

The environmental changes forced the pigs to move to the hilly areas of Galiyat which is not only devastating for the environment but also for the forests.

During the last two years, more than two dozen people have been injured by the attacks of wild boars in Galiyat and they have go to the residential areas in search of food.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 16^th, 2022.