Tigers play vital role in natural culling of wild boars

A tiger from Maharashtra, which killed a tribal farmer on November 15, had returned to Maharashtra but after 'feasting' on a wild boar in the forests of Bejjur range on November 30.

Adilabad: Can the unprecedented migration of tigers from the wildlife sanctuaries of the neighboring Maharashtra into Telangana and a considerable rise of population of resident tigers in the forests of erstwhile Adilabad district benefit farmers here? Forest officials say the phenomenon has its own merits for farmers and the government as well.

“Indian Wild boars (Sus scrofa) are prolific breeders. Their population grows exponentially every year, resulting in an imbalance in the food chain. However, tigers play a vital role in addressing the menace through natural culling of wild boars which damage standing paddy, red gram, maize, sorghum and soya crops,” Satla Venugopal, Penchikalpet Forest Range Officer, who has specialized in wildlife protection told Telangana Today.

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A tiger from Maharashtra, which killed a tribal farmer on November 15, had returned to Maharashtra but after ‘feasting’ on a wild boar in the forests of Bejjur range on November 30. It consumed 20 kilograms of meat, leaving just the skull of the boar behind. A family of a tigress and her three cubs moving in the forests of Adilabad had killed several wild boars recently, forest officials said.

The forests of erstwhile Adilabad district, in particular, the forests of Kumram Bheem Asifabad have been attracting tigers from Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve in Chandrapur district of Maharashtra for the last few years. Around five tigers entered Telangana in search of territory and prey. The forests here are also a breeding ground for tigers, with around five tigers giving birth to somewhere between 14 and 17 cubs from 2015 to 2022. These tigers too have been preying on wild boars.

On the other hand, the natural culling of wild boars by tigers can reduce financial burden on the government. The Forest department had roped in shooter Nawab Shafath Ali Khan for culling of wild boars in Adilabad district in 2018. Ali had killed around 30 boars.

Farmers adopt innovative ways

Meanwhile, farmers are tying colourful sarees around the fence to get rid of the wild boars. They say the wild boars assume the presence of human beings if they see the sarees. Studies proved that around 30 percent of crop damage was controlled by this method. The farmers regretted that they were not getting compensation for crop damage caused by wild boars.