Ooty: Farmer Pays Up For Setting Wild Boar Snares In Nilgiris
The farmers stated that he had set snares for wild boars because they frequently damaged the crops.
Ooty: A farmer here has paid Rs. 5 lakh as a compounding fee for doing away with wild boars in his farmland.
According to the Nilgiris district forest division administration, on August 30, a team led by the Nanjanad section forester conducted an inspection of electric fences on agricultural lands in the Karikadu Mandu area.
During the inspection of the agricultural protection fence at Karikadu Mandu in Ithalar village limits, the team discovered snares attached to the fence’s clutch wires and fence strands, as well as ‘camphor posts’ (used for setting traps).
Upon questioning, the cultivator, S. Manikandan, admitted at the scene that he had been farming the land for the past two years. He stated that the land was a ‘Toda patta’ plot allotted by the government to the Todas of Karikadu Mandu that he was cultivating under a five-year lease agreement with Konas Kuttan of Karikadu Mandu, and that he was currently growing carrots.
He further explained that he had set snares for wild boars because they frequently damaged the crops. A wildlife offence case was registered against him. Upon further enquiry, the Nilgiris district forest officer imposed a compounding fee of Rs. 5 lakh on him, which he paid.
