Bhiva Parab
Panaji
With increasing reports of leopards straying into human habitats across Goa, wildlife activists are flagging the potential rise in human-animal conflicts — especially if wild animals like wild boars, the prey that wild cats like leopard depend on, are declared vermin.
Wildlife activist Narayan Kalangutkar said that declaring species such as wild boars as vermin could worsen the situation by
depleting food source for animals like leopards in
the wild.
“Once wild animals like wild boars are declared vermin, it will be a hay day for poachers. They will have
an open field to kill animals like wild boars. Overkilling of wild boars will deplete their population, and
as their numbers drop,
leopards will move further into human habitats in search of food — targeting cattle or potentially humans,” he said.
However, with farmers crying foul over animals like monkeys and wild boars destroying their crop, leading to economic losses
for them, Kalangutkar said preventive alternatives need to be considered, adding that the government could provide subsidised electric fencing to deter
wild boars and promote monkey repellent devices that emit high-frequency ultrasonic waves.
“These ultrasonic waves cause discomfort to monkeys by affecting their
auditory and nervous systems, making it difficult for them to stay near the devices,” he added.
Another activist said that wild boars are already hunted for their meat, and granting them vermin
status would further fuel illegal hunting, potentially leading to the species’ extinction. “This could seriously disrupt the ecological cycle and intensify leopard-human conflicts,” the activist said.
Activists said that before taking any step to label wild animals as vermin,
the government must consult wildlife experts and NGOs. “Proper data must be collected on crop damage caused by different species. Declaring a species vermin without such a study can have serious ecological consequences,” Kalangutkar said.
Currently, wild boars are protected under Schedule III of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. Only species listed in Schedule V — such as crows, fruit bats, rats, and mice — are classified as vermin under Section 34 of the Act.
“Wild animals are not at fault for crop damage. We have encroached on their habitat by clearing forests for agriculture, housing, and infrastructure, which has driven them to seek food and shelter in human settlements,” Kalangutkar said.
