The high range settlements of Kottayam, which have been on a boil over raging wildlife attacks, erupted into a massive protest on Tuesday following the alleged translocation of wild boars from Sabarimala.
According to local residents of Koruthodu , around 30 wild boars caught from the Sabarimala region were released in the Chennappara region on Monday. The animals, brought in six cages on a vehicle owned by the Pampa Range Forest Office under the Periyar Tiger Reserve (PTR), were released near the settlements of rubber estate workers around 11 p.m.
The PTR authorities allegedly brought the pigs to Chennappara with the assistance of a forest watcher.
“By the time the local people rushed to the scene, most of the animals had already been released. We are unsure if any other wild animals other than wild boars were among them. A few among the released pigs were later spotted searching for food near the houses here on Tuesday morning,” said Sreejamol N.M., president of the Koruthodu panchayat.
Irate local people soon staged a protest demanding stern action against the forest officials involved. Under the aegis of the Koruthodu protection council, demonstration and sit-in protests were organised at the Koruthodu town throughout the day. They also accused the Forest department of bringing wild boars to the location a couple of days earlier as well.
Prompted by the protests, the local body lodged a police complaint against the Forest department. Petitions have also been moved to forest offices at Erumely and Pampa in this regard.
The Forest department, meanwhile, denied the allegations and claimed that the wild boars caught from the premises of the Sabarimala temple were released deep into the forests.
“As many as 45 wild boars captured from Pampa and the Sannidhanam have been released at locations such as Kakki, Moozhiyar and Pachakkanam. About five of these have been released at Kombukuthy some six km from the Vattamala forest outpost,” said an official.
The local people, however, insisted on stern action against the officials involved. “The arrival of wild boars will only worsen the condition of villagers, who have been reeling under unrelenting attacks by the wildlife for years on,” said Jojo Pambadath, a leader of the protection council.
