Walking through the cardamom plants at night, Scaria Alexander Njavallil is aware of an intimidating presence in his 600- acre plantation at Nedumkandam in Idukki. Every few yards, the earth has been gouged out and the cardamom plants freshly dishevelled with their roots lying scattered on the ground. At the base of the large trees that stand in between are the long-raking scratches where a sounder of wild boars have burrowed the topsoil, looking for something beneath.
Mr. Njavallil admits that it can be a little unnerving to suddenly come upon a wild boar. “They are twice the size of a dog and can charge hard while also retreating fast to secret parts of the plantation,’‘ he says.
A licensed shooter, he obtained a special permission from the Forest Range Office at Kumily to shoot wild boars a year ago and has been patrolling the plantation on most nights except on rainy days. But to no avail.
