Srinagar: The non-native species of Wild boars (Swine) who were bought to Kashmir for hunting purpose in 1840’s by the then Maharaja Gulab Singh have staged a massive comeback after vanishing completely in the mid-80’s i.e. 143 years with experts believing that the global warming may be the reason for its resurgence and cited trouble as they affect the Hangul’s (Kashmir’s National animal) habitat.
Wildlife warden Shopain, Intisaar Suhail, who has co-authored a publication on wild-boars said that these wild boars are not Kashmir’s native animal.
“It was introduced in some areas of Kashmir like Dachigam by the then Maharaja for hunting. Then it started to decline and in mid 80’s it became a rare species. In 2015, it was again sighted. Though we had found a dead specimen in north and South Kashmir areas, he said.
These boars are getting revived in Kashmir but it’s revival can have beneficial as well as adverse impact which needs to be studied thoroughly, he said.
Firstly, it’s the prey for Leopards but at the same time this animal shares the habitat of Hangul. So how far it can affect the habitat of Hangul which needs to be studied,” he said.
Aakib Hussain Paul, Project Associate of Research Study on Ecological Aspects of Wild Boars at Dachigam National Park said that the team conducted a study on the ecological aspect of the Boar’s revival in the Park and found that the boar shares the Hangul’s habitat.
“We studied the animal’s food habits and co-related the same with that of Hangul. Hangul and Boars share the same habitat and food. For us, this was an alien species. In 2013, camera trap image of Boars were found in some parts of Kashmir. Today, we can say that Boar population is growing rapidly in Kashmir,” he said.
Paul said that Boars are considered a big threat for habitat degradation.
“Our study is still in the process of publication as we haven’t covered all aspects so far. We started our study in October last and time period was for six months,” he said.
Asked about whether the animal may prove dangerous for the Hangul and other crops in Kashmir, Paul said that Boar is a very dangerous animal and if comes out the park, it can dig up everything.
“In apple orchards, it can dig up to the roots and in the open area, it can eat anything even saffron seeds etc. If the animal reaches the streets of Srinagar, it can tear apart everything as food remains littered on streets of the city,” he said.
Pauls said that since Boars and Hangul share similar habitats that include food and shelter, Hanguls may face a threat from these animals, which, however, needs to be studied further.
He urged the government to allow to cover other aspects of the study as well.
“It is not enough to cover every aspect in just six months. It needs some more to co-relative what we saw physically with what we see in the laboratory,” he said.
(KNO)