Panic spread in the Pahoo area of south Kashmir’s Pulwama district when the locals spotted wild boars late on Thursday night.
An eyewitness told The Kashmiriyat that around 10 PM on Thursday he spotted a group of wild boars (around eight) moving towards the main road in Pahoo- Chakpora Pulwama which triggered panic among the locals.
“We own a poultry farm in Pahoo. Around 10 PM, as we came out of our farm, we spotted a group of animals moving on the main road. As we approached closer, we saw a group of wild boars moving about on the road,” he said.
He said that he has seen a boar for the first time in Kashmir. “This is a new phenomenon in Kashmir. We have never seen boars anywhere, at least, not in our area,” he added.
Seeking the immediate intervention of Wildlife officials, he said, “the department must cleanse the area of the boars.”
Upon being contacted by The Kashmiriyat, a top official of the Wildlife Department Jammu Kashmir said that Wild boars in an “introduced” specie in Kashmir, which was introduced during the time of Maharaja Hari Singh.
“The animals do not survive here due to the natural climatic conditions. Their population had decreased severely during the last few decades, however, in the past few years, they have been spotted at several places across the Kashmir valley,” he said.
Asking the people to not panic, the official said that a boar was recently rescued in the Shopian district. “The animal poses no danger to human populace. Locals do not need to panic,” he said.