Maharashtra: Villagers attack wild boar trying to escape flood in Konkan

Wildlife lovers shocked at the show of cruelty, particularly since human habitats and forests have been equally affected due to rain

The raging floods in the Konkan belt may have affected humans and animals alike but a few individuals refuse to show kindness towards wildlife even at this hour. Amid heart-rending visuals of residents of the area suffering due to rising waters, a clip of a group of people attacking a wild boar has gone viral.

In the video taken at Kankavli, the animal is seen crossing a small river to save itself from floods. As it attempts to enter a road to reach higher grounds, some people start throwing stones at it. The boar narrowly escapes a big stone hurled by a young man and scurries to the other side.

The show of cruelty comes at a time when people affected by floods and mudslides in Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg districts are praying for relief from the torrential downpour and are being helped by rescue teams. The rain has also wreaked havoc in forested patches, displacing animals.

Shocked wildlife lovers demanded action against those responsible for the attack on the boar.

Pawan Sharma, honorary wildlife warden of Thane, said, “Wild boars are one of the most exploited species and have always been in controversies right from being declared vermin in some cases to being illegally hunted for meat. This act of stone-pelting by locals is illegal, inhumane and not at all justified. Such instances escalate human-wildlife conflicts to the next level where it clearly reflects on the level of intolerance of people towards wildlife.”

Sharma said the attack violates the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, and the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960. He said those responsible will be identified and booked by the forest department.

Croc challenge

With rising waters inundating large swathes of land, a viral video shot at Chiplun shows a crocodile swimming in a human settlement.

People involved in conservation, rescue and rehabilitation of wildlife told midday that the Vashishti river in the area has a decent population of Indian Marsh crocodiles and one of them perhaps entered the town after it was flooded due to heavy rain. They also said that it would be a challenging task to rescue this crocodile once flood water recedes.

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