Wild boars have started targeting the State’s biggest Safed Musli producing herbal farm, thanks to the unabated felling of trees in State forests forcing wild animals to go to human populated areas in search of food. This is willed as the new example of human-wild animal conflict leading to huge loss of medicinal plant.
Notably, located adjacent to Kondagaon Ma Danteshwari Herbal Farm is producing ‘safed musli’ for the last 16 years and is known for its other herbal produce as well. Since the herbal farm is spread in huge area and is rich of its bio-diversity, specially a number of flora adorning its kitty, wild animal like boars entering it is not a new thing, what made the farmers uneasy is the fact that these wild boars are eating safed musli first time leading to loss of lakhs of rupees. Meanwhile, experts hold the faulty policy of State officials who prefer plantation of single species like sagaun (Teak) or Safeda (Eucalyptus) during afforestation drive leading to migration of wild animals to the area which has divers biotic features like Ma Danteshwari Herbal Farm. Since, wild boar lives on plant roots specially ‘Varah Kanda’ a herbal root which is presently extracted by human being unabatedly for commercial purposes leading to shortage of food for wild boars who have perhaps found the alternative of it in safed musli, they added.
Though the State Government provides compensation to farmers if wild animals damage their crops but the main responsibility of protecting the standing crops lies with farmers and the compensation is so meagre that it fulfil merely a small portion of the loss. In this scenario the victims are trying hard to prevent the attack of boars through round the clock guarding but the erratic entry of boars in to the farm making their task tough and in they are resorting to some unfortunate act cannot be ruled out. Bank official turned farmer and owner of Ma Danteshwari Herbal Farm Dr Rajaram Tripathi said, this problem has struck us first time this year even if wild boars used to visit the farm earlier as well. To prevent them from swallowing the crop we are trying our best but so far we have not succeeded in our efforts. We are trying to solve the problem without indulging in violence but if it is not controlled and forest department too did not do something to control wild boars then we would have to resort to some unpleasant measures, he added.