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In a move that will come as a relief for farmers, two animals—the nilgai and wild boars—have been declared as vermins by the Centre in Bihar for a year. This has come into effect from December 1, 2015.
In a notification issued by the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change, nilgais and wild boars have been declared as vermins “to mitigate the damage to human life, crops and other properties in Bihar and for ensuring conservation”.
While the nilgai has been declared a vermin in 20 districts and in some parts in 11 more districts, the wild boar has been declared a vermin in eight districts of the state and in some parts in two other districts.
Nilgais (Boselaphus tragocamelus) and wild boars (Sus scrofa) both fall under Schedule III of The Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 (amendments were made to the Act in 1993 and 2002). Section 62 of the Act, says the Centre can declare any animal a vermin for a specified period of time.
Crop raids by nilgais and wild boars occur frequently in the western, central and northern states of the country. Uttarakhand had sought permission to declare nilgais and wild boars as vermins for five years in more than 20 tehsils of Rudraprayag, Almora, Pithoragarh, Champawat, Pauri and Chamoli districts.