By Thomas Scaria
Muthukad: A Catholic nun was among 16 people in Kerala who have received court permission to kill wild boars that destroy their farms.
The Kerala High Court on September 18 gave special permission to Sister Jofi Joseph and others, who are members of a farmers group, after they complained about the menace from the boars.
“Whatever we plant, the pigs destroy them within a few days and we are not able to procure anything from our farm,” Joseph, a member Congregation of the Mother of Carmel, told Matters India September 20.
She says the court order has given the nuns and other farmers much relief. Her St. Agnes Convent at Muthukadu (literally meaning thick forest), a village in Kerala’s Kozhikode district
“Many of our sisters were engaged in farming in our four-acre land during the pandemic, but we got no produce,” said the nun, showing empty roots of tapioca (cassava) plants they had planted. The nun also have a vegetable garden besides cashew, areca, coconuts and other varieties of plants in their land.
The court order allows Sister Jofi to keep a licensed gun or any other weapon to kill wild boars. The only condition is that they have to inform the forest department whenever they kill a boar.
Jijo Joseph, a neighbor Catholic neighbor, who is among the 16 to receive the court permission, said the villagers had filed the suit with the High Court under the aegis of the “We-Farm,” a group involved in protecting the rights of farmers in Kerala.
We-Farm was found by a Carmelite Father Jose Thundappara in 2014 when some villagers were caught in conflict with the forest department for fishing in a reservoir insider the forest.
The patron for the group is Bishop Remigiose Maria Paul Inchananiyil of Thamarassery.
Jijo said the wild animals not only destroys agriculture, but caused various diseases. “The Nipah affected areas are also affected by the wild boars and the possibility of wild boars spreading Nipah cannot be ruled out,” he told Matters India.
The farmers have also requested the forest department to allow them to not only kill the wild boars but eat or share the meat with other farmers who were victims of wildlife attack.
Sister Jofi said her convent is also a member of the “We farm” movement and actively involve for the protection of farmers rights in the village.
Ironically in Hindu mythology the wild boar is the steed of Lord Vishnu. The monkey ofcourse is associated with Hanuman. Religious beliefs are often counter productive. What if Christians started believing that sheep and doves are sacred because of their religious symbolism?
In Himachal Pradesh monkeys have been classified as vermin. Anybody who has walked on the Mall Road in Shimla will know why.
In U.P. both wild boar and blue bull are declared as vermin. One has to get a letter from the village head and permission from the district magistrate to kill them. Blue bull is a misnomer as it actually belongs to the antelope family.