Non-native boars return to Kashmir valley

Wild boars that are not native to the Kashmir valley in India have been spotted in the area. According to regional warden of wildlife Rashid Y Naqash, locals were not aware of the boars, Free Press Kashmir reported.

He added that boars were first brought to the valley by the ruler Maharaja Gulab Singh for hunting. However, the boars were eradicated from the national park in the valley in 1980.

Almost three decades later, a dead boar was found in 2010. The carcass was discovered by a group of researchers in the Lachipora wildlife sanctuary.

Official documents say the mammal was spotted again in May 2013 near the rescue center of Dachigam National Park. Research scientist Riyaz Ahmad said it was likely that the boars made their way via Pakistan-controlled Kashmiri forests, given that the boars were spread throughout forests of the area.

The boars were said to have survived on Pakistani soil after the partition of the two countries. Boars were declared extinct in Kashmir in 1984, but the recent sightings clearly suggest otherwise. The local wildlife office was clueless about the boar population as no investigation had been done to trace the animals.