TAPLEJUNG: Farmers in the Kalikhola area of Sidingwa Rural Municipality-1 in Taplejung are facing increasing hardship as wild boars and other animals continue to destroy their crops during the harvest season.
Local farmer Sher Bahadur Baniya said that around 25 to 30 households in the area suffer damage from wild animal attacks every year. “Earlier it was bears that troubled us, but now wild boars have become a bigger problem,” he said. According to him, wild boars can destroy two to four acres of grain crops in a single night.
As a result, farmers are forced to stay overnight in their fields to guard their crops. “Every night, a mother boar and her two piglets come and eat the corn before it’s even fully ripe. What are we supposed to eat?” Baniya lamented. The animals have also damaged other crops such as potatoes, beans, lentils, and vegetables.
Repeated losses have forced some families to relocate, while others have abandoned farming altogether and turned to different occupations. Despite the ongoing problem, no effective action has been taken by local authorities or concerned agencies to control wildlife or minimize crop damage.
Sidingwa Rural Municipality Vice-Chairperson Bishnu Kumari (Bandana) Kadariya stated that no formal complaint regarding crop damage has been received so far. However, she assured that the rural municipality’s executive will consider offering support if an application is submitted.
Meanwhile, Parameshwor Parwan, a forest officer at the Division Forest Office, explained that the “Wildlife Damage Relief Directive 2080 BS” provides compensation for damage caused by 16 specific animal species. Unfortunately, wild boars are not included on that list, meaning there is currently no legal provision for affected farmers to receive compensation.
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