Gujarat withdraws application for Centre’s nod to hunt blue bulls, wild boars

Gandhinagar: As part of the Gujarat Government’s policy of non-violence towards the wildlife, Chief Minister Vijay Rupani has decided to fence the farms by 97.50-lakh running metres of barbed wire to check the blue bulls and wild boars menace. The government has allocated Rs.200-crore for this initiative.

The menace is rampant in 17 districts of the state, namely Kutch, Devbhumi-Dwarka, Jamnagar, Rajkot, Morbi, Botad, Surendranagar, Patan, Banaskantha, Mehsana, Sabarkantha, Gandhinagar, Ahmedabad, Anand, Kheda and Vadodara. The issue was discussed in detail at the State Board for Wildlife with the Chief Minister in chair.

Gujarat government statement said: ‘Looking to the loss of standing crops due to this menace, Gujarat had earlier applied to the Centre to exempt the state from the ban on hunting these animals as per section-3 of the wildlife protection Act 1972, and put them under section-5. But, with implementation of fencing, the clause becomes redundant; hence the Gujarat Government withdrew its earlier application.’

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