Early Times Report
SRINAGAR, Sept 5: The scientist in Kashmir have launched a genetic study to determine the origin and population history of wild boars that have resurfaced in different parts of the Kashmir Valley Head, Division of Wildlife Sciences, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir (SKUAST-K), Professor Khursheed Ahmed, said a sample of the animal has already been collected, and genetic analysis will be undertaken to establish its relationship with wild boar populations in Jammu and other parts of mainland India.
“We want to prove genetically whether their relatedness is with the main population, which is the population of Jammu or the mainland of India, or whether their relatedness is with populations on the other side of Kashmir, beyond the Line of Control,” Khursheed said.
The study comes amid growing concern over the presence of the species in Kashmir, with farmers in several areas of valley reporting massive damage to agricultural and vegetable fields.
The wild boar is not considered native to Kashmir and was declared locally extinct in the region in the 1980s. According to Khursheed, the species was introduced in Kashmir during the reign of Maharaja Gulab Singh, particularly in forest areas around Dachigam National Park and adjoining areas for hunting purposes.
The wild pig resurfaced in 2013, when three wild boars were reported in Dachigam, nearly three decades after the species was last sighted in 1984.
The ongoing genetic study will initially examine their relationship with populations in Jammu and subsequently assess the population genetics of wild boars across Kashmir.
“We are going to see the population genetics-whether the populations in the north and south, as well as those in between, are mixing or remain separate,” he said
The research could establish whether the animals found in different parts of Kashmir belong to a single, interconnected population or represent distinct populations. It may also provide insights into gene flow, movement patterns and the expansion of the species across the Valley.
Khursheed said the university recently began the study, with the genetic investigation expected to take five to six months. A population census of wild boars in Kashmir is also planned, as their exact numbers in the Valley remain unknown.
Wild pig intrusions have been reported from several areas of Kashmir. In one such instance, widespread incidents were reported from Ajas in Bandipora district, following which the district administration consulted the wildlife department at SKUAST. Experts informed the administration that the species was not native to the region and could potentially be declared “vermin” under the provisions of the Wildlife Protection Act, allowing measures to control or eliminate the population.
However, Khursheed said a scientific assessment of the population was important before any such measures could be considered.
“If range expansion has happened, how it has happened and what are the factors responsible for this expansion-we have to study that also,” he said. |
