Chennai,  The farmers in Coimbatore, Krishnagiri and Salem areas of Tamil Nadu are upset as most of their crops are being devoured by the wild boars that attack the fields in a group and finish off the crops within an hour.

The farmers are of the opinion that the Forest Department is turning a blind eye to their pleas and that unless the wild boars are culled, there would not be any respite to the menace.

R. Murugesan, a tapioca farmer in Anamalai near Coimbatore, told IANS: "The wild boars reach the farm in a group and within minutes, they create the maximum damage and almost the entire crop will be finished.

"Generally, the group comes late in the night and make good their escape in an hour. This has led to farmers not able to catch the boars."

The Forest Department officials admitted that there is a wild boar menace in the Coimbatore forest division but they are not able to kill the wild boar as the law wont allow it.

A senior official of the Tamil Nadu forest department, speaking to IANS, said: "The forest department knows the issue and according to the law of the land, we cannot kill these wild boars. The only solution is to amend the law and for that the government has to move a bill in the legislative assembly and amend the law."

Somasundaram P, a farmer from Krishnagiri district, told IANS: "I have lost heavily due to the wild boar attack and the forest officials had visited the farm and taken stock of the losses but nothing has come till now as compensation."