Chennai, Jan 6 (IANS): Farmers of Tamil Nadu's Tiruppur district have urged the state forest department to take immediate action to either capture or kill wild boars that destroy crops.

Farmers association leader S.R. Madhusudhanan told media persons that for the past decade, the farmers of the area were being troubled by the wild boars.

The farmer leader also said that the wild boars, which raids the crops, are now also invading rural habitats of Udumalaipet.

The farmers said that in Udumalaipet and Gudimangalam areas, huge losses are being reported on a day-to-day basis due to the attack by wild boars.

The farmers complained that newly planted saplings of coconut and other crops were being destroyed in the wild boar attack.

As the forest department have stringent laws against hunting down of wild boars, the farmers are not in a position to kill or capture these animals on their own.

Somanathan. P.R., a coconut farmer, told IANS: "The wild boars are creating major problems for the farming community in Udamalaipet and if the forest department does not take action, it will spoil our dreams of getting good revenue through our crops."

The farmers of this area urge the forest department to act immediately and either capture or kill the wild boars to prevent the invasion and destruction of crops.

A senior official of the forest department told IANS that the department has already formed a state-level team to monitor the presence of wild boars at taluk levels. The farmers must destroy the shrubs and thick bushes so that wild boars do not take shelter in these places."