Porcupines damage orchards, fields in Pulwama, Shopian

Porcupines damage orchards, fields in Pulwama, Shopian

Shopian: Not locusts but porcupines have wreaked havoc on orchards and fields in Pulwama damaging vegetables, eating barks of apple trees, almond trees and eating corms of saffron.
Farmers from many areas said that number of animal, rodents, increased in last few years causing damage to fruit trees particularly almond and vegetables such as potatoes and saffron.
They allege that no steps were taken by government to catch the porcupines and take them to their original habitats.
“We cover trunk of trees with cloth to get people rid of these rodents,” said Ghulam Muhammad Malik, a farmer from Chandgam village of Pulwama.
He said that porcupine even uproot potatoes from ground.
Technical assistant wildlife division Shopian Gulzar Ahmed Khan which also covers Pulwama district told Kashmir Reader that porcupine were not found in human habitations earlier. But due to disturbances in wildlife habitats, these rodents have entered human habitations.
In Pulwama, porcupines are being witnessed in Koil, Chandgam, Banderpora, Awantipora and other villages in the area. Locals said that these animals make their dens under hillocks and bushes.
A senior scientist deputed with saffron mission said that once the animal appears in saffron fields, it affects the crop.
“They eat seed (corms) which are there for around 20 years and once the porcupine attacks it, a grower loses interest thus affecting economy and livelihood, ” he said.
Experts said that now porcupine are being spotted even in Shopian district.
Javid Ahmed, a horticulture expert, said that when bark around stem of a tree is being eaten by porcupine, it leads to death of a tree.
Chief horticulture officer Pulwama, Rajesh Kotwal told Kashmir Reader that they have advised people to cover the stem of trees with used cloth.
“They don’t attack those trees with stems covered with cloth,” he added.
When asked why don’t they take matter with wildlife department to catch and rehabilitate the animals to their original habitats, Kotwal said he will take up matter with wildlife department.
Khan, the technical assistant of wildlife, said that they do catch the animal when anyone reports to them.
He said the original habitats of porcupines are in Hirpora wildlife sanctuary, parts of Keller and Tral forests.

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