KUNDAPURA: The mysterious and unnatural deaths of a significant number of wild boars over the past few days in several forest-fringe villages across Kundapura and Byndoor taluks have triggered widespread panic and anxiety among local residents and the farming community.

According to ground reports, carcasses of wild boars have been discovered scattered across forest and border areas including Ramannagara, Kembailu, and Tenkabailu in Nada village; Shivanagara in Senapura; Sasihithlu, Hospital Ward, and Kalikamba Nagar in Aloor village; alongside Vandse, Kundabarandadi in Hakladi, Aajri, Chittoor, Idoor Kunhnadi, and the dense forest covers of Kollur.

Wild boars in coastal Karnataka are known to possess robust physiques and high immunity, though they frequently pose a major headache for local farmers by destroying paddy and commercial crops. While local communities sometimes hunt them for meat, their sudden, mysterious deaths in large numbers have raised eyebrows, leading many to suspect foul play or accidental poisoning via contaminated agricultural feed or water sources.

Compounding the problem, most of these occurrences are only coming to light days after the animal’s death, once the carcasses begin to heavily decompose and emit an unbearable stench near residential pockets, leaving villagers distressed. This advanced stage of decomposition has left the Forest and Veterinary departments struggling, as extracting clean blood or tissue samples for Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) testing has become nearly impossible. Local veterinarians note that a definitive cause can only be established if fresh carcasses are retrieved in time for a post-mortem examination.

Commenting on the situation, Raghavendra Naik, the Range Forest Officer (RFO) of Kundapura Range, stated, “While decomposed carcasses of wild boars have indeed been found in parts of Nada and Aloor villages, there is no official data as of now to confirm a mass die-off or epidemic. We urge the general public to immediately report any sightings of dead wild boars to the forest department.“

Dr. Arun Kumar Hegde, Assistant Director of the Veterinary Department in Kundapura, added, “If viable samples are successfully gathered, they will be dispatched immediately to the Institute of Animal Health and Veterinary Biologicals (IAH&VB) in Bengaluru. This will help us determine if the deaths are linked to viruses like African Swine Fever, Classical Swine Fever, garlay disease, or internal poisoning. A clear picture will only emerge after the lab reports arrive.“

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