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Permits revoked

considering the negative fallout from the decision to make shooting of wild boars and blue bulls legal, the Punjab Wildlife Preservation Department has cancelled all permits issued earlier to hunt these animals.

Since the policy to issue permits to kill boars was implemented, wildlife conservationists have termed it as nothing more than "legalised poaching'. Bureaucrats and politicians have also been coaxing the state government to issue them licences for the free kill. Several influential people have even managed to get them. However, none of them handed back the carcass of the wild animal to the wildlife department as is required.

Worse still, the farmers, actually bearing the brunt of the blue bull menace and supposed to be given the permits, never got them. The policy also did not specify the bore of the weapon to hunt down the animals thus exposing animals to pain. Against this backdrop, chief wildlife warden M P Rai issued a public notice and cancelled all permits given under the Wildlife Act. The notice also carries a warning that anyone found killing these wild animals would be prosecuted.

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