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ISLAMABAD: The fortified walls of the President House have failed to keep the wild boars at bay as their frequent intrusion into the highly secure area proves irksome for not only its caretakers but the residents as well, Dawn has learnt reliably.
An official on request of anonymity said: “Despite foolproof security arrangements these boars enter the Presidency freely.”
He said despite fencing and preventive measures one could not stop wild boars from creeping into the area. They come from the nearby Margalla Hills National Park, he added.
The officials at the Capital Development Authority (CDA) are also cognizant of the problem and are working to restrict the movement of the wild boars into the Presidency.
One of the security officials guarding the President House said: “These animals enter mostly from the nearby nullahs and manholes.”
He said they usually use conventional methods to kill wild boars whose population is growing with every passing day.
The total area of the President House is about 471 acres and half of it is covered by trees and bushes which provide a safe hideout to the fast breeding wild boars.
However, according to details shared by the spokesman for the CDA, Ramzan Sajid, they kill wild boars by feeding them wheat grains dipped in poison.
When asked as to why they use this conventional method he responded: “Because this is the best way to kill them.”
But the official monitoring the developments said that these wild boars breed at a very fast pace and their population may be in hundreds in the jungle close to the Presidency.
The official said the biggest problem for them was to limit their movement into the most protected building.
He said wild boars shy away from populated areas in the day and hide in nullahs.
The spokesman meanwhile, said that the CDA gave hunting licences for wild boars free of cost.
He insisted the problem of wild boars was not just of the Presidency but for the whole city.
Wild boars are a common sight in the night and can be seen through naked eye as their herds roam freely in different sectors of the city in search of food.
“The citizens should not throw their garbage in the open because these boars come to eat it,” suggested the spokesman.
Meanwhile, the presidential spokesman was approached but his mobile was not responding despite multiple attempts.
