Tue Jan 28 19:25:56 UTC 2025: ## Tamil Nadu Forest Department Upgrades Arsenal for Wild Boar Culling
**Coimbatore, January 29, 2025** – The Tamil Nadu Forest Department has invested ₹5 crore in modernizing its weaponry, primarily to facilitate the recently implemented regulated culling of wild boars. This includes the purchase of 123 .315 rifles from an ordnance factory in West Bengal, along with 19 9mm pistols. The new equipment supplements existing weaponry, which already includes various rifle and pistol models.
The department held a one-day training session for 91 foresters and forest guards in Coimbatore on Tuesday, focusing on the government order concerning controlled culling, wild boar behavior, and firearms handling. Special Task Force and police personnel provided firearms training at the Madukkarai shooting range. Further training sessions are planned across all forest circles.
In addition to firearms, the department is procuring equipment for capturing wild boars within a 3km radius of forest boundaries, as stipulated by the government order. Senior forest officials, including the PCCF and Chief Wildlife Warden, participated in the training session.
First Piper 