India, June 12 -- In Uttarakhand's hill villages, farmers say wild boars and monkeys are repeatedly destroying crops, forcing many to leave fields barren.

The state's Migration Prevention Commission has identified crop damage by wild animals as one of the reasons behind rural migration.

A 2026 commission report says the area under kharif crops declined by 13% and rabi crops by 15% between 2016-17 and 2021-22.

In the Terai, elephants and nilgai are causing large-scale crop losses, while predators such as tigers, leopards and wolves are affecting livestock rearers.

Farmers say crop insurance and compensation remain difficult to access, especially when land is cultivated informally or without written agreements.

Despite spending on fenc...