Wild boars are causing harm in 26 provinces! How to prevent wild boars from running wild?

On October 25, a wild boar broke into a roadside shop on the streets of Hangzhou, Zhejiang;

On October 27, a wild boar invaded the high-speed railway connecting line between Nanjing South Station and Zijin Mountain East Station and collided with a passing train, causing equipment failure and stopping;

On October 27, in Miaofengshan Town, Mentougou District, Beijing, an injured wild boar broke into a resident's bedroom;

On October 28, wild boars "begged for food from tourists" on Wutong Mountain in Shenzhen, Guangdong.

Recently, wild boars have appeared in many urban communities, even injuring people and destroying property, and have frequently been on the hot search list. Data shows that wild boars are currently distributed in 28 provinces in China, with a population of about 2 million. In many provinces, the number is too high, and 26 provinces have caused harm . What is going on? From "animal protection" to "ecological pollution", what has the wild boar experienced? When encountering wild boars, how can we protect ourselves?

Break into town or even "drop from the sky"

Wild boar infestation has affected 26 provinces across the country

With the success of protection efforts in recent years, the number of wild boars has increased rapidly. According to data released by the National Forestry and Grassland Administration in January this year, the number of wild boars in my country has reached 2 million, and 26 provinces have been affected by wild boar infestations.

Nowadays, encounters with wild boars are becoming more and more frequent not only in rural areas but also in cities.

Since 2017, there have been many incidents of wild boars breaking into the urban area of ​​Nanjing, Jiangsu. The city of Nanjing has even compiled a guide for encountering wild boars, which uses hand-drawn methods to circle the key areas where wild boars appear in Nanjing and surrounding areas, and provides detailed instructions for precautions when encountering wild boars.

Recently, in Huayuan Village, Mohan Township, Yongshan County, Zhaotong City, Yunnan Province, a woman was driving on the road when suddenly six wild boars fell from a cliff more than 100 meters high onto the road. Four of them died on the spot, one died from serious injuries, and one was slightly injured and ran into the nearby forests.

Jin Kun, director of the Institute of Protected Areas of the Chinese Academy of Forestry, said that wild boars are currently causing damage in 857 counties and districts in 26 provinces in my country. In rural areas, wild boars mainly damage crops, medicinal herbs, fruit trees, etc. In urban and rural areas, they mainly threaten the normal production and living order of local people, posing a threat to people's life and property safety.

What is the reason for the proliferation of wild boars?

Biological characteristics : Due to their strong reproductive capacity and adaptability, the wild boar population is growing rapidly.

The ecological environment continues to improve : In recent years, China's wild animal habitat has continued to improve, providing wild boars with a wider living space and rich food sources.

Implementation of protection policies : Wild boars were once listed as "three-have" wild animals, that is, terrestrial wild animals with important ecological, scientific and social value, and their hunting and killing were strictly restricted.

The decrease or slow increase of natural enemies : Due to historical reasons, some areas lack natural enemies of wild boars, such as tigers, leopards, jackals, wolves, etc., resulting in a rapid increase in the number of wild boars.

Can individuals hunt wild boars?

Shi Kun, leader of the wild boar population control expert group of the National Forestry and Grassland Administration, said that in areas where wildlife harm is serious, reducing the number of non-protected wildlife such as wild boars through hunting is a helpless move, but it is the most direct and effective measure to ease and reduce conflicts between humans and wildlife. The principle is that excessive hunting is not allowed.

Jin Kun said that wild boars are no longer "three-protected" animals, but that does not mean they can be hunted at will:

If it is included in the local key protection list, it still needs to be implemented according to the hunting management regulations;

Even if it is not included in the local key protection list, relevant laws and regulations must be observed. For example, hunting cannot be carried out using hunting methods that are not permitted by the Wildlife Protection Law, such as poisoning, using snares, etc. In these aspects, the law must be followed.

Wild boars are rampant.

How to carry out scientific prevention and control?

In response to the frequent occurrence of wild boar damage, many places have actively explored measures such as hunting and control, and proactive prevention. Jin Kun introduced that the earlier pilot projects have achieved good results in proactive prevention and control, damage compensation insurance, and appropriate hunting in serious damage areas, solving the practical problems faced by farmers.

Hunting Regulation

The main method of hunting wild boars in Shiyan, Hubei is dog hunting. In Shiyan, Hubei, wild boars have no natural enemies and reproduce very quickly, which has seriously affected the production and life of the people. This year, Yunyang District of Shiyan City has started to hunt wild boars in an orderly and limited manner in more than 20 towns in the district, and has also set up a professional wild boar hunting team. However, every time a dog hunting operation is carried out, the fuel cost and labor cost make the team feel pressured.

Physical isolation

In the important greenhouse planting area of ​​Yunyang District, Shiyan City, isolation belts have been set up around the area to reduce the losses caused by wild boars. In addition, the local government has applied for 30 million yuan of project funds to implement isolation and prevention and control in key areas to reduce farmers' losses and crop damage.

“Wildlife Accident Liability Compensation Insurance” Mechanism

Shiyan City has also implemented a "wild animal accident liability insurance compensation" mechanism in four areas, including Zhushan County and Yunyang District. So far, 2,800 animal-caused crop damage incidents have been paid, totaling 4.98 million yuan. This year, Shiyan City will continue to expand the scope of compensation for "wild animal accident liability insurance compensation".

Multiple departments jointly released a work plan for the prevention and control of terrestrial wildlife hazards

The National Forestry and Grassland Administration and 15 other departments jointly issued the "Work Plan for the Prevention and Control of Harm Caused by Wild Boars and Other Terrestrial Wild Animals", which aims to protect the lives and property of the people and ensure the order of production and life, while maintaining ecological balance and protecting biodiversity.

What to do if you encounter a wild boar?

Does “playing dead” work?

Wild boars are strong, have sharp teeth, and are very aggressive, especially during the breeding season or when frightened. They can be extremely dangerous. If a wild boar comes towards you, what should you do?

Stay calm and avoid shouting loudly or attacking wild boars with stones or sticks, as this can easily anger them and lead to an attack.

Quickly find a place to cover your body, such as obstacles, trees, etc., to avoid being attacked by wild boars.

Try to leave the scene, but don't run away, as this may anger the wild boar.

Try not to turn your back to the wild boar to avoid being attacked by it. Try to keep your eyes straight and slowly back away, keeping a sufficient distance.

Jin Kun suggested that ordinary people should get away from wild boars as soon as possible, and pretending to be dead is useless . If wild boars feel threatened, they will be very aggressive towards people and will also attack people lying on the ground.

Planning and production

Source: CCTV News

Editor: Yinuo

Proofread by Xu Lailinlin