More aggressive wild boars may be put down, says Hong Kong agriculture chief
- Officials and lawmakers say people feeding boars has led to an increase in the number of the animals captured, and have called for more awareness of the dangers
- Chief Executive Carrie Lam says she has asked the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation to conduct a comprehensive review of the boar situation
The number of wild boars caught in Hong Kong reached a five-year high in 2018, with district councils calling for better education to warn the public not to feed the animals – thought to be one of the reasons behind the soaring numbers of chaotic appearances in urban areas.
The government is also considering culling more aggressive boars.
Director of Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Leung Siu-fai said officials are reviewing their management policies on boars and would consider adopting the approach of putting down some animals.
“For those that may be more aggressive, or when they are really so big and pose a threat to residents, we would euthanise them, rather than putting them back into the wild,” Leung said in an interview with a local broadcaster aired on Saturday.
Figures from the AFCD showed that 129 wild boars were caught from January to October 2018, up from 12 in 2014 and 28 in 2015. A total of 106 were caught in 2017.
He added that the department had commissioned a tertiary institution to design a new kind of rubbish bin which could stop boars from pushing them over or open them to hunt for food. Officials will find spots for product trial soon.