On the evening of October 27, a wild boar entered a section of a high-speed railway in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, resulting in a collision with a passing train. The incident caused equipment failures and led to the delay of several trains arriving at Nanjing South Station. Tragically, a train mechanic who exited the train to investigate the issue was struck by another train on an adjacent track, leading to his unfortunate death.

Wild boars are increasingly being spotted not just in rural areas, but also in urban areas, where they're more likely to come into conflict with human activities. On October 25, a wild boar weighing approximately 80 kg broke into a store in Jiande City in Hangzhou, capital of Zhejiang Province. While bystanders tried to drive it into an underground parking garage using sticks, they were unable to capture it. After more than an hour, police officers and staff from the local forestry and grassland bureau finally managed to subdue the animal. Before entering the store, the wild boar had caused chaos on the street, biting pedestrians and overturning a tricycle and two electric scooters.

According to statistics released by the National Forestry and Grassland Administration (NFGA) in January, China's 2 million wild boars are distributed among 28 provincial-level regions, with wild boar-related damage having been reported in 26 of them.

Increasing presence

"As the ecological environment improves, the population of wild animals, including wild boars, is on the rise," Xie Yi, a professor of wildlife protection at Beijing Forestry University, told Xinhua News Agency. "Their strong adaptability and reproductive capabilities enable wild boar population growth to outpace that of their natural predators, which include jackals, wolves, tigers and leopards. Furthermore, during spring and autumn, wild boars often come down from the mountains in search of food, contributing to the recent surge in sightings."

Sows can give birth two to three times a year, with each litter consisting of two to eight piglets, and occasionally up to 14. As omnivores, wild boars consume a wide variety of foods, including grasses, fruits, bird eggs and insects, aiding their survival and reproduction in diverse habitats.

In rural areas, wild boars are known for damaging crops and vegetation as well as for destroying agricultural infrastructure such as irrigation systems, increasing costs for farmers. In spring, they uproot newly planted seeds, while in autumn, they feed on mature crops such as corn, rice and fruit. Additionally, wild boars can exhibit aggressive behavior and may attack humans, posing a considerable risk to personal safety.

Despite these issues, Sun Quanhui, a senior scientific advisor at World Animal Protection, a global charity that works to protect animals from cruelty and exploitation, emphasized that wild boars play a vital role in ecosystems and in promoting biodiversity. "Wild boars help disperse seeds, which supports forest regeneration," he explained. They also serve as a major food source for carnivores like jackals and leopards, making them integral to maintaining the balance and integrity of the food chain.

The solution

At the beginning of this year, the NFGA, along with 14 other departments, jointly issued the Work Plan for the Prevention and Control of Harm Caused by Wild Boar and Other Terrestrial Wildlife. It calls for provincial forestry and grassland departments to manage wildlife populations in accordance with the law, maintaining them within a reasonable range and preventing the rapid growth of specific species, including wild boars.

Given that wild boars no longer face substantial survival threats, the NFGA removed them from the List of Terrestrial Wild Animals With Important Ecological, Scientific, and Social Value in 2023. This change means that a hunting license is no longer required to capture wild boars, removing institutional barriers that previously impeded efforts to manage their populations.

Hunting teams have been established in several regions, including Henan and Sichuan provinces and the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region. In Tongjiang County, Sichuan, local authorities have formed four hunting teams, offering a reward of 2,000 yuan ($279) for each boar captured.

Shi Kun, head of the Wild Boar Population Control Expert Group at the NFGA, said in an interview with China Central Television (CCTV) that in areas suffering from wildlife-related damage, hunting wild boars and other non-protected species is the most direct and effective method for alleviating human-wildlife conflicts. However, he cautioned that such hunting must be conducted responsibly and without overexploiting populations.

"We conduct systematic surveys of wild boar populations in several areas," Shi noted. "Based on these surveys and the extent of damage caused by wild boars, we establish appropriate hunting quotas to ensure ecological balance."

Furthermore, to protect biodiversity, wild boar hunting is prohibited in nature reserves across China, particularly in areas with natural predators like tigers and leopards, where the ecological system itself primarily manages wild boar populations.

"For instance, regions such as the Taihang Mountains in Shanxi Province and the Liupan Mountains in Ningxia are home to predatory animals, and we must ensure these predators have adequate prey. Thus, hunting wild boars in those areas cannot be conducted arbitrarily," Shi added.

In addition to hunting, measures are being implemented nationwide to mitigate the damage caused by wild boars. Physical barriers, such as ditches, metal fences and walls, have been constructed to protect farmland.

Huang Tailong is the head of the Wildlife Protection Station at the Yunyang District Forestry and Grassland Bureau in Shiyan City, Hubei Province. "We have applied for 30 million yuan ($4 million) in funding to establish physical barriers in key areas to reduce farmers' losses and protect crops," he told CCTV in October.

Moreover, Shiyan has introduced a wildlife damage liability insurance compensation mechanism in four of its regions. Over the past four years, the local forestry and grassland bureau has invested 2.6 million yuan ($360,000) in insuring local residents against damage related to wildlife, providing coverage for up to 7.4 million yuan ($1 million) in losses. Personal injury claims can reach up to 100,000 yuan ($14,000).

So far, 2,800 claims for crop damage caused by wild animals have resulted in compensation, amounting to 4.98 million yuan ($700,000). 

(Print Edition Title: Threatened to Thriving)

Copyedited by G.P. Wilson

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