Wild boar breaking point? Hong Kong authorities say it’s time to get tough, but animal groups resist culling

Attempts to control boars in urban areas have failed because people keep feeding them, officials say

Animal groups urge authorities to put more resources into sterilising the wild pigs, educating public

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A wild boar interacts with hikers in Hong Kong’s Tai Mo Shan Country Park. Photo: May Tse

Published: 7:30pm, 16 Oct 2021Updated: 11:13pm, 16 Oct 2021

Hong Kong authorities are considering putting down wild boars that stray into built-up areas, but animal advocacy groups are pushing back against the idea and want more resources put into alternative control methods.

There were 562 boar sightings and nuisance reports in the first half of this year, up from 401 in the same period of 2020. Wildlife authorities captured 286 boars last year, compared with 279 in 2019 and 197 in 2018.

Dr Leung Siu-fai, director of the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD), told the Legislative Council this week that current control measures could not keep up with the surge in boar sightings in urban areas.

“For wild boars that appear frequently and are used to being fed by people or pay constant visits to city areas, we should remove them, not just move them,” he said, meaning they should be killed.

Leung said his department had tried everything from sterilising the animals to moving them to the countryside and educating Hongkongers not to feed them, all to no avail.

“People are simply too caring for wild boars,” he said. “No matter how we enforce the law, we cannot stop people from feeding them. So we have to be heavy handed in future.”