Authorities in Hong Kong captured and put to sleep seven wild boars last night (Thursday), with the start of the campaign to reduce their population in urban areas following a policeman's bite last week.
Dilution of the wild boar population in the district, where authorities say several residents have been fed them, marks a change in policy to control the most common wildlife in the city. "Veterinarians used arrow guns to capture seven wild boars and kill them humanely by injecting drugs," a Hong Kong Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation statement said.
The ministry said wild boars in the residential area, which is less than a half-hour drive from the heart of the financial district, were "used to wandering along the road looking for passers-by or even chasing vehicles."
Last week, a wild boar shot a police officer and bit his leg.
In response, Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam warned that the government would increase the penalties for those who feed them.
The same pig in which he later fell from the edge of a parking lot, dived about ten feet to his death.
Authorities said about 30 reports of wild boar attacks in the city had been reported in recent years.
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About 30 wild boar attacks have been reported in recent years.
Inspectors scatter food to attract wild boars (Photo: Reuters)
Until recently, Hong Kong's policy has been to capture the animals, sterilize them and move them to remote and uninhabited areas.
The city is home to about 3,000 wild boars, according to government data, and they are not defined as a protected species.
The pigs are sometimes spotted on the subway, or waiting for a green light at crosswalks near the harbor.
At the start of the corona plague last year, when most Hong Kong residents were working from home, a video of the wild boar family bathing in a fountain among the financial district’s skyscrapers went viral.
"Ultimately, our society must ensure the safety of the residents" (Photo: Reuters)
The change in policy has drawn criticism from animal rights organizations.
Roni Wong, a spokesman for an organization for the protection of wild boar in Hong Kong, told reporters that the pig problem was caused by the government, which failed to allocate resources to animal care by non-Caltic means.
"Now they have to pay the price," Wong said.
Lam said this week that she understands that many in Hong Kong love wildlife, but "ultimately, our society must ensure the safety of the residents."
"As a responsible government, we need to take action," the city's leader told reporters on Tuesday, during her weekly press conference.