The problem of wild boars entering urban areas throughout the country, especially in Haifa and nearby cities, has become quite a phenomenon in recent years. When this happens, the pigs overturn bins and roam the streets of cities in packs, which causes quite a bit of fear for the residents who encounter them, for fear of being attacked by the animal.
In order to understand why wild boars began to enter Haifa's urban area in the first place, how dangerous this phenomenon is, and what can be done about it, we spoke with Dr. Yaron Dekel, scientific director at the Shamir Research Institute and a lecturer at the University of Haifa, who answered all the questions.
Watch: Wild boar attacks security guard at entrance to Haifa courthouse, last year // Use under copyright section 27A
According to him, the biggest culprit in the infiltration of wild boars into cities is man himself. "There is a process of urbanization, in which the large habitats of wild boars disappear, which causes the disappearance of their natural food, so they are forced to search for food within our cities," he said. "At the same time, the pigs enjoy the great abundance of food that exists in the cities, which is a natural source of attraction for them and other wildlife in Israel."
Dr. Dekel also noted that the process that wild boars in Haifa undergo is also intriguing, due to the fact that it is a wild animal that is not supposed to get used to the humans in its environment in the first place. "Wild animals have stress hormones that are supposed to cause them not to enter urban areas and not to be near humans. Usually, when humans approach a flock of wild boars, the first pig to recognize a human warns the rest—and then everyone runs away. In Haifa, an interesting process has been created that requires research to examine why pigs become accustomed to humans," he said. "It may be a domestication process where, instead of stress hormones affecting the pigs and making her frightened, the hormones that calm her down become stronger and make her not afraid to be around people. In fact, it's a domestication process undergone by animals that have adapted to living alongside humans."
Wild boars searching for food in the streets of Haifa, photo: Herzi Shapira
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But how dangerous are wild boars to humans at all? Dr. Dekel says that the very fact that the pigs are entering the cities indicates that they have become indifferent to humans and that they can live alongside them in symbiosis. "They no longer see a person as a threat, so the chances of them being harmed are smaller," he said, adding that in case of encountering an animal, it is still worth staying away from it. "If you meet mom and puppies, don't try to take pictures with them or take pictures of them. Mothers in nature are very sensitive and protective of their babies, so if they feel danger, they will attack. These are animals that can weigh up to 300 kilograms, no one wants to run into them."
If you happen to encounter a wild boar in an alley, the most important thing you can do is move out of its way. "When an animal has only one way out, then it will have the instinct to run away or attack, and it is quite clear what the pig will choose to do when it has nowhere to run," added Dr. Dekel. "Just cut off contact with him and don't go near them."
And what can be done to get the wild boars out of Haifa and nearby cities? According to Dr. Dekel, the answer to this is very simple – sanitation. "Wildlife enters cities because they have food. Sometimes, humans throw away up to 40% of the food they buy, and for animals it's a source of easy food," he said. "So, if the bins are closed so that they can't be opened, if the bin rooms are closed and at the same time people don't throw food in the street, then the motivation of wild boars to enter cities will decrease." He said this worked in North American towns with grizzly bears around them, after they created a mechanism that prevented the bears from opening garbage cans.
People are no longer seen as a threat. A wild boar roaming in Haifa, photo: Michel Mechel
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