ZIM CITY

Who killed the wild boars?

Paul Zimmerman’s take on the recent boar kills in Hong Kong

Soon after a police officer was bitten by a wild boar in Tin Hau, the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) announced its new policy whereby it will capture pigs appearing in urban areas “for humane dispatch.”

A few days later, seven boars were put down at Shum Wan Road near the entrance to Ocean Park’s WaterWorld. This caused a public outcry. Aligned with ramshackle shipyards, the dead-end road can hardly be described as urban. The pigs were lured with bread before being shot with a tranquiliser to allow safe injection with a deadly poison.

The harsh action appeared poorly justified by the clumsy chase of a wild pig in a car park. As with other incidents, the otherwise docile animals will attack and win when cornered. Leave them alone and they will saunter off into the vegetation.

What was less known of the sounder of pigs at Shum Wan Road is that they were regularly fed. Just a few weeks earlier a local TV station broadcasted a video of an elderly lady arriving by taxi, throwing large amounts of food out of the window.

The resulting feeding frenzy was a regular occurrence. From 2018 to 36 | SOUTHSIDE

October of this year, the AFCD conducted 12 capture operations at the site, and relocated 35 wild pigs to remote locations and sterilised 27 of them.

The feeding of feral and wild animals attracts wild pigs to gather in urban areas, as does the poor management of refuse. Garbage bins which can be easily raided by wildlife; household waste rich with leftover food deposited on the side of the road; and refuse collection points too small for the population they serve; are attracting wildlife.

This nutritious garbage left by humans increases the reproduction of cats, dogs and pigs beyond the feeding capacity of our natural environment.

Rather than blaming the AFCD for killing wild boars, we need to stop the misplaced do-gooders who feed wildlife. Stop the feeding and the animals will forage the abundant vegetation in our countryside.

Moreover, next time you encounter a wild boar, calmly check whether the animal can easily disappear into the wild. If you do find yourself in the way of an animal’s escape route such as between fences along a footpath, step behind a tree or fence, and wait for it to walk by. Importantly, to stop the culling of our wildlife, stop the feeding and keep refuse secure.

Paul Zimmerman is CEO of Designing Hong Kong and Vice-Chairman of the Southern District Council. He has been acting as Chairman of the Single-Use Beverage Packaging Working Group and their ‘Drink Without Waste’ initiative since 2017.