Too many wild boars in Hong Kong, about three thousand in the city according to government data. So much so that citizens and local authorities are exhausted. Thus, after the latest attack on the man, a police officer bitten in the leg, the Hong Kong government authorized the hunt for wild boar. At least seven animals were captured in the last few hours with dart guns and then killed with a lethal injection, as explained in a note by the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation. The move to reduce the number of pigs entering the city was cleared after previous attempts to relocate and sterilize wild boars to uninhabited areas “failed to effectively control the nuisances created by the wild pig,” the department said. “A large group of wild pigs continued to roam and congregate, threatening the population,” the note read.
Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam also tightened sanctions against those caught feeding wild boars. ” I understand that many Hong Kong people love wetlands and nature. However, we also need to protect public safety, “Lam said at the press conference.” There have been around 30 cases of wild boars attacking humans, we can’t just sit idle as the situation worsens, “he said. The Hong Kong Veterinary Association and other animal rights organizations took the opposite direction, sending an open letter to the government criticizing the change in the policy of culling wild boars. Also in a petition proposed by groups including Hong Kong Animal Post and Hong Kong Wild Boar Concern Group read that the measures announced by the Department of Agriculture to capture and cull wild boars “ignore their right to live and regard their existence in urban areas as a capital offense. This approach is extremely unreasonable and contradicts previous principles of animal management policy. ”
Roni Wong, spokesperson for the Hong Kong Wild Boar Concern Group, meeting with reporters said that the wild boar problem was caused by the government, which had failed to allocate resources to manage the animals peacefully. Wong was present when officials shot the animals and tried to stop them, but he was taken away by the police.
Source-www.adnkronos.com