Alex Trelinski
WILD boar numbers have risen to such a level in the Murcia region that the government has declared a ‘temporary hunting emergency’.
It means the animals can be killed by normally unauthorised methods, which include hunters using thermal and night-vision goggles.
An order published on Monday says the measure has been introduced to “reduce the damage to crops and biodiversity; avoid traffic accidents; and reduce the risk of transmission of African swine fever and other diseases’.
The wild boar can act as a host to spread disease to hinder the conservation of protected species or even cause serious damage to livestock and even public health.
The animal maintains tuberculosis in the natural environment and is also behind outbreaks of swine fever in different parts of Europe.
The boar also has a great aptitude for moving around and has caused road accidents in Murcia and other parts of the country.
Besides the use of technology, licensed hunters will be able to track and kill boars on ‘non-hunting’ land provided they have the permission of the landowner and the General Directorate of the Natural Environment.
Live capture with traps and traps is also authorised, both on hunting and non-hunting lands.
The use of food to attract boars is also permitted in quantities of less than five kilos, and of ‘attracting’ substances that do not pollute the environment.
READ MORE:
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- VIDEO: How wild boars are increasingly terrorizing urban zones in Spain and why archers are coming to the rescue
- Wild boar causes chaos with a three-car pile up on a Costa Blanca road in Spain
