Hunting permits not required to cull wild boars

Wild boars, numbering over 200 million and posing hazards in 26 provinces and regions in China, reportedly do not require hunting permits to be culled, Chinese media reported Saturday.

The species was removed from the “ecologically, scientifically valuable” list in June last year, China’s National Forestry and Grassland Administration (NFGA) confirmed.

On the evening of Oct. 27, a wild boar ventured onto the high-speed rail line between Nanjing South Station and Zijinshan East Station, resulting in a collision with the passing train D5515. This incident led to equipment failures, resulting in the train being halted and causing delays, according to a post on Nanjing Railway Station’s Weibo. Tragically, following the halt, an onboard mechanic inspecting and addressing the malfunction was struck by a passing train on the adjacent track and lost his life despite rescue efforts.

Incidents involving wild boars are becoming increasingly common. Experts are even suggesting revisions to current laws to allow for the consumption of captured wild boars following quarantine clearance to manage the growing population.

There has been escalating encounters between this animal and humans, media outlet The Paper reported.

Wang Hongjie, a member of NFGA’s wild boar control team, explained to The Paper that the wild boar population is growing due to a lack of natural predators and their prolific reproductive capacities, rendering current trapping methods inefficient. Wang said, “Wild boars are not considered suitable for consumption, therefore dampening public interest in hunting.”

Statistics indicate that wild boar incidents have affected 857 counties and districts across 26 provinces and autonomous regions, including Shaanxi, Shanxi, Fujian, Jiangxi, Guangdong, Hebei, Zhejiang, Sichuan, Anhui, and the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region.

Since 2017, the former National Forestry Administration, NFGA’s predecessor, has released notices and established special committees to manage the wild boar population. Inadequate funding, low hunting efficacy, and unskilled teams persist as obstacles, The Paper said.