Story at a glance
- Authorities in Hong Kong euthanized seven wild boars on Wednesday a week after one attacked a police officer.
- The roundup marks the beginning of an effort to reduce the number of wild boars in a district where authorities said the animals are “accustomed to wandering along the road and looking for food from passers-by or even chasing vehicles.”
- The previous policy in the city, which is home to around 3,000 wild boars, involved capture and sterilization of the animals and then relocation to remote areas.
Authorities in Hong Kong euthanized seven wild boars in a district near the city’s financial center on Wednesday, a week after one attacked a police officer.
The roundup marks the beginning of an effort to reduce the number of wild boars in a district where authorities said the animals are “accustomed to wandering along the road and looking for food from passers-by or even chasing vehicles,” Reuters reported.
“Veterinarians used dart guns to capture seven wild pigs for humane dispatch through medicine injection,” the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) said in a statement, per Reuters.
The previous policy in the city, which is home to around 3,000 wild boars, involved capture and sterilization of the animal and then relocation to remote areas.
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Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam warned after a boar attacked an officer last week that authorities would increase penalties for citizens found feeding the animals, which have reportedly been responsible for approximately 30 attacks in recent years.
“As a responsible government, we need to take action,” Lam added.
But critics accuse the government of being the source of the city’s wild boar problem, and Roni Wong, a spokesman for the Hong Kong Wild Boar Concern Group, said “now the animals have to pay for the cost,” according to Reuters.
Meanwhile, ADM Capital Foundation, the Hong Kong Veterinary Association and other animal rights groups recently penned an open letter criticizing the policy shift, according to The Associated Press (AP).
“Whilst it is recognized that the majority of the public do not feed wild pigs, the consequences of the relatively few that do are significant, and thus sufficient resources must be allocated to stopping the practice,” the letter read.
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