Officials in northeast China's Heilongjiang Province have suspended a
proposed cull of wild boar, after about 10,000 local people signed
a petition against the plan.
Wild boar have been propagating rapidly under government-backed
protection schemes, but invasions by the animals of villagers'
homes have been reported in 20 counties and districts in
Heilongjiang.
The authorities in the cities of Mudanjiang and Jixi, which have
borne the brunt of the damage, had approved a cull of 50 wild boar
until the end of December to be supervised and carried out by local
forestry officials in designated areas.
Forestry authorities also promised that no individual hunters
would be allowed to take part.
Days after the announcement, 10,000 local residents led by
wildlife enthusiasts signed a petition against the cull.
Members of a wildlife organization in Harbin Institute of
Technology voiced concern that the cull could run out of the
government's control.
As wild boar population more than doubled from 30,000 in 2000 to
70,000 in 2005, the province reported 50 cases of attacks on
villagers and damage to crops.
China's law on wild animal protection prohibits the hunting of
animals under state protection. However, villagers have complained
that they have tried every possible method to drive the wild boar
away from communities without success.
Tao Jin, a wildlife protection official with the Forestry
Bureau, argued that the law allowed government-approved culls when
scientific arguments proved the population of certain animals
should be checked. But the government decided to suspend the cull
in the face of strong public opposition.
The public debate on the conflict between wildlife protection
and farmers' livelihoods is still going on here. Wildlife experts
have suggested farmers dig moats to protect crops against attacks
and the relocation villagers living in deep mountains.
Tao said the government's limited forestry protection funding
could not cover the costs of further protection measures. Limiting
the wild boar population and developing the controlled breeding of
domesticated wild boars might be a solution.
(Xinhua News Agency November 9, 2006)