Cover news reporter Xie Ying, Li Xinggang Zengye
"The wild boar has stopped for the time being." On November 12, a villager in Yuanshanzi Village, Zhicheng Town, Tongjiang County, Sichuan Province, who had been repeatedly infested by wild boars, told a cover news reporter.
Five days ago, a professional hunting and killing team from Mianyang Jiangyou launched operations in the local area. In two and a half days, only 8 wild boars were killed. "It's not that we can't do it, it's that wild boars are very aggressive. Without excellent hounds, without guns, don't rush to shoot..." As the only professional team in Sichuan Province with a gun license, Cheng Tao, head of the Jiangyou Hunting and Rescue Center in Mianyang City, said.
Wild boar photographed by local Forestry Bureau staff
According to statistics at the end of 2020, there are about 20,000 wild boars in Tongjiang. In July 2021, Tongjiang County was included in one of the four pilot counties for the prevention and control of wild boar harm in Sichuan Province. Previously, Sichuan Province was listed as one of the 14 pilot projects for the prevention and control of wild boar harm in the country. According to the "Work Plan for Wild Boar Hazard Prevention and Control Points in Tongjiang County", by the end of 2021, Tongjiang County plans to kill 750 wild boars. However, there is a lack of professional teams in the local area, and Li Bin, director of the Tongjiang County Wildlife Conservation Center, is very anxious: this goal task is difficult to complete.
1
Dilemma one: it is difficult to hunt and kill
Dogs were shot and killed only 8 in two and a half days
At 7:00 a.m. on November 6, just after dawn, four members of Cheng Tao's professional team, together with the staff of the Tongjiang County Forestry Bureau and the County Agriculture and Rural Bureau, formed a hunting team and marched to the northern mountains to start the first hunting operation this winter.
Native teams prepare to go up the mountain to drive wild boars
The targets of this operation are zhicheng town and Lianghekou town. The local altitude is more than 1,000 meters, the vegetation is dense, and wild boar is frequent. Yuanshanzi Village in Zhicheng Town is the village with the highest frequency of wild boar activities. Led by the villagers, 4 hunters each held a shotgun and entered the dense forest area with 7 hounds. With the command of the team members, the 7 hounds entered the dense forest in the blink of an eye. Soon, with the sound of a gunshot, a wild boar surrounded by hounds was killed by the hunters. In two and a half days, the hunting team crossed the mountains and killed a total of 8 wild boars.
There have been dangerous situations in the process of hunting. Li Bin recalled that they were watching a wild boar that had been killed, when suddenly, a wild boar, chased by hounds, came from a few meters away, and several people were frightened and quickly climbed up a tree to avoid danger.
"Wild boars are very aggressive, and if you don't have good hunting dogs and guns, don't rush into action." On November 11, Cheng Tao told the cover news reporter that as the only professional team in Sichuan with a gun license, his team is well-equipped, the team members have experienced hundreds of battles, and there are more than 60 hounds imported from Liangshan Prefecture and abroad. But even so, just two hours before the cover reporter's telephone interview, in Beichuan, Mianyang, four hundred kilometers away from Tongjiang County, hunters, hounds and wild boars fought fiercely, and a hound that had just been imported from abroad and was worth up to 60,000 yuan was unfortunately killed.
Professional hunting teams came to Tongjiang to support
This operation hired "foreign aid", and Tongjiang County also had to do it. Previously, the "battle" with wild boars was in a primitive and extremely dangerous way. The villagers gathered together, crowded with people, carrying earth dogs or beating gongs and drums to drive them away. In December last year, Tongjiang organized a concentrated hunting and killing operation, and the process was very thrilling. Li Bin introduced that at that time, they formed a team of more than ten people, took more than 20 hunting dogs into the mountain, spent 3 days, and only killed 2 wild boars.
"The dogs successfully surrounded one of the wild boars, and when their physical strength was exhausted, the team members held long knives and slashed, and the wild boar fiercely resisted, directly breaking the wooden handle and fleeing with the broken knife." Li Bin recalled that it was seven days later that they found the carcass of the wild boar in the mountain forest. This concentrated hunting operation caused a total of 8 hounds to suffer casualties.
Professional hunting teams are ready to go forward and kill wild boars
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Dilemma two: a lot of quantity
There are 20,000 heads in the county, and they often destroy grain and occasionally hurt people
In July this year, after Tongjiang was included in the pilot county for the prevention and control of wild boar damage in the province, the Tongjiang County government quickly issued a work plan. The plan points out that "in 2020, the townships conducted a preliminary survey of the number of wild boar populations in their jurisdictions, and there are about 20,000 wild boars in the county, which are distributed in all townships and towns, which has seriously threatened the safety of people's lives and property." This data is roughly estimated based on the information available to the townships. Li Bin introduced.
In fact, the number of wild boars in Tongjiang has reached the point where it is indispensable to hunt. "In July and August, the grain and sweet potatoes are ripe, and the wild boar often goes down the mountain to nibble corn and arch sweet potatoes, and we are too old to provoke it." A villager surnamed Zhang in Ganyugou Village, Singing Town, was very helpless, and they repeatedly reported to the government. In order to make up for the losses of the masses, Tongjiang County, in the case of financial constraints, took out more than 400,000 yuan to purchase government rescue insurance for wildlife harm.
Wild boar hunted
"Since April this year, as many as 707 villagers' claims cases related to wild boars alone have been filed." Li Bin introduced that as of now, the county has successfully settled 206 claims, with a compensation amount of more than 32,000 yuan, but there are still nearly 500 cases being processed, and the amount of compensation is expected to exceed 100,000 yuan. "There are too many cases, and insurance companies are seriously understaffed and too busy to come. We have received many complaints from damaged farmers. Li Bin said frankly that the purchase of insurance is not a cure for the symptoms, after all, the wild boar will come again, "the masses demand that the wild boar be killed is very high."
Li Bin introduced that for how to solve the problem of the interests of farmers caused by wild boar harm, the state and the province have not yet issued relevant policies, Tongjiang County can only feel the stones to cross the river, while forming a wildlife harm prevention and control team, assist the damaged villagers to fix evidence, carry out wild boar population census and prevention and control knowledge publicity.
Staff buried wild boars that had been hunted and killed
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Dilemma three: more constrained
Lack of professional teams This year's task is difficult to complete
The tongjiang county prevention and control work plan points out that according to the standard of killing no more than 2 per square kilometer, the wild boar population is regulated, and 750 wild boars are planned to be hunted in 2021. Based on this, Tongjiang has established a working mechanism led by forestry and with the participation of public security, emergency response, agriculture and rural areas, civil affairs and other departments. After the successful pilot projects in Lianghekou and Zhicheng Township, it will be rolled out in counties throughout the county, and it is expected that each township will hunt 10 to 20 heads.
Larger wild boars need to be carried by four people
Wild boars are fierce in nature, and boars over 200 pounds will grow fangs and be more aggressive, and can cause casualties if they are killed hastily. "Restricted by policies and laws and regulations, the killing of wild boar must be organized by the government, and it is illegal for villagers and non-governmental organizations to hunt and kill." The government cannot use power grids, animal clips and other equipment that may harm other wild animals, nor can it set traps or use drugs. Xu Yonggang, a staff member of the Tongjiang County Wildlife Conservation Center, said that due to these conditions, their challenges are not small.
At present, the Tongjiang forestry department has declared a total of 6 hunting teams, and the strongest team has focused on supporting one of them. "Hopefully, I can apply for guns for them." Without guns, it may be even more difficult for wild boars to hunt. Li Bin said.
No matter how difficult it is, the hunting and killing work cannot be delayed. Through the inspection, Tongjiang County hired a professional team from Mianyang Jiangyou, "Their hounds are very strong and can directly bite wild boars." The hunters were also good, almost all of them were killed with one shot. Li Bin was envious of the equipment of the professional team. Unfortunately, the professional team was evacuated after working in Tongjiang for two and a half days. According to the number of wild boars that were finally killed, Tongjiang County paid the other party the cost of drying according to the standard of 2,000 yuan per head.
"Applying for a gun license is complicated and a long process." Li Bin said that the difficulty does not stop there. "According to the calculation of 750 heads this year, if all external professionals are hired, the cost is also a considerable expense. This year's goals seem to be difficult to accomplish. Li Bin said.
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