Do you still remember the scene of a wild boar swimming in Xuanwu Lake in Nanjing in August this year? Or the scene of more than 30 wild boars caught during a wild boar hunt in Tongjiang County, Sichuan Province in November this year?
Not long ago, a shocking incident occurred in Qinglong Village, Fenyan Town, Jianli City, Hubei Province. A herd of wild boars suddenly broke into the village, killing one person and injuring three others, who have been taken to the hospital for treatment. The tragedy occurred in Qingtian village, where a 51-year-old villager was bitten by a wild boar while working in a shrimp field and died of blood loss in his right leg. After the incident, many local departments went to the scene to deal with it, and the wild boar was killed by the police on the spot.
The reasons for the proliferation of wild boars: ecological improvement, strong reproductive ability, and lack of natural enemies
Wild boars are the most prolific large mammals on the planet, giving birth to 1-2 litters a year and 4-12 cubs per litter. Wild boars are omnivores, as long as they can eat everything, the young leaves, seeds, fruits, tubers, and grass roots of plants can be found to eat. Wild boars range from temperate to tropical habitats, from semi-arid climates to tropical rainforests, and are typical of highly adaptable animals.
In recent years, with the implementation of a series of projects such as natural forest protection, returning farmland to forest, nature reserves and wildlife protection, the habitat quality of wild animals has continued to improve, the population of wild boars and other wild animals has continued to grow, and the scope of foraging activities has expanded, resulting in increasingly frequent incidents, which have become the most extensive and most serious losses caused by wild animals.
Due to the overexploitation and hunting of human beings, the number of wild boar's natural enemies, such as wolves, bears, leopards and other wild animals, has decreased sharply and is even endangered, which ensures the survival rate and reproduction rate of wild boars. Therefore, the infestation of wild boars is the result of both ecological improvement and human activities.
The dilemma of peasant protection: heavy losses, difficulty in compensation, and illegal hunting
Wild boar is a terrestrial wild animal with important ecological, scientific and social value, and is a terrestrial wild animal under non-national key protection, which has the characteristics of "arching seeds in spring, destroying seedlings in summer, and gnawing fruits in autumn". Wild boars are also the most prolific large mammals on the planet, giving birth to 1-2 litters a year and 4-12 cubs per litter. The attack power of wild boars is also beyond the reach of humans, and taking the initiative to attack wild boars will arouse the desire of wild boars to attack, and eventually it will inevitably end in injury.
For farmers, wild boars are their "number one enemy". Wild boars not only destroy their hard-earned crops, but also threaten their personal safety. According to statistics, since the beginning of this year, complaints about wild boar infestation across the country have been significantly higher than in previous years, reflecting the distress of "a whole year of hard work and being ruined by wild boars overnight". Some farmers have even lost their lives to wild boar attacks, such as a 51-year-old villager in Qinglong Village, Fenyan Township, Jianli City, Hubei Province.
In the face of wild boar infestation, how can farmers protect their crops and lives? At present, the main measures taken by farmers are eviction, fencing, reporting, etc. Repelling is the most common method, but it is also the most ineffective, as wild boars have a high IQ and quickly adapt to human repellent methods and even fight back. Fencing is a more effective method, but it also requires a large investment and cannot completely prevent the invasion of wild boars.
Reporting is a reasonable approach, but it can take a long time and doesn't resolve issues in a timely manner. It is understood that at present, the National Forestry and Grassland Administration has carried out special research on the harm caused by wild boars and other wild animals, and has conducted a comprehensive investigation on the harm caused by wild boars and other wild animals in 31 provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities) across the country. On this basis, two special notices have been issued to launch a comprehensive pilot project for the prevention and control of wild boar hazards in 14 provinces such as Fujian and Jiangxi, and to study and formulate technical measures to guide all localities to carry out population regulation and active prevention
The way of harmony between humans and pigs: scientific regulation, rational utilization, and co-construction of ecology
Although wild boars have caused a lot of trouble for farmers, they are not useless. Wild boar is an important ecological species, and they play a role in regulating the food chain, improving soil, and promoting vegetation regeneration in nature. Wild boars are also a valuable resource, and their meat, skin, hair, bones, etc. can be used for edible, medicinal, industrial, etc.
Wild boars are also interesting animals that have a high IQ and are emotionally and socially rich and can be friends and companions of humans. Therefore, we should not blindly exclude and eliminate wild boars, but should seek a way of harmony between humans and pigs to achieve the coordinated development of ecology and human beings.
epilogue
The wild boar entered the village and was surprised by the "human-pig war", which is a game between ecology and humans. We should not simply regard wild boars as enemies, nor can we blindly regard wild boars as friends, but from a scientific point of view, analyze the causes of wild boar flooding, solve the dilemma of farmers' protection, explore ways of harmony between humans and pigs, and achieve a win-win situation between ecology and human beings. In this way, we can truly live in peace with wild boars and share a beautiful home.