Xinhua News Agency, Chengdu, July 7th Question: Wild boar is no longer a national protected wild animal. How to find the balance between protection and hunting?
Xinhua News Agency "Xinhua Viewpoint" reporters Zhang Chaoqun, Gao Jianjun and Sun Qingqing
A few days ago, National Forestry and Grassland Administration released the newly adjusted List of Terrestrial Wild Animals with Important Ecological, Scientific and Social Values, and the wild boar that caused serious damage in many places in the country was transferred out of the list, which means that it no longer belongs to the wild animals protected by the state. What is the realistic background of this change? Does it mean that you can kill at will after calling out the list? How to find the balance between protection and hunting? "Xinhua Viewpoint" reporter conducted an investigation and interview on this.
Wild boar flooding in many places frequently hurts people and destroys things, and it has been called for a long time to delete them from the list.
The newly adjusted "Three Owns" list includes 1924 species of wild animals. Compared with the catalogue first published in 2000, more than 700 species of wild animals have been added while basically retaining the original species. The species listed in the original list are not naturally distributed in China, or widely distributed, with a very high population, no extinction risk, and may even cause harm.
"There is no threat to the survival of wild boar, and the population in many areas is too high, which is in line with the basic principle of adjustment." Jin Kun, a researcher at the Institute of Forest Ecological Environment and Nature Protection of China Academy of Forestry, said.
In 2021, Tudeng Xiangba, the 45-year-old village party secretary and village committee director of Zengde Village, Shangmula Township, Litang County, Ganzi Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan Province, was killed by a wild boar attack on his way to the mountain.
In Yuanshanzi Village, Tongjiang County, Bazhong City, Sichuan Province, wild boars "patronize" every three to five nights. Among the 334 households in the village, more than 100 villagers planted crops and fruits, which were damaged by wild boars. According to the comprehensive villagers’ evaluation of Tongjiang County Wildlife Conservation Center, there are more than 20,000 wild boars in the county. From March 2022 to March 2023, Tongjiang County accepted more than 700 reports of wild animals such as wild boar.
Since 2022, there have been more than 1,300 incidents of wild boar accidents recorded in Mianyang City, Sichuan Province, and eight people have been injured and more than 3,500 mu of crops have been damaged.
To this end, many county governments have to buy commercial insurance to make up for the losses caused by wild boar to farmers. Tongjiang County has spent more than 400,000 yuan in recent years to buy government rescue insurance for wildlife damage. In Mianyang City, five counties with serious wild boar hazards spend 100,000-300,000 yuan each year to buy commercial insurance with insurance coverage ranging from 1.2 million to 2 million yuan.
Not only in the countryside, but also in Nanjing, Hangzhou and other places. The data show that wild boar is distributed in 28 of the 31 provinces in China, among which 857 counties (cities, districts) in 26 provinces are harmed by wild boar, which has adversely affected the production and life of local people.
During the interview, the relevant departments of forestry and grassland in many places revealed that from the perspective of being conducive to social development and people’s lives, it has been called for a long time to delete wild boar from the "three haves" list. To this end, many places have made detailed wild boar population surveys and hazard assessments.
Can I kill wild boar at will in the future?
"I really can’t help it. The wild boar will eat 70 acres of my more than 100 acres." In a case heard by the People’s Court of Xichuan County, Henan Province in 2021, Wu Mou, who captured more than 8 wild boars with prohibited hunting equipment in the game reserve and during the game ban, stated this to the court.
Now, does bringing wild boar out of the list mean that you can kill wild boar at will?
Jin Kun and other experts said that after the wild boar was brought out of the list, it was easier to carry out hunting activities, but the principle of giving priority to protection should still be adhered to, and the provisions of laws and regulations such as no hunting area, no hunting period, no hunting tools and hunting methods, and national gun management should be strictly observed. When hunting wild boar, no harm should be caused to other wild animals protected by the state.
According to the relevant person in charge of the Wildlife and Wetland Protection Department of Sichuan Forestry and Grassland Bureau, one of the advantages of transferring wild boar out of the list is that the procedures are simpler at the grassroots level when dealing with the harm caused by wild boar and adopting population control.
"One pig, two bears, three tigers and leopards." During the interview, villagers in many places used this folk saying to describe the strong aggression of wild boar.
"The villagers can’t clean up the wild boar without tools", "the biting force is too strong", "the teeth are like knives" and "they dare not do it". The villagers in Xinyi Village, Muzuo Township, Pingwu County, Sichuan Province commented on the "lethality" of wild boar. Du Lin, the village party secretary, said, "A few years ago, an old lady in the village met a wild boar on the mountain, and her ankle was bitten off by a wild boar. She was barely able to walk on crutches after living in the hospital for more than two months."
Li Zhongyi, the criminal investigation team leader of the Forest Police Detachment of Mianyang City Public Security Bureau, said that most wild boars are social animals, and generally two or three sows hang out with a group of young pigs. In order to protect their young, adult sows are usually irritable and aggressive. Wild boar has territorial consciousness and may attack other creatures in the territory.
The reporter learned that there are only three hunting teams in Mianyang, a city with a good ecological environment and frequent wild boars, all of which are non-governmental organizations. Among them, only one team was allowed to use guns by the public security organs for the record.
How to find the balance between protection and hunting?
Experts interviewed said that the frequent appearance of wild animals such as wild boar not only caused crop losses, but also reflected the trend that the ecological environment in many places in China continued to improve and the habitat of wild animals expanded. "The ecology is getting better and better these years." Yang Tingxiu, a 50-year-old villager in Luoyigou Village, Qingxi Town, Qingchuan County, Sichuan Province, said that wild boar, deer and monkeys went to the fields to eat crops, which was the trouble after the ecological improvement.
Experts suggest that wild boar is harmful, but it is not a "pest". Studies have shown that the habit of wild boar turning over the soil and arching the ground can effectively promote the healthy succession of forests. At the same time, the seeds of many plants in nature are also spread through the eating and activities of wild boar.
The insiders believe that it is necessary to adhere to the principle of protection priority, find the balance between hunting and protection, and make scientific policies to achieve harmonious coexistence between man and nature. Otherwise, it is inevitable to fall into "indiscriminate killing — The number has dropped sharply — Protection — Overflow — The pattern of indiscriminate killing.
Some grassroots cadres and the masses have called for the local government to formulate special control methods in areas where wild boar causes frequent harm. For example, the public security organs can properly participate in wild boar hunting activities, or approve private professional hunting teams to be equipped with a certain number of special firearms. At the same time, strictly regulate and implement the harmless treatment process and comprehensive utilization regulations such as sterilization, deep burial or incineration of prey carcasses, and strictly prohibit wild animals from flowing to the table.
Experts warned that if Lu Yu wild boar, should keep calm, quickly find the surrounding terrain and shelter conducive to hiding. If the wild boar takes the initiative to attack, it should dodge to both sides to avoid the frontal collision of the wild boar; When you are deadlocked, try to find a tall and easy-to-climb tree to climb two or three meters, and call the police for help on the premise of your own safety.