As more and more wild boar populations are sighted in urban areas in Spain, ecologists muse on the cause of this phenomenon. In Malaga, boar sightings have become "very common," according to a police officer who is used to removing wild boar from human-dominated areas, per Sur in English.
What's happening?
Sur reported that a herd of wild boar roamed from the woods to Baden-Powell Park while groups of teenagers, parents, and their small children played. Attracted by garbage bins and humans feeding them, these creatures often are found in parks and suburban streets, Reuters reported.
Police were called to investigate the issue and subsequently cleared out the park. One concerned mother who heard about the encounter from her teenage son said: "My son told me that one of the wild boar was very big. There could be an accident one day."
Why are wild boar sightings important?
Wild boar are native to Spain, according to IberiaNature. Human population growth and urban expansion have over-familiarized these wild animals with people, Sur explained. Because of their lack of fear of people as well as resource loss due to climate change (explained here by the BBC), wild boar encounters happen in Spain frequently.
Humans have become a sort of invasive species by taking land from native animals and warming the globe by producing pollution dangerous to all forms of life. What may seem like an overabundance of animals in an area is usually a case of people moving in where the animals already lived.
Unfortunately, wild boar are sometimes killed when located in human-dominated spaces, as are other wild animals. The physical removal of these creatures from land that once belonged to them is carried out to protect citizens, though generations of people have expanded their cities, leading animals to seek resources outside of their shrinking habitats. This is dangerous to both populations.
Wild boars have the potential to attack, but they also spread disease to humans and other animals. They are known to carry at least 30 viral diseases and nearly 40 parasites that can spread to humans, livestock, and wildlife, per the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
What's being done about wild boar in Spain?
Officials across the globe are calling for citizens affected by roaming wild boar to stop feeding them, like this example detailed by Notes From Poland. Community efforts to stop wildlife engagement could help to control their overwhelming presence, but this is not all that is being done.
Hunters in Spain have taken to hunting wild boar, which have no natural predators, the Guardian reported. Hunting can be beneficial for keeping balance in unbalanced ecosystems, though it must be controlled. If there are no regulations on hunting, then biodiversity in nature will suffer.
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Definitely 👍 Population control and food and water sources placed by people in wild boar habitats are some of the other efforts being made to separate the animals from people.
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