{"id":2178246,"date":"2024-10-30T06:00:03","date_gmt":"2024-10-30T05:00:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/?p=2178246"},"modified":"2024-10-26T09:38:32","modified_gmt":"2024-10-26T07:38:32","slug":"the-wild-boars-of-the-costa-del-sol-do-these-sun-loving-pigs-really-need-to-be-culled","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/the-wild-boars-of-the-costa-del-sol-do-these-sun-loving-pigs-really-need-to-be-culled\/","title":{"rendered":"The wild boars of the Costa del Sol: do these sun-loving pigs really need to be culled?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Name<\/strong>: Sus scrofa.<\/p>\n

Appearance<\/strong>: Stocky, hairy and causing a nuisance on the Costa del Sol.<\/p>\n

Ah, this is about British tourists I suppose \u2013 I saw M\u00e1laga council has been telling them to put their clothes back on and stop singing late at night.<\/strong> Actually, it\u2019s about boars.<\/p>\n

Boars \u2013 you mean the things Ast\u00e9rix eats?<\/strong> Yes, those guys. They are invading the beach resorts of southern Spain with increasing frequency, even roaming the streets of M\u00e1laga and other cities. It\u2019s not just Spain either \u2013 they\u2019ve been spotted digging up gardens and frolicking on beaches in Brittany this autumn too.<\/p>\n

Hang on, an image is coming back to me. An image of \u2026 a naked German man?<\/strong> Yes, you\u2019re recalling the nude bather in Berlin who gave chase when a family of boars nicked his laptop back in 2020. They are becoming more common there, too, and in many European cities.<\/p>\n

Why? I bet it\u2019s our fault.<\/strong> Yes, of course. The climate crisis has led to drought and forest fires in their natural mountain habitats, meaning the boars are short of water and it\u2019s harder for them to find food. Cities are full of tasty food waste for them to plunder, and water sources. But it\u2019s also about numbers.<\/p>\n

Are there more boars around generally then?<\/strong> Yes \u2013 according to boar expert Dr Giovanna Massei of the University of York, \u201cthe population of wild boar is growing incredibly quickly worldwide. This is largely due to the declining numbers of hunters.\u201d<\/p>\n

I\u2019m struggling to see this as a problem: for once an animal is thriving! Wild boar are cute, too.<\/strong> Well, if 70kg of hairy muscle is your type, I suppose so, but unfortunately, they are causing havoc. Rifling through tourist\u2019s picnics is just the tip of the iceberg: boars are causing road accidents and attacking dogs. They can also transmit diseases such as African swine fever and, Massei says, \u201ctuberculosis toxoplasmosis that can be transmitted to humans\u201d.<\/p>\n

So what can be done about them?<\/strong> Well, some parts of the Costa del Sol have implemented a cull. In 2022, the city of Mijas hired archers to shoot and kill them, and Marbella and M\u00e1laga councils have also allowed them to be hunted by archers.<\/p>\n

That seems awfully brutal.<\/strong> Yes, vets and animal rights groups have protested and M\u00e1laga has suspended the programme and is trying a different approach: shooting boar with tranquilliser darts, then getting them humanely euthanised.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s still a bit of a downer. Are there other ways to keep the boar at bay?<\/strong> Some places have installed drinking troughs to allow the boar to drink without heading to beach bars for a cheeky cerveza. There\u2019s also a pilot programme in Italy giving them oral contraceptives.<\/p>\n

Pigs on the pill!<\/strong> Yes, it\u2019s probably better than stags on the pull.<\/p>\n

Do say:<\/strong> \u201cThis beach is overrun with hairy grunting beasts trashing everything.\u201d<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t say:<\/strong> \u201cAnd the boars are a problem, too.\u201d<\/p>\n

This article<\/a> was first published by The Guardian on 23 October 2024. Lead Image: A wild time at the beach \u2026 a boar approaches bathers on the Costa del Sol. Photograph: Hibbeler Markus\/Action Press\/Shutterstock.<\/i><\/p>\n

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