Millions of wild boars are roaming across South Korea, causing huge economic losses. So what is the cause of such a large wild boar population explosion? And what ways have South Koreans found to deal with these dangerous wild animals? Find out the answer in the following video.
Wild boar hunting in South Korea began as an emergency measure to deal with the increasing number of wild boars that were causing serious damage to agriculture.
The story behind these hunts is closely linked to protecting crops and people's livelihoods.
In 2023, the damage caused by wild boars to South Korea's agriculture was estimated to reach 250 million USD, a figure that continues to increase as the population continues to grow.
Wild boars are highly destructive, especially during the breeding season when they forage across fields and croplands. This reduces crop yield and quality.
In September 2023, after ravaging fields, wild boars in South Korea began to move and attack areas near city centers such as Seoul and Busan, causing serious damage to urban areas.
They destroyed gardens, parks, and public areas, causing businesses to stagnate. The total property damage in urban areas has reached $30 million, including infrastructure repair costs.
In response, the Korean government has organized many wild boar hunting activities to control the number, but incidents of wild boar attacks on hunters have tended to increase.
In December 2023, there were at least 40 cases of hunters being attacked by them, causing damage in medical costs and compensation up to 5 million USD per hunter.
The reason can be attributed to the lack of preparation of hunting organizations in terms of training and strict supervision of licensing.
In an effort to combat wild boars, the South Korean government has adopted the use of spring traps, which are designed with a strong grip to capture them.
Spring traps are installed in mountainous areas and rural border areas where wild boars are common to avoid harming humans.
The wild boar hunting season in South Korea usually begins in October and lasts until February of the following year.
With the goal of controlling millions of wild boars, the total number of spring traps set across the country is estimated to be up to 500,000.
Hunters in Korea are required to take intensive trap installation courses to understand the working mechanism of the leg-grip trap.
This type of trap is designed with a special mechanism, when the wild boar is caught in the trap and tries to escape, the force of the trap will automatically increase, making it impossible for them to escape.
This ensures the effectiveness of capturing wild boars, but also requires hunters to regularly check the trap because each trap can only catch one animal.
The hunter's caution and patience become key factors, as each check is a time for them to prepare for the next hunt.
The use of traps that do not harm hunters is a humane yet effective solution to dealing with wild boars in Korea.
This method has proven to be highly effective, with the number of wild boars in areas such as Gyeonggi and Chungcheong provinces decreasing from around 8,000 to less than 2,500 in just one year.
Controlling the wild boar population has improved the quality and productivity of crops in these areas.
The living standards and income of local residents have also improved significantly, with average incomes increasing by around 15% due to reduced crop damage and lower costs for crop protection.
The spring trap method does not take much time for hunters, only about 1-2 hours to install a trap properly and safely.
Hunters need to check the trap at least 2-3 times a day to ensure that the trap is still working effectively and no wild boars are left behind.
However, the installation must be done very firmly, because otherwise they can step on the trap and the trap will not work, causing a loss of capture opportunity.
The Korean government has introduced preferential policies for hunters, including a reward of up to 200 USD for every 10 wild boars captured.
On the contrary, hunters who use traps for personal business purposes or do not comply with regulations will face heavy fines, which can be up to 5,000 USD or even have their hunting licenses revoked.
After catching wild boars, hunters must report the specific number to the Korean government to record their achievements and ensure compliance with regulations.
The wild boars caught are strictly inspected for any signs of viruses or diseases. If a virus is detected, the pigs are specially treated and cannot be consumed, to protect the health of the Korean people.
The remaining wild boars, after passing the quality inspection, are processed into dishes and become a celebratory feast for hunting organizations, a worthy reward for the efforts that the hunters have put in throughout the hunting season.
This not only motivates the hunters but also helps to promote community cohesion through joint activities.
We will say goodbye to Korea here, continue with the next video to find out why wild animals attack human habitats.
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