Wild Boar Crisis Worsens As Hunters Are In Short Supply

The Costa Blanca has go 1 of nan areas successful nan Valencian Community pinch nan highest number of postulation accidents caused by chaotic boar. Data from nan location authorities shows that these incidents person soared from less than 100 2 decades agone to much than 800 today. Increasingly, nan animals are besides seen successful towns, connected beaches and moreover successful protected earthy parks, threatening biodiversity.

The location councillor for Territory, Vicente Martínez Mus, chose Javea to coming a caller action scheme to curb nan overpopulation of chaotic boar crossed Alicante. The inaugural includes €900,000 successful backing for municipality halls, relaxed hunting regulations and measures to simplify nan disposal of carcasses. In protected areas specified arsenic Montgó and nan Marjal de Pego-Oliva, EU-funded projects person already reduced numbers, but nan problem persists.

Hunting licences successful Alicante driblet 83% successful 20 years

Local mayors and councillors acknowledged nan urgency of nan situation, but officials admitted that nan top situation lies successful nan deficiency of hunters. Hunting licences successful Alicante state person plummeted by 83 per cent successful nan past 20 years, dropping from 37,000 to conscionable 6,000. “Hunters are 1 of nan champion devices we person to conflict this plague, but location are simply not capable of them,” said nan location head for Natural Environment, Luis Gomis.

The scheme intends to pull much hunters by lowering licence fees and cutting bureaucracy. It besides removes limits connected captures successful areas officially declared overpopulated, specified arsenic Marina Alta. Carcasses whitethorn now beryllium near successful vulture feeding stations aliases buried successful authorised sites.

Even so, authorities admit nan conflict is acold from won. Last twelvemonth 54,000 chaotic boar were removed crossed nan Valencian Community, yet nan organization still exceeds 150,000. As Martínez Mus put it: “If captures increase, it is because nan boar are still increasing.”