City and Parks Authority to act against wild boar threat

By MIRIAM BULWAR DAVID-HAY (TRANSLATED)
The city of Haifa and the Nature and Parks Authority have decided to increase their efforts to cull the local wild boar population following growing numbers of complaints about the animals recently, reports www.local.co.il. Residents have been reporting greater property damage and fears of attack as the large boars increasingly invade residential areas to forage for food. According to the report, the wild boar population has been growing in recent years because the animals have no natural predators and their forest habitats have been shrinking. The city has made various attempts to drive the animals away from residential areas, but these have proven only partly successful. It has now decided it will place traps in the undergrowth where boars usually hide, and will try to capture them. No mention was made of what would be done with the trapped animals. A municipal veterinary spokesman urged visitors to nature areas around Haifa to avoid entering brush-covered areas, and similarly cautioned dog-owners not to allow their pets into such areas.