(MENAFN- Asia Times)
District councilors have criticized the government for not doing enough to curb the city's wild boar population after a number of people were attacked.
During a meeting with officials from the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) on Monday, councilors slammed the two-year pilot wild boar contraceptive program, launched in October last year, as 'inefficient and time-consuming,' Oriental Daily reported.
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Cheung Ka-shing, a senior wetland and fauna conservation office with the AFCD, said 101 wild boars had been captured across Hong Kong this year by the end of September. The majority were in the Southern District where 71 were caught.
A total of 17 female boars had been given contraceptive treatment which inhibits reproduction for between four and six years, while four wild boars received permanent surgical sterilization. About 53 of the captured boars were relocated away from urban areas.
During the meeting, district councilors slammed the government for what they called inadequate measures to curb the rising number of boars. Paul Zimmerman called the pilot scheme 'time-consuming' and 'inefficient,' adding that the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) had not been disposing of waste properly.
Democratic party vice-president and councilor Lo Kin-hei urged authorities to consider looking into introducing tougher legislation to ban the feeding of wild animals. Cheung responded that legislating on the issue might be difficult, but the department would seek more staff to help with the pilot scheme.
An FEHD officer said the department would consider puting fences around dumpsters to prevent wild boars from looking for food.
Read: Three injured in Hong Kong wild boar attack
Read: Two people injured by wild pig attacks in Hong Kong
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