Hong Kong declares wild boars fair game after animal attacks

Hong Kong authorities have had enough of wild boars

HONG KONG -- Hong Kong authorities have had enough of wild boars.

An increasing number of attacks by the animals, including one that bit a police officer last week, triggered an operation Wednesday night in a district less than half an hour’s drive from Hong Kong's financial center. Experts used dart guns to capture seven wild boars, which were later put down via medicine injections, the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department said in a statement.

Wild boars are a common sight in Hong Kong along hiking trails. They are often fed by people despite appeals by authorities not to do so as they could transmit diseases and may gather in large numbers. Previous attempts to relocate and sterilize the boars “could not effectively control the wild pig nuisance,” the department said.

“A large group of wild pigs continued to wander and gather at the site, posing threats to members of the public and road users,” the statement read.