The Department of Climate Action of the Generalitat indicates that the control actions on the wild boar population in the Collserola natural park have begun to bear fruit by noting a reduction in the number of specimens per square kilometer, which has gone from 17 last Winter 2021-22 at current 12. It should be noted that the pandemic, which meant a reduction in control actions, led to an increase in these animals, which could roam freely in the forests and cities.
Acció Climàtica has reported this morning that during 2022 the maximum historical catches were recorded in Collserola, a total of 965, of which more than half, 61% (593), in urban areas; 99 in raids, and 273 in night outings with a firearm. Acció Climàtica assumes that the density of wild boars is still very high, but is confident that it is “at the beginning of a return to more socially sustainable conditions”.
The increase in wild boar populations affects the urban and peri-urban areas of many cities in Catalonia, as citizens and farmers have been impotently denouncing. In addition to the damage they cause in the field, they pose a risk for different reasons: they can cause traffic accidents and transmit diseases, both to people and to pets. Acció Climàtica also highlights that “more and more cases of people directly injured by specimens of this species are being recorded.”
The Collserola massif, surrounded by densely populated cities, has become a habitat with ideal conditions for this wild animal. Since the end of the last century, its presence in this enclave has increased and it is common to see it roaming the streets of Barcelona and other cities.
The actions to reduce its population focus on hunts and also on night hunting with exceptional authorizations, “which are carried out exclusively in the natural environment and with strict security conditions to avoid accidents.” In cities where hunting with a firearm is not appropriate, such as Sant Cugat del Vallès and Barcelona, ??city councils have control programs using capture techniques, such as cage-boxes, drop nets and teleanesthesia, he indicates. Climate Action in a statement.
