While Italy debates whether to allow hunting of wild boars in cities, as proposed by the current government, Sweden appears more interested in culling its relatively small wolf population rather than confronting 300,000 boars.
The proposed wolf cull, possibly eliminating half of an estimated 460 wolves, has drawn reaction in Sweden as sharp as the Italian response to city hunting, with a variety of groups pointing out how serious the boar issue has become.
Wild boar were extinct in Sweden until the 1980s, when several escaped from captivitiy; the population estimate of 300,000 supports a continued rapid rise. They have been blamed for extensive damage to crops and farm animals, and for over five thousand traffic accidents in the past year.
Even Sweden’s hunters have mixed feelings: the Hunters Association recognizes the boars as a major problem, but still wants to go after wolves, saying “Even if they have done no harm, the wolf creates fear and unease, and that must be taken into account. There are people who are afraid of the dark when they know logically that there is no danger, but fear is not rational.”
On the other hand, fear of wild boars just might be…
