After the earthquake and the nuclear accident, the number of wild boars caught in Fukushima Prefecture increased rapidly, but last year it turned around and decreased to about half of the previous year, according to the prefecture's summary.
The prefecture believes that the swine epidemic (swine fever) has spread among wild boars and the population has decreased.
In Fukushima Prefecture, the habitat range of wild boars expanded as residents evacuated due to the earthquake and nuclear accident, and the number of wild boars caught continued to increase.
In 2010, before the earthquake, there were 3,736 animals, but two years ago, in 2020, there were 35,698 animals, a nearly 10-fold increase in just over 10 years.
Along with this, damage such as crop damage has increased, and the damage amount for the past few years has reached about 100 million yen per year.
The prefecture has worked with local governments and hunting associations to exterminate them, but last year's catch was 18,767, which is a significant decrease to about half of the previous year's total. I understand.
As of the end of August, the number of catches this year was 2,851, which is 70% of the number at the same time last year.
In at least 30 municipalities in the prefecture, wild boars infected with the swine epidemic (swine fever) have been captured. I'm here.
The number of catches in other prefectures tends to decrease, so the Fukushima Prefectural Nature Conservation Division says, ``There is a possibility that it will increase again, so we will continue to be vigilant when catching them.''