Our reporter Li Xiongying
"You can't fight, and you can't prevent it." "Seeing crops being ruined" "Many people dare not farm anymore"... As the country increases its protection of wild animals, the number of some wild animals has increased significantly. .
At the same time, some wild animal populations with strong reproductive capacity and great destructiveness have seriously endangered the growth of crops in some mountainous areas, and wild boar is particularly typical.
The crops in the mountainous areas of Guangdong, Hunan, Anhui, Shaanxi, Gansu, Hebei and other places have been ruined by wild boars to varying degrees.
Wild boars are protected animals and are large in size. General isolation and repelling measures are difficult to defend against their infringement. The masses currently do not have effective defense measures, and some farmers even give up on farming because of this.
Wild boars flooding crops in some rural areas are severely damaged
"There are a lot of wild boars here, and many of the corn grown by the villagers have been destroyed by wild boars." When the Xinhua Daily Telegraph reporter was interviewing in a rural area in North China a few days ago, many villagers reported that the local wild boars were flooded and they were farming for the villagers. Brings great challenges.
Faced with the infestation of wild boars on corn fields, some local villagers are helpless, and some are not even willing to grow grain, preferring to abandon the land and go out to work.
Xinhua Daily Telegraph reporter learned that in recent years, as the country attaches importance to the ecological environment and increases protection of wild animals, the number of some wild animals has increased significantly, but it has also brought a lot of trouble to farmers.
Some wild animals have begun to show a trend of flooding development, especially wild boars with strong reproductive capacity. Because of their strong destructiveness, they have become disasters in many rural areas.
Wild boars have the characteristics of arching in spring, destroying seedlings in summer, and gnawing fruits in autumn.
Public information shows that in Guangdong, Hunan, Anhui, Shaanxi, Gansu, Hebei and other places, wild boars have destroyed crops in recent years.
On the "Leadership Message Board" column set up by People's Daily Online, villagers in many areas across the country reported that the local wild boars are flooding and causing serious damage to crops.
A villager in Shangzhuangping Village, Caichuan Town, Danfeng County, Shaanxi Province left a message that local wild boars are rampant and go down the mountain every night to destroy crops. The autumn harvest originally ushered in a bumper harvest, but the crops in the field were ravaged by wild boars. The farmers could only take quilts and sleep on the ground. in.
The number of wild boars in Shaoguan City, Guangdong Province has increased significantly in recent years.
In 2018, wild boars in some areas of Shaoguan began to harm villagers’ crops, and it became more and more serious.
According to the relevant person in charge of the Shaoguan Forestry Bureau, villagers in many places in Shaoguan reported that wild boar disasters have brought certain losses to farmers' production and life.
According to data provided by Shixing County, Shaoguan City, this year many crops in Shixing County were ruined by wild boars. According to statistics, there are more than 150 mu of rice.
"This is only the data collected by the grassroots government, and there are a large number of spoiled crops that have not been counted." The relevant person in charge of the Shaoguan Forestry Bureau said.
Not long ago, a Xinhua Daily Telegraph reporter saw in a corn field in Zhoutian Town, Renhua County, Shaoguan City that part of the corn cobs to be harvested had been put on the ground by wild boars and some corn had been eaten up.
"The damage caused by wild boars is devastating. After the wild boars pass, the crops in the field are basically gone. Just like plowing, the soil is opened up." Local villagers said, rice, peanuts, sweet potatoes, and corn. Root crops such as, taro and pueraria lobata are very popular among wild boars. In recent years, the planting area destroyed by wild boars has increased.
The masses lack reasonable defensive measures and often can only admit that they are unlucky
Wild boars are very capable of reproduction and have a high survival rate.
Some villagers in Zhoutian Town reported that a wild boar can breed five wild boars a year. Without intervention, it only takes a few years to form a large wild boar population in a certain area.
The villagers reported that in recent years, the number of wild boars in the village has increased significantly. Every time the crops are ripe for the harvest season, groups of wild boars will come to the fields at night to "pick" the harvested fruits, the corn in the village. , Rice, peanuts, etc., have all been destroyed by wild boars.
Kuang Farong, a villager in Lingxi Village, Zhoutian Town, said that wild boars still have a certain aggressiveness. If you find wild boars stealing crops, you should not get too close. There is a risk of being attacked by them.
Wild boars are animals in the "List of Terrestrial Wild Animals Protected by the State or of Important Economic and Scientific Value". It is illegal to hunt and kill them privately, and villagers have no right to hunt them without authorization.
Because they could not be hunted, the villagers had to take some local methods to expel them.
During the harvest season, in order to expel wild boars, some villagers would put many scarecrows or hang many clothes with bamboo poles on the edge of the fields to expel them. Some villagers also lighted lanterns in the fields and expelled them by lighting.
But over time, these native methods have little effect, and disasters still exist.
"The wild boar is very smart, and the native method can only'cheat' it for a while." Kuang Farong said. When he was most helpless, he could only choose to sleep in the field and guard the crops.
Because wild boar is a protected animal and has the characteristics of large size and strong aggressiveness, the grassroots government is also subject to some restrictions on hunting wild boar.
In November 2020, the Taihu County Party Committee Office of Anqing City, Anhui Province responded to the villagers’ complaints that “wild boars are overwhelming and ruining crops”. The public security department has very strict management of guns. When the number is too large, professional hunting teams can be organized to hunt after evaluation by relevant departments.
However, the current wild boar population in the county has not yet reached the level that requires organizing hunting.
The “Response to Recommendation No. 34 of the Representative of the Fifth Session of the Eighteenth National People’s Congress” issued on the official website of Guangchang County People’s Government of Jiangxi Province in December 2020 mentioned that the number of wild boars has increased significantly after Guangchang County has implemented the policy of closing hills for reforestation in recent years. , And serious harm to crops.
Since 2019, the county's forestry department has been committed to solving the hazards of wild boars, and has also won the approval of higher authorities to hunt a certain number of wild boars. However, due to the impact of the epidemic and the difficulties of gun management, preparations for the formation of hunting teams have stalled.
The current measures are: the people’s governments of various towns and villages organize personnel with hunting experience to hunt wild boars in areas where wild boars are more harmful, and it is strictly forbidden to use hunting tools and methods in the hunting ban issued by the county government.
Affect the people's enthusiasm for farming, and the compensation mechanism needs to be improved
Many villagers reported that after the crops were destroyed by wild boars, they did not know who to deal with, and the villagers could only admit that they were unlucky.
Some grassroots cadres believe that although the state has legal provisions for compensation for crops and other losses caused to protected wild animals, the operability is not strong.
For example, the "Guangdong Province Wildlife Protection and Management Regulations" mentioned that local people's governments at all levels should take measures to prevent and control the possible harm caused by wild animals, to ensure the safety of humans and animals, and agricultural and forestry production; Wild animals that cause casualties, crops or other property losses shall be compensated by the local people's government according to law.
"The issue of where the local government's money comes from, who will assess the value of the crops lost is not clear, and the implementation details are lacking." The relevant person in charge of the Shaoguan Forestry Bureau said that they are also assisting after receiving feedback from some towns and villages. Solved, but the current regulations lack clear operation rules.
"Farmers have worked hard for a year, and wild boars are destroyed in one night." The destruction of wild boars on crops not only poses a challenge to food production, but also directly makes some people lose their enthusiasm for farming.
Some people reported that they worked so hard to cultivate the land, and they might eventually be destroyed by wild boars in a few nights.
In recent years, many mountainous lands have been abandoned due to wild boars.
It is worth noting that wild boars mainly live in woodland, so they often appear at the junction of woodland and farmland. They especially like to forage in the croplands at these junctions.
Some grassroots cadres reported that, generally speaking, villagers living near the mountain have poor family conditions, and they are also the most ordinary villagers in the countryside.
Villagers who choose to plant land are often the lowest group in the village.
The destruction of crops by wild boars is a considerable economic loss for these families.
The increase in wild boars is a manifestation of the improvement of the ecological environment and the gradual improvement of the people's awareness of environmental protection. However, the excessive number of wild boars affects agricultural production and even the safety of villagers, which is also worth noting.
As wild boars continue to invade rural production and life, the grassroots cadres and the masses call for: on the one hand, strengthen guidance on the defense of wild boars, and deport or hunt them reasonably in accordance with actual conditions in places where wild boars are flooded. Further improve the compensation mechanism after crops are destroyed by protected wild animals, and clarify the implementation details.
Some grassroots cadres suggested that part of the funds can be allocated from agriculture-related funds for compensation after wild boars and other protected wild animals cause damage to crops.