Wild boar culling begins in Croatia due to African swine fever

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Minister David Vlajcic said that no new cases have been confirmed in the pig population in the country so far, but an agreement has been reached with the Croatian Hunting Association and local hunting associations to carry out a full-scale culling of wild boars by November 1st. The reason for this is that 44 of the wild boars killed so far in Osijek-Baranja and Vukovar-Serremseg counties have tested positive for ASF, which shows the virus burden in the region itself. Everyone has understood the seriousness of the situation, it is a security issue, and we are counting on the cooperation of hunting associations, the minister stressed.

Mato Cicak, president of the Croatian Hunting Association, stressed that increased participation of hunting associations is needed to reduce the wild boar population as much as possible by November 1.

He said that about 160 wild boars were killed in the two affected counties in the past week. The exact size of the population is difficult to determine, as wild boars can migrate 50-60 kilometers, so there is a risk that new specimens will appear from Serbia, Hungary or Bosnia and Herzegovina, he stressed. He estimates that about five thousand hunters are active in the affected counties, and if necessary, hunters from other parts of the country can be involved. In the Kopács-Rét Nature Reserve in Osijek-Baranja County, the Ministry of Environment has allowed the reduction of the wild boar population to ten percent, i.e. the biological minimum, but the hunting grounds belonging to the park are still subject to a complete culling order. In cooperation with the Croatian Forestry Service, traps are also being placed on the edges of the reserve to prevent the migration of wild boars and the spread of the epidemic.

MTI