Wild boars invade urban areas and train stations, authorities launch war

(Dan Tri) - Faced with the increasing number of wild boars appearing in urban areas in Korea, local authorities have had to implement a series of measures and campaigns to eradicate them.

Wild boars are increasingly appearing in urban areas across South Korea. They are moving further afield, invading subways, royal palaces, golf courses and schools.

Faced with a significant increase in the number of wild boars, local authorities are forced to wage a fight against them, including the use of advanced technology such as artificial intelligence (AI).

Wild boars are appearing in urban areas in Korea in increasing numbers (Photo: News).

On January 12, a wild boar appeared on the elevated tracks between Guseo and Dusil stations on Busan Subway Line 1. This forced trains to slow down from 70 km/h to 30 km/h. The animal eventually left the tracks near Nopo Station around midnight and returned to a nearby hillside.

A Busan Metro official said it was the first incident of its kind. Local authorities announced plans to thoroughly inspect points where wild boars could enter, especially around open areas near stations.

In October 2024, a 100kg wild boar broke into Busan Subway Line 2 and bit a passenger in a toilet. The animal also broke a glass door at the customer service center, causing chaos before being euthanized.

Seoul has also seen wild boar invasions on several occasions. From 2021 to 2023, officials recorded nearly 1,500 reports of wild boar sightings. In September 2024, a wild boar was also spotted at Changdeok Palace, a popular tourist attraction. The animal was later shot.

On Jeju Island, wild boars have also caused damage to golf courses. Since October last year, the golf course in Aewol-eup has suffered tens of millions of won in damage as wild boars dug into the grass in search of worms. Similarly, a wild boar rampaged through the grounds of an elementary school in Daegu in May 2024 before being shot by police. Fortunately, the incident occurred before students arrived at school.

A wild boar was captured in downtown Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province (Photo: News).

Experts say the appearance of wild boars in urban areas in South Korea is increasing due to their growing population.

An outbreak of African swine fever in Busan last year prompted the environment ministry to ban the use of hunting dogs, which drastically reduced the number of wild boars caught. This caused their population to skyrocket, raising safety concerns in urban areas, said Choi In-bong, head of the rapid response wildlife capture team.

In Busan, the number of wild boars caught fell from 803 in 2021 to 273 in 2024. In response, authorities are considering using traps and high technology.

Specifically, Seoul has installed 151 traps, 15.8km of fences and other preventive works along forested lowlands and major routes where wild animals appear.

Cheongju County in South Chungcheong Province captured 1,214 wild boars last year and has now established a professional hunting team with 40 licensed people.

High-tech solutions are also being deployed. Specifically, the National Institute of Biological Resources under the Ministry of Environment of Korea is using AI to analyze the movements and habitats of urban wild boars. 80 surveillance cameras are currently installed on Bukhan Mountain, with 150 more expected to be installed by February this year.

Jung Seung-kyu, a researcher at the institute, said the unit is building a system that uses data from drone cameras to study the behavior and distribution of urban wild boars.

“This year we will focus on Seoul and then expand the analysis to Gyeonggi Province and other metropolitan areas next year,” Jung said.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/doi-song/dan-lon-rung-tran-vao-do-thi-ga-tau-dien-chinh-quyen-phat-dong-cuoc-chien-20250123165205703.htm