Wild pigs are becoming more and more of a nuisance as they intrude into the daily lives of Hong Kong residents, both in the urban and ruaral areas. They roam the streets, foraging for food in garbage bins, or linger around residential buildings hoping to keep their stomachs full.

The authorities were bombarded with nearly 740 complaints from the public in 2017 about the annoyance caused by wild pigs in their neighborhood - more than double the figure in 2013.

The menace has sparked a vigorous public debate on how the uninvited guests ought to be treated. Some residents want the animals to be driven out to ensure public safety, while others are calling for peaceful coexistence.

The Hong Kong government ended the hunting of wild pigs in 2017 and wants to take a more humane approach to the problem. Since then, a two-year pilot program has been initiated, involving the contraception of pigs and a relocation program to move them farther from settled areas.

Different locales have a variety of approaches to ease the problem of marauding animals. Hunting is still common to control the wild pig and kangaroo populations in Australia. In India, monkeys are often well treated.

As intensified human activity encroaches deeper into the habitats of wild animals, conflicts may become more common and more dangerous.

bingcun@chinadailyhk.com

An outsized wild pig intrudes into a factory yard at Wong Chuk Hang, Hong Kong Island, much to the bewilderment of a resident and her dog which, seemingly, is not prepared to put up a fight with the unwelcome guest. Photos by Roy Liu / China Daily

They’re everywhere! Two of the pack hang out at a construction site at night, catching workers by surprise.

A wild pig lingers on a pedestrian path in Wong Chuk Hang, foraging for food near a factory, apparently oblivious to its surroundings.

(HK Edition 01/30/2019 page8)