AMMAN — Groups of wild boars have been roaming in areas of western Jordan, scaring
residents, destroying trees and crops, and causing an uproar among some
villagers.
اضافة اعلان
Yousef Z’ubi, a resident of Nahleh village, said
that wild boars come in large groups, of up to 35, almost every night to his
garden, especially in the summer and dig under his trees, exposing their roots.
It is not a new phenomenon, he said; his father and
grandfather in this village have always faced this problem and dealt with it by
fencing their farms.
Wild boars would not harm people unless they are
surrounded or feel threatened, he said.
Director of Bani Kenanah Department of Agriculture
Abdulelah Obeidat said that municipalities have the responsibility of keeping
wild animals in check.
Minister of Agriculture Khaled Hanifat contacted the
pertinent departments and Bani Kenanah area inhabitants to check on the
situation, said Obeidat, adding that the residents and farmers of the area
would meet on Wednesday to find a solution.
For Obeidat, the boars come to Bani Kenanah escaping
bushfires that take place in the Yarmouk Valley.
Residents of Bani Kenanah, in northern Irbid, some
70km north of Amman, have complained through media outlets about the
uncontrolled spread of boars coming from the Yarmouk Valley.
The Agricultural Risk Fund does not cover losses
caused by wild animals, only disasters like flash floods, drought, frost and
epidemiological diseases.
The wild boar, a native mammal, has lived in Jordan
for thousands of years, environment expert Omar Abed told
Jordan News on
Tuesday.
It feeds on “everything”, including plants, worms,
and garbage, which makes it an easy-to-survive animal and hard to control,
Abed, who is also a wildlife specialist, said.
“Mammals in general increase reproduction when they
are under threat of extinction, so boars can naturally increase the number of
piglets to protect their species; the female can bear up to 14 during one
pregnancy,” said Abed.
He also said that the species should not be
annihilated “as it has a positive impact on nature and keeps the balance of the
ecosystem”, adding that hogs refresh the soil when they dig down and help some
endangered plants, such as some kinds of orchids, grow.
As game, the wild boar may be hunted all year
around, “and this is one of the most suitable method to control its numbers”,
said Abed, stressing that using traps or poison may harm other species.
The advice he gives farmers is to fence off their farms to
prevent boars from entering their farms and protect their crops.
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