Finland's Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry and the Finnish Wildlife Agency have announced a plan to cut the wild boar population by up to half. Expanded hunting is to start this Friday, the 5th of December and for the first time, hunters will be allowed to use bait to attract the animals.
According to a survey by the Wildlife Agency, there are between 1,000 and 1,300 wild boars in the wild in Finland. The largest concentrations are in the southeast of the country, where there are estimated to be around 400, and in eastern part of Uusimaa with over 500.
Swine epidemic a concern
The culling is being carried out in an effort to prevent the spread of African swine fever virus from Russia into Finland. The virus is currently spreading through the wild boar population in the Baltic countries, with several new cases being reportedly every week. Since 2007, the disease has moved from the Caucasus region through Russia and Belarus into Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia.
It is unknown how widespread the virus is in Russia, but cases among domestic swine have been reported in the Leningrad region and in Russian Karelia. Neither area has systematic monitoring of diseases among the wild boar population, some of which regularly wander back and forth across the border with Finland.