Hong Kong govt killed 633 wild boars this year, costing taxpayers HK$33,000 for each kill

The Hong Kong SAR government killed 633 wild boars in the first 11 months of this year, with official figures indicating a cost of HK$33,000 for each kill.

The city has in recent years seen incidents of wild boars injuring people from time to time. Citizens hiking or camping have also encountered situations where wild boars snatch food and backpacks, with the animals often spotted roaming in urban areas.

Acting Director of the Environmental Protection Department, Diane Wong Shuk-han, told the Legco on Wednesday that the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department conducted a total of 317 operations in the first 11 months of this year, capturing and humanely dispatched 633 wild boars.

The government official said over the past three years, the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department has allocated an average of 33 officers annually for wild boar management work.

The average annual expenditure for related activities amounts to approximately HK$21 million, which translates to roughly HK$33,000 spent per wild boar killed. Of the 633 wild boars being put down, 96 were captured in the Southern District, 80 in Tuen Mun District, and 66 in the Eastern District.

Meanwhile, Wong said Hong Kong has in recent years seen gradual improvement of the situation of wild pig nuisance in Hong Kong.

According to the AFCD's statistics, the overall population of wild pigs decreased from about 1,830 in 2022 to about 1,360 in 2023, and further decreased to around 900 in 2024. The latest number of wild pig nuisance black spots is 15, reduced by about 64 percent as compared with 42 in 2022. The number of human injury cases caused by wild pigs is seven so far this year, decreased by about 80 percent from 36 in 2022.

As of December 10 this year, government departments had issued a total of 110 fixed penalty notices, of which 12 were related to the illegal feeding of wild pigs, Wong added.