Thursday, December 1, 2011

Berlin’s wild boars – Is hunting the solution?

[caption id="attachment_11976" align="alignleft" width="226" caption="Boars in Berlin"][/caption]

Ernest Dempsey — A large part of human population in many parts of the world still puts its faith in the entirely wrong and unethical assumption that killing animals to control their population is the easy and best solution. It may be easy, but certainly is not the best; instead it is the worst solution ever. This is what we need to tell the authorities in Berlin who once again are worried about the wild boars wandering in the streets of the German city.

As Guardian reports, wild boars from Berlin’s forests are once again entering the city for food. By digging the city grounds, these creatures are causing significant financial damage. Derk Ehlert, Berlin Commissioner of Wildlife, considers hunting as the only choice resting with the authorities for controlling the animals. Growing significantly in number and getting fond of more varied food, something that brings them onto the city streets, are also part of the worries felt by the authorities as well as many common Berliners.
But the animal lovers in Berlin entirely disagree and are not happy with the authorities’ approach of animal control through killing. Considering the boars as part of the cityscape, these caring Berliners call killing the boars unnecessary and inhuman. Given that hunters are more than ready to start the killing sport, for they are paid for it, the life of both adult boars as well as piglets entering the city for food is in danger. For the time, hunters have been asked to shoot piglets, i.e. young ones under 15 weeks. This has left the hunters uneasy too, for they want a big kill, and hence greater profit.

But those on the side of saving life are concerned about the authorities’ very approach. For them it is not a matter of killing the small or the big, but that of ending life unnecessarily. In fact, as this report notes, some Berliners consider boars as friends and fondly feed them in the city as one would treat a guest. One woman was quoted saying she was very fond of the boars and sees the animals as her friends. The petition started on Care2 takes a similar angle and says that majority of Berliners are against the killing/hunting plan of the authorities. Calling hunting as a “shallow approach”, it suggests that the authorities should work with the local Animal Protection Society on coming up with a better, long-term solution to the problem.