Farmers call for measures to control destructive wild boars

Farmers are calling for measures to contain an explosion of the wild boar population around Lake Koroneia, west of Thessaloniki, as the voracious eaters have been destroying crops and threatening livelihoods.

According to the Athens-Macedonian News Agency, the deputy regional governor of Central Macedonia for agriculture, Fanis Papas, said that the problem started roughly a year ago, when boars that had escaped from livestock farms in the area formed packs with free-range boars and existing wild boars around the lake, which is a protected area.

Trapped on one side by Mount Vertiskos, dozens of boars are now moving toward the Seikh Sou Forest and the area of Horiati as their numbers grow, the official said.

“We sent a letter to the ministry last September alerting it to the problem. We are asking for cooperation from forestry and hunting authorities so that measures are taken to control the problem,” said Papas. “We don’t want the wild boars to disappear, we just want something to be done to stop the destruction of crops.”