Wild boar numbers halved in four years

By the Editorial Team · Tuesday, July 28, 2026

The city’s capture-and-kill policy has reduced the wild boar population by over 50% since 2021, leading to an 80% decrease in related injury cases. Despite the program’s success in enhancing public safety, it faces opposition from animal welfare advocates who call for less lethal management methods.

The population of wild boars in the city has decreased by more than half over the past four years following the implementation of a capture-and-kill policy in 2021, according to a recent Legislative Council study. The initiative, managed by the Agricultural, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD), aimed to reduce wild boar numbers and related public safety risks.

Government data indicated that the wild boar population, which was estimated at approximately 2,000 in 2021, declined to around 990 by 2025. The study noted that numbers remained near 2,000 between 2020 and 2022, but dropped sharply after the control strategy was revised. The policy involves monthly operations where wild boars are captured using tranquiliser guns and then put down.

Since the policy's introduction, the number of culled wild boars increased significantly—from 64 in 2021 to 723 last year. The annual cull figures rose steadily over the years: 292 in 2022, 489 in 2023, 672 in 2024, and 723 in 2025. The increase corresponds with a considerable reduction in injuries caused by wild boar attacks, which fell by 80 percent during the same period. Official records show 20 reported injuries in 2021, rising briefly to 36 cases in 2022 before declining substantially thereafter.

The policy shift followed a violent incident in November 2021 in the Tin Hau area, where an auxiliary police officer was injured while attempting to cordon off a car park containing an injured wild boar. The animal, which later died after falling from a height, had bitten the officer during the encounter. Authorities cited this and other safety concerns for moving away from previous management approaches. Earlier strategies, including a capture-and-release program in 2017 and a multipronged management approach in 2019, were deemed ineffective at curbing population growth.

The government has allocated over HK$105 million toward wild boar control from 2021 through 2025, with an average annual expenditure of HK$21.12 million. The highest spending occurred in 2022, totaling HK$23.3 million.

Despite the effectiveness of the policy in reducing wild boar numbers and injuries, it has drawn criticism from some residents and animal welfare groups. An online petition opposing the policy collected 78,000 signatures, opposing what they characterized as a “killing order.” Conservationists have called for more flexible management options, such as feeding bans, to maintain a sustainable population rather than widespread culling.

Authorities maintain that the policy is necessary to balance public safety with ecological concerns, given the challenges posed by the wild boar population in urban and rural areas.

This article was reported by synthesizing coverage from multiple independent news outlets to present a balanced, unbiased account. Read about our editorial standards. Spotted an error? Let us know.