Wild boars rampage through Budapest

Already facing near-record heat and drought, the well-manicured gardens of Budapest's hilly districts are currently facing a new threat: packs of thirsty wild boars hunting for water and food.

According to a report on hirtv.hu, the animals, which are among the most common large game in the Hungarian countryside, are increasingly leaving the forest for the suburbs.

Gyula Tagscherer, the "chief hunter" of Hegyvidék (District XII), told inforadio.hu that the animals are drawn to regularly-watered gardens, where they can not only slake their thirst but chow down on the earthworms that favor the loamy soil. Tagscherer said the vaddisznók often arrive in herds, destroying all the plants in neighborhood gardens not protected by proper, boar-proof fences.

Wild boars (Sus scrofa) in Hungary typically live in the Central Transdanubia region. They prefer wet areas and swamps (like those along the Danube), but because humans disturb them, they often move to forests. They typically feed at night.

In November, 2001, a scared boar was spotted running along Fő utca in downtown Buda. It jumped into the Danube between Batthyány tér and the Chain Bridge and tried to climb back to the shore several hundred meters downriver. A police officer shot three times at the animal, and it went back into the water. It then tried to climb ashore again farther south, near the Lágymányosi bridge, but another officer shot at it three times again. The animal swam back to the middle of the river and was never seen again. It is not known whether the boar in question was injured, though animal rights groups were outraged, in part because the boars are not known to attack humans unless their offspring are threatened.

Despite the growing public concern over the boars, some experts deny there is a Budapest boar problem at all. Gergely Lomniczi, press chief of Pilisi Parkerdő Zrt, said that there are no more wild boars in or out of the forests this year than in previous years, while adding that it is the responsibility of homeowners to protect their gardens from animals.

Meanwhile, anyone in Budapest who is considering protecting their gardens from wild boars by shooting them should think again, as should the police. According to regulations, only the chief hunter has permission to bag boars within the city limits.

• Email
• Save to My Caboodle