Wild boars causing havoc on Japanese island

1 WHERE IS THIS HAPPENING?

The problems are most urgent for 100 residents of the tiny island of Kakara, but are being repeated across Japan, with boar numbers exploding. In October, a large specimen barrelled into a suburban mall on the island of Shikoku, biting five staff. In December, two boars got into a Kyoto high school. Panicked students had to be evacuated.

2 HOW DID THE BOARS GET TO KAKARA?

The first boars apparently swam to the island, which covers a mere 1 square mile and sits between Fukuoka and Saga prefectures. They have found a place with no natural predators and plenty of crops.

3 WHAT PROBLEMS ARE BOARS CAUSING?

The wild boars feast on the islander’s gardens and are becoming aggressive and territorial. Boars have chased the tourists away and eaten the camellia plants. Local children cannot play outdoors for fear of being attacked and residents have stopped walking even relatively short distances.

4 WHAT ARE KAKARA RESIDENTS DOING?

Islanders have set countless traps and catch around 50 of their tormentors every year, but that is far outstripped by the rapidly breeding boar population — a sow can give birth to as many as six piglets a years. Some residents suggest they should evacuate the island.

5 WHY HAVE BOARS BECOME A PROBLEM?

The older rural populations is dying out and young people are moving to the cities in search of work, leaving towns empty. The number of people with shotgun licenses has fallen sharply. People fled to safety after the 2011 Fukushima nuclear plant disaster. The wildlife remained and thrived.