Hundreds of S. Korea troops chase wild boars at DMZ
South Korea has ordered hundreds of soldiers manning the demilitarised zone (DMZ) on its border with North Korea to track and capture wild boars to prevent the spread of African swine fever, military officials said.
South Korea confirmed its seventh case yesterday, just over a week after the virus was first detected and prompted authorities to step up disinfection measures.
The source of the outbreak had not been confirmed, but the virus had been found on hog farms near the border with North Korea, which reported an outbreak in May to the world body in charge of fighting animal diseases.
Troops and equipment normally used to guard against North Korean provocations were deployed this summer to monitor and trap wild boars suspected of carrying the virus, a South Korean military official said.
“We can’t shoot them because it would be a violation of the armistice agreement,” the official said, referring to the 1953 pact with the North that halted fighting but did not end the war and has governed the border ever since.
The border, decades after the 1950-1953 Korean War, is laced with landmines, razor wire and high-tech surveillance equipment. The 250km DMZ is also home to wild animals that thrive in the wooded no-man’s land.
Wild boars trapped by the military have tested negative for African swine fever, the military official said. Two boars found dead in the DMZ also tested negative, the Defence Ministry said.
African swine fever is a highly contagious disease fatal to pigs, but it does not affect humans.
South Korea sent 1,173 military personnel and 166 decontamination vehicles to seven areas, Defence Ministry deputy spokesman Roh Jae-cheon said yesterday.
“There have been no cases of wild boars crossing the border. No attempt was made to enter general outposts and no boars have been shot dead inside the DMZ.”
More than 300 South Korean soldiers and 40 decontamination trucks were deployed near the border yesterday to control the spread of the virus, Roh said.