By Cai Xi

In the southern suburbs of Urumqi in April, the snow still hadn't melted. Below several drones, a few hounds equipped with satellite collars spotted a solitary wild boar hiding in the bushes, guiding a five-person team of "wild boar hunters" to approach.

Even though no one used firearms, the wild boar, which had just trampled a farmer's field, paid the price for its futile resistance. Subsequently, the team reported to the local government, carried out harmless treatment of the boar, and rushed to the next location where wild boars had been detected.

This team led by local resident Zhu Jin can protect about 430,000 hectares of farmland from wild boar damage annually, with the application of drone and satellite technologies.

Over the years, the Forestry and Grassland Administration of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region has provided support and guidance to such teams, including cooperation with the Xinjiang Academy of Animal Sciences in detecting swine fever and other wild animals. The work carried out by Zhu Jin and his team is no longer just hunting in a single perspective; it should be regarded as a systematic ecological project.

According to data released by the National Forestry and Grassland Administration (NFGA) of the People's Republic of China in January 2024, the number of wild boars nationwide reached two million. This species, characterized by strong reproductive ability, high aggression, and being extremely difficult to hunt, poses a threat to agriculture and public safety in 26 provincial-level administrative regions. Consequently, China issued the Wild Boar and Other Terrestrial Wildlife Damage Control Plan, implementing scientific and standardized population management measures under legal frameworks and professional guidance from wildlife protection authorities across the country.

"Indiscriminate hunting will damage the ecology. It consumes a lot of manpower while failing to solve the problem of the overpopulation of wild boars," said Zhu Jin. "Instead, we rely on these efficient, ecological, and flexible methods." His team found that when hounds drive away the "leader boar," the dogs leave behind a scent that acts as a deterrent for all boars. Therefore, this team keeps patrolling the possible area with hounds all year round. The scent "radiation circle" centered around the hounds can reach a radius of up to 10 kilometers. Wild boars will avoid the "radiation circle" for at least one year after smelling it. As the food chain gradually breaks, the number of wild boars being deterred begins to decrease naturally.

During a subsequent interview, Dr. Yang Xueyun from the Veterinary Research Institute of Xinjiang Academy of Animal Science said that the wild boar-hunting plans in Xinjiang and China represent the wisdom of scientific regulation, ecological priority, and multiple-party collaboration. This sustainable solution not only eases fiscal burdens but aims for harmony between humans and nature rather than eradication. It involves aspects such as plague alerting, harmless reproduction of wild animal species and providing necessary data for animal protection. Not limited to the control of wild boars, other ecological governance efforts in China, such as the tree-planting project for a green shelterbelt around the edge of the Taklimakan Desert in Xinjiang last year, also demonstrate the global awareness of ecological responsibility and the leading role in environmental protection.

"Above and beyond ordinary tourists, if global ecological insiders visit Xinjiang, I believe they will also find valuable inspiration," Dr. Yang asserts with confidence.

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