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Following is a question by Hon Lau Wong-fat and an oral reply by the Acting Secretary for the Environment, Dr Kitty Poon, in the Legislative Council today (April 29):
Question:
Since I raised on December 17 last year a written question in this Council on the problems caused by wild pigs, a spate of incidents which involved wild pigs intruding into villages and urban areas have occurred again. On the 7th of this month, a wild pig even intruded into Ying Pun Ha Village in Tai Po, attacking and injuring a villager by biting him. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council whether the government departments concerned have considered adopting new measures to solve the aforesaid problems, which are getting increasingly serious?
Reply:
President,
My reply to the question is as follows:
Under the current arrangements, upon receiving confirmed reports of wild pigs threatening human safety and property by the Police, the District Offices or the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD), the wild pig hunting teams will be notified to arrange for hunting operations to reduce the threats posed. In Hong Kong, there are at present two wild pig hunting teams consisting of civilian volunteers. Members of the hunting teams must have special permits issued by the AFCD under the Wild Animals Protection Ordinance (Chapter 170) and arms licences issued by the Police before they are able to participate in wild pig hunting.
The Government is very concerned about the incident that occurred in Ying Pun Ha Tsuen, Tai Po on April 7, 2009 in which a villager was injured by a wild pig when he tried to chase the animal away. Upon receiving the report, the AFCD carried out an immediate field investigation with the Tai Po Wild Pig Hunting Team. With the assistance of local villagers, the hunting team has placed baits in the area in a bid to lure wild pigs to suitable locations for hunting.
Since the incident, the AFCD has advised the local villagers that when encountering wild pigs again, they should keep calm and stay away from them as far as possible, and they must not get near them or drive them away with any objects lest there should be danger. At the same time, they should call 999 immediately so that police officers can be sent to the scene to take action to protect the residents. If the wild pigs have left, villagers may call the government hotline 1823 to inform the AFCD to take follow up actions.
To reduce the threats posed by wild pigs on human safety and property, the Tai Po Wild Pig Hunting Team has had in place an additional deputy team leader since early this year so that the team can carry out more hunting operations. Furthermore, the AFCD will continue to monitor the situation closely and recommend preventive measures to residents affected by wild pigs, such as installing fences, additional lighting or solar-powered electric fencing at their residence and agriculture field. To enhance publicity and education, AFCD published a leaflet entitled "Hong Kong Wild Pigs" to provide information on safety guidelines and preventive measures, and copies have been distributed to residents or units affected . The pamphlet could also be downloaded from AFCD's website.
Ends/Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Issued at HKT 15:35
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