Malaga awards contract to control presence of wild boar and feral pigs with archers

The environmental sustainability department of Malaga city council has awarded a one-year contract for the control of the wild boar and feral pig population, which is increasingly getting closer to urban areas through the forests near the city, especially in the Este and the Ciudad Jardín districts.

The aim is to reduce the risk that these animals pose to people, traffic and public and private property. The regional government of Andalucía will support the surveillance and control work as a preventive measure and to curb the possible spread of African swine virus, which was detected in wild boars in Catalonia. Although this virus poses no risks to the human population, it can affect the wildlife and livestock farms.

The contract, worth 30,000 euros (IVA sales tax included), has been awarded to Grupo SCAES-FAC. It can be extended for another year. Such contracts have been awarded in Malaga since September 2024. On 5 December this year, the regional ministry of sustainability and the environment declared a temporary hunting emergency and established measures regarding the control and possible eradication of feral pig populations, by means of different capture methods and procedures.

As stated in the contract specifications, the successful bidder will have to increase the prevention and control measures that the city council has been carrying out over the last year. The objective is to limit, as much as possible, access to urban areas through the creation of more water troughs and the planting of vegetation. This would provide the animals with more food in peri-urban areas.

In addition, the monitoring of different herds will continue, with night visits to the places where they usually go in search of food and water, inspection with thermal cameras and identification of movements within the urban area, as well as use of feeding and monitoring points in coordination with the environmental health surveillance service of the city council. At the same time, the city council is once again appealing to the public not to provide food for these animals and not to leave waste outside containers.

With these preventive measures, the city council wants to create a cordon to prevent wild boars and feral pigs from entering urban areas. In the event that these dissuasive actions prove insufficient, the use of arrows and narcotic darts will be considered. The use of bows is one of the methods recommended by the regional ministry of agriculture, livestock, fisheries and sustainable development.

Captures should mosly take place at night, although if conditions so require, they may be carried out during daylight hours at times when there is no risk to people and when there is no nuisance or disturbance to public services. The company must have qualified and trained archers who are accredited by the Andalusian hunting federation, as well as a veterinarian. Fifty specimens have been captured with this method since September 2024.