Junta issues new hunting decree to control overpopulation of wild boar in Malaga province

The presence of wild boar in many urban areas of Malaga province is becoming a daily occurrence. Municipalities such as Malaga city, Rincón de la Victoria, Mijas, Fuengirola and Marbella are particularly affected by the increasing number of brave approaches that these animals embark on.

In most cases, the animals are a hybrid with the common pig and, in fewer cases, with the Vietnamese pig. Regardless of their typology, they pose serious risks, as they facilitate the spreading of diseases, could attack people and pets, may cause traffic accidents and considerable economic damage to gardens, golf courses and residential facilities.

To counter the problem, the BOJA official gazette of the Andalusian regional government has once again decreed a hunting emergency, for the 11th year in a row. According to environmental technicians, the wild boar population over the past decade has multiplied sevenfold and now exceeds 22,000 specimens in Malaga province.

The new BOJA decree has reduced the deadline for prior notification for the installation of capture sites (a type of cage that closes when the animals enter to eat) with the aim of controlling these populations. The use of scented attractants and the occasional provision of a small amount of food will be exceptionally permitted for the "ambush and night ambush" methods.

The resolution aims to reduce the population densities, burdens, and damage caused by the wild boar and feral pigs and, at the same time, to provide hunters and owners of non-game lands with sufficient instruments to develop their role as controllers of population imbalances in the natural environment. It promotes co-responsibility of the hunting sector towards farmers, with the aim of reducing damage, and towards the natural environment, with the idea of seeking natural balances.

The measures for the control of wild boars and feral pigs are summarised in the use of live captures and the use of weapons. All the modalities listed in the technical hunting plan are allowed on hunting grounds during the open season, as well as stalking and ambush methods outside the open season, under the specified conditions and timeframes.

Collective hunting actions have been classified as an exceptional measure outside the hunting season in order to avoid the impact on the reproduction of the rest of the species of wild fauna. On non-game lands, the control method is the placement of capture sites, subject to prior notification by the owners of these non-game lands or of their agricultural or livestock exploitations.

The resolution also establishes that during the 2025/2026 hunting season, for hunting grounds whose main or secondary use is big game hunting and within the wild boar hunting season, the methods outlined in the corresponding technical hunting plans are allowed.

Outside the hunting season, the damage control measures established for this type of hunting ground will apply to those hunting areas that include wild boar and feral pig damage control in their hunting management plans.

During the whole hunting season and to facilitate ambush and night stalking, the use of scented substances that do not pollute or harm the natural environment is exceptionally allowed.

A small quantity of vegetable feed or fodder may be placed at a single point or location at a distance of between 40 and 75 metres from the stand, no more than three days before the holding of the stand, provided that this does not constitute food supplementation. Therefore, the use of any type of feed dispensing equipment or utensils is not permitted and the provision of meat feed and the distribution or dissemination of feed to locations distant from the stand is not allowed.

On hunting grounds where the main or secondary use is for big game, in order to facilitate the identification of the specimens, the effectiveness of the shot and the safety of persons, night vision or thermal scopes may be used, regardless of whether they are attached to the weapons covered by the type D firearms licence. In addition, it will be compulsory for the hunter to carry an express authorisation signed by the owner of the hunting ground.