Volunteers lead Finland’s fight against African swine fever

About 100 hunters in southeastern Finland are carrying much of the responsibility for preventing African swine fever from spreading, Yle reports. Their work includes reducing the wild boar population, collecting samples for the Finnish Food Authority and searching the terrain for dead animals.

Wild boar hunting is demanding and dangerous, and most hunters do it alongside their regular jobs. The Finnish Food Authority pays a reward of 500 euros for each wild boar, but the money usually goes to the hunting club rather than the individual hunter.

At a feeding site in Hanhijärvi village in Lappeenranta, piles of shelled peas and apples had been left untouched. Kari Taurama, chairman of the South Saimaa game management association, said there was plenty of food available in the wild and that no wild boar had recently been seen at the site.

Taurama estimates that a few dozen hunters in Lappeenranta and about 100 across southeastern Finland are able to take part in wild boar hunts.

Approaching the animals can require moving quietly at night in dark clothing and even woollen socks, as wild boar can easily detect a person’s scent. Taurama also wears cut-resistant wild boar trousers because an injured animal can attack with its tusks, often targeting the groin and thighs.

While wild boar generally avoid people, Taurama said an injured adult animal can be as dangerous as a bear. On one stalking trip, he managed to kill a wild boar.

The equipment needed for the hunts can cost as much as 7,000 euros. It includes a thermal camera, night-vision equipment and protective clothing, as well as radio phones and applications for phones and tablets. Dogs and their training also add to the cost.

The work also requires hunters to endure long nights awake. Taurama said the lack of sleep eventually starts to affect the body, but he added that the 500-euro reward does little to bring more hunters into the field.

Finland has recorded 196 wild boar kills since the first case of African swine fever was identified at the end of July. During the corresponding period last year, 163 animals were killed.

Jaakko Silpola, executive director of the Finnish Hunters’ Association, said stronger measures were needed. The association wants the use of drones to search for wild boar, particularly in reed beds, and for hunting to be allowed in the African swine fever infection zone.

The Finnish Food Authority currently bans hunting in the zone because it could frighten the animals and drive them to other parts of Finland. The association disagrees, arguing that ambush and stalking hunts at feeding sites have little effect on the animals’ movements.