Anybody who has visited Rome, Italy lately might have had a “boar”-ing time.
Oh, it has nothing to do with famous relics such as the Colosseum, St. Peter’s Basicila or the Pantheon, which we have to imagine are still as exciting as ever to see.
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But of late, the city has been plagued by an unusual problem: the presence of wild boars throughout the streets.
Packs of wild boars have been common throughout Rome, as they have traversed the city looking for overflowing garbage to munch on.
People have posted videos on social media about boars roaming through garbage dumps and on city streets as people try to walk and drive.
To view pictures of the boars in Rome, from Reuters on Twitter, click or tap here.
Italy’s main agriculture lobby, Coldiretti, told The Associated Press that there is an estimate of more than two million wild boars in Italy, with 5,000 to 6,000 roaming city parks in the surrounding region of Lazio. Some then break away from the parks and search for food in city trash bins.
The boars actually became a focus of a recent mayoral election, where incumbent candidate Virginia Raggi was criticized by opponents for the city’s garbage problem as a result of the boars.
Raggi didn’t make it through an initial round of voting, and now, two other candidates will compete in an Oct. 18 runoff election, although there were other factors involved besides the boars in voters rejecting Raggi.
In order to control the boar population, Lazio in 2019 launched a program allowing for the boars to be captured in park cages for slaughter, and is also allowing for selective hunting in some parks, according to the AP.
The measures have produced a clash between animal rights activists and city residents who say they are tired of seeing boars flocking to their streets and trash areas, the AP reported.